Kaunas opens Ferris wheel as mayor admits approval mistakes

A Ferris wheel opened on Nemunas Island in Kaunas on Friday, after the project drew criticism over its location and approvals. Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis said the city may have made mistakes in handling the project and that he does not expect it to bring an economic return, LRT reported.

“It’s not the goal,” Matijošaitis said, comparing the wheel with a swimming pool, sports hall or ice arena. “I don’t believe it. Nothing pays for itself in Kaunas,” he added when asked whether the attraction would recoup its costs.

The mayor said the city was consulting heritage officials and that research was under way. He said he understood the wheel would not affect its surroundings. Asked why the project had not been coordinated with the Department of Cultural Heritage, he said the city may not have had time and described the wheel as a temporary structure for which, in his view, not all procedures were required.

The wheel’s location was initially expected to be announced by the end of May, but was not made public. As autumn approached, the news portal Kas vyksta Kaune reported that preparations, including the installation of piles, were under way on Nemunas Island, prompting questions about whether the work complied with regulations and why heritage officials had not been consulted.

Matijošaitis said the wheel could be moved within a week if residents decided another location would be better. He said several locations had been considered, including a hill in an oak grove, but building a foundation there would take longer. The city decided to install the wheel earlier after speaking with its manufacturer, he said, despite not having all the permits. “We’ll sort it out,” he added.

The mayor said he had tried the wheel the previous day and found the view beautiful, though he later acknowledged he had expected something more impressive.

The city’s tourism, business and investment development and international marketing agency, Kaunas IN, says the wheel will operate daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. It may be temporarily stopped during severe storms. Tickets are available at the wheel’s ticket office, with online sales expected to begin soon.

A ride lasts about 15 minutes. Standard gondolas can hold six people and the VIP gondola four, with capacity for up to 760 passengers an hour. Kaunas IN director Tadas Stankevičius said he was more optimistic than the mayor and that 100,000 visitors would satisfy him.