| What makes it historical? |
Traditionally linked to the workshop of Gustave Eiffel, famed builder of the Parisian tower, there isn’t much evidence that Mr. Eiffel had any involvement with this huge Ferris wheel now stationed in Córdoba’s Sarmiento Park! Nevertheless, this wheel’s story is plenty interesting! It was originally built in 1916 in San Miguel de Tucumán as part of the centennial celebrations for Argentina’s independence! Two years later, for reasons not quite clear, the city of Córdoba bought the wheel for 23,000 pesos and had it moved 325 miles south, only to find it unsafe for passengers and in need of 6,000 more pesos to repair it!
Unfortunately, the structural supports that had been installed in San Miguel were not so effectively installed in Córdoba, and the wheel slowly crushed itself! After more repairs in 1926 and 1938, it stopped functioning completely in 1972 and collapsed in 1992! Now reconstructed, the famed Rueda Eiffel is a large sculpture shaping the skyline of Córdoba! |
