Isondo Elikhulu LaseVienna Elithandwayo

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! E-AUSTRIA

IDOLOBHA elithakazelisayo laseVienna lendlalekile ngaphambili, futhi amagquma amahlathi aseVienna abuqamama. Le ndawo yakheke yahluka kangangokuthi ungacishe uzizwe izinsimbi ezisho kamnandi zomculo womdanso kaStrauss emoyeni. Insizwa iyikhethe ngenhloso le ndawo, kodwa manje izama ukuzibamba ngoba inhliziyo yayo ishaya ngamandla njengoba icela isithandwa sayo ukuba sishade nayo. Basendaweni engamamitha angu-60 ukusuka phansi. Kwenzeka kanjani lokho? Ayiyena umuntu wokuqala futhi nakanjani ngeke ibe owokugcina ukuvakashela iRiesenrad, noma isondo elikhulu laseVienna elithandwayo, ngesenzakalo esikhetheke kanje.

Leli sondo elikhulu, elisepaki elikhulu eVienna elibizwa ngokuthi iPrater, sekuyiminyaka engaphezu kwekhulu liwuphawu lwaleli dolobha olwaziswayo. ‘Wazi iVienna kuphela uma uye wayibona usesondweni elikhulu,’ kusho umbhalo oyisikhangiso osesangweni lokungena. Kodwa ukuba khona kwalo—njengoba lilidala kunanoma yiliphi isondo elikhulu likaFerris emhlabeni—kuye kwaba nezinkinga. Kodwa leli sondo lensimbi elikhulu kangaka laba khona kanjani? Lamelana kanjani neziyaluyalu phakathi nomlando walo?

Isondo LikaFerris Lokuqala

Ukuze sithungathe umlando waleli sondo elikhulu, kumelwe sihlehlele emuva ekhulwini le-19 kanye neNguquko Yezezimboni. Ngaleso sikhathi insimbi yayiyimpahla yokwakha ethandwayo kwezezimboni. Emadolobheni ahlukahlukene ayizinhloko-dolobha kwakwakhiwa imiklamo yensimbi emangalisayo—iCrystal Palace eyakhiwe ngensimbi nengilazi eLondon, iPalm House eVienna ne-Eiffel Tower eParis. Kodwa idolobha elaliphawuleka kakhulu ngalolu hlobo lwezakhiwo kwakuyiChicago, futhi yikhona lapho unjiniyela waseMelika uGeorge Ferris akha khona isondo lokuqala elikhulu ngoMbukiso Womhlaba Wonke wango-1893.

Isondo likaFerris elimangalisayo lalingamamitha angu-76 ububanzi futhi linezinqola ezingu-36, ngayinye eyayithwala abagibeli abangu-40 ibayise phezulu ukuze babuke kahle iChicago namaphethelo imizuzu engu-20. Abaningi ababeye embukisweni yiyona nto ababeyikhumbula kakhulu. Kodwa isondo likaFerris laseChicago ekugcineni laphelelwa yisikhathi, futhi ngemva kokuba liye lathuthwa kabili, ladilizwa ngo-1906 laqaqwa. Noma kunjalo, wawususabalalele kwezinye izindawo umqondo wokwakha isondo elikhulu.

Isondo Elikhulu Liza EVienna

Unjiniyela nomkhuzi wamabutho asolwandle aseBrithani owayesethathe umhlalaphansi, uWalter Basset, wayenogqozi ngesondo elikhulu laseChicago. Ngo-1894 waqala ukuklama isondo elikhulu elalizokwakhiwa e-Earl’s Court eLondon, futhi kamuva wakha amanye amasondo eBlackpool, eNgilandi naseParis. Ngaleso sikhathi usomabhizinisi ozimele wezokungcebeleka eVienna, uGabor Steiner, wayefuna izinto ezintsha ezazizodonsela abantu eVienna. Ngelinye ilanga ummeleli kaWalter Basset wasikisela kuSteiner ukuba babambisane ekwakheni isondo elikhulu eVienna. La madoda asheshe avumelana, futhi kwatholakala indawo efanelekayo yalo mklamo omusha ojabulisayo waseNgilandi. Kodwa kuthiwani ngokuthola imvume yokwakha?

Lapho uSteiner ehambisa amapulani akhe okwakha kumkhandlu-dolobha, isikhulu sabuka amapulani, sabuka uSteiner, saphinde sabuka amapulani. Sabe sesinikina ikhanda sambuza: “Ingabe ngempela Mphathi ucabanga ukuthi uzomthola umuntu ozokuvumela ukuba wakhe le nto enkulu kangaka futhi avume ukuzihilela?” USteiner wanxusa: “Kodwa amasondo anjengaleli akhona eLondon naseBlackpool, futhi asebenza kahle, awanankinga!” Lesi sikhulu senqaba ukukholiswa. Saphendula: “AmaNgisi angenza akuthandayo, kodwa mina ngeke ngizifake engozini.” Engapheli amandla, uSteiner waphikelela futhi ekugcineni wathola imvume yokwakha.

Ukwakhiwa kwesondo elikhulu kwakuvusa amadlingozi kona ngokwakho. Ababukeli abanelukuluku babehlangana nsuku zonke esakhiweni baphawule ngentuthuko yaso. Ngemva kwezinyanga ezingu-8 nje kuphela, lase liphelile. Ngo-June 21, 1897, laqonqothwa okokugcina ngesando iNkosazana uHorace Rumbold, inkosikazi yenxusa lamaNgisi eSigodlweni saseVienna. Ezinsukwini ezimbalwa kamuva, isondo elikhulu laqala ukusebenza. Njengoba uSteiner kamuva akhumbula: “Wonke umuntu wayejabule, futhi amahhovisi amathikithi ayegcwele nswí.”

Umlando Onezigigaba Wesondo Elikhulu

UMbusi uFrancis Ferdinand, owayenelungelo lokuba yindlalifa yobukhosi base-Austria naseHungary, wajabulela ukuhlola inhloko-dolobha yalo mbuso ephezulu esondweni. Ukubulawa kwakhe ngo-June 1914—okwandulela iMpi Yezwe I—kwalithinta leli sondo elikhulu. Akukona nje ukuthi lalahlekelwa isivakashi salo esiqavile kuphela kodwa futhi lavalwa ukuba lingabe lisasetshenziswa umphakathi lapho seliba yinqaba yokuhlola impi. Leli sondo labuye laqala ukusebenza ngo-May 1915. Nokho, ngaleso sikhathi leli zwe lalingasenayo kahle insimbi, kodwa nanti isondo elikhulu elimile libukwa yiwo wonke umuntu lilinde nje ukuqaqwa! Leli sondo ladayiselwa umthengisi wasePrague ngo-1919, okwakufanele aliqaqe phakathi nezinyanga ezintathu. Kodwa ukuqaqa lesi sakhiwo esiyinkimbinkimbi kwakuzobiza kakhulu kunensimbi yaso. Ngakho lolu phawu olwase ludumile kakade lwasinda ngokulambisa ‘esigwebweni sentambo’ futhi lwaqhubeka lujabulisa umphakathi onokwazisa.

Impi nokuwa kombuso wase-Austria naseHungary kwaletha izinguquko ezinkulu eVienna. Ngawo-1930, umnotho wawa kakhulu, futhi isimo sezombangazwe santengantenga. USteiner, owayeke waba yindoda edumile, kwadingeka abaleke ukuze asindise ukuphila kwakhe ngenxa yokuthi wayengumJuda. Noma kunjalo, ngo-1939 nango-1940, leli sondo elikhulu laba nabagibeli abaningi abayinani eliyingqopha-mlando. IMpi Yezwe II, eyayisigqashukile ngaleso sikhathi, kwabonakala sengathi yenza abantu bahlanyiswe ukufuna injabulo. Kodwa ngo-September 1944, izindaba ezethusayo zaduma kulo lonke idolobha—isondo elikhulu lalisha! Izintambo zikagesi ze-roller coaster engumakhelwane zaqhuma, umlilo wasakazekela esondweni elikhulu, wabhubhisa izinqola zalo eziyisithupha. Kodwa kwakusekuncane lokho.

Ngo-April 1945, lapho isiphela iMpi Yezwe II, leli sondo laphinde lasha. Kulokhu, zonke izinqola ezingu-30 zasha zangqongqa kanye nemishini yokulilawula. Ukuphela kwento eyasala uhlaka lwensimbi yesondo nalo olwase lushile. Kodwa ngisho nalokhu akuzange kusho ukuphela kwaleli sondo. Nakuba imizi yayisele iyincithakalo ngemva kwempi, leli sondo elikhulu, nakuba kwase kuwuhlaka lwensimbi kuphela, lasala limile. Namanje kwaphinde kwatholakala ukuthi ukuliqaqa kuzobiza kakhulu. Kukhona okwakungenziwa?

Yebo! Laphinde lalungiswa, nakuba ngenxa yezizathu zokuphepha kwabuyiselwa imoto eyodwa njalo kwezimbili kuphela. Kusukela ngo-May 1947 kuze kube namuhla, liye laqhubeka lijikeleza, ngesineke lehla lenyuka nabagibeli balo abajabule. Amafilimu anjengethi The Third Man, kanye nomculo wayo ongenakulibaleka odlalwa ngehabhu, aye enza leli sondo laqashelwa nasezindaweni ezikude neVienna.

Isondo elikhulu laseVienna liye lasinda, kuyilapho awokuqala akhiwa eChicago, eLondon, eBlackpool naseParis wonke esaba yizicucu zensimbi. Liwubufakazi besifiso esinamandla sezizukulwane zangemva kwempi sokulakha kabusha futhi liye laba uphawu lwaseVienna. Uma kwenzeka uvakashela eVienna, nakanjani uyofuna ukugibela leli sondo elikhulu. Ngesikhathi ulapho, mhlawumbe uyobona ikhehla litshela abazukulu balo indlela elazama ngayo ukuzibamba njengoba inhliziyo yalo yayishaya ngamandla ngesikhathi ugogo wabo evuma ukushada nalo bephezulu esondweni.

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 19]

IRIESENRAD (ISONDO ELIKHULU)

Lakhiwa ngo-1897

Ukuphakama: amamitha angu-64,75

Ububanzi besondo: amamitha angu-60,96

Isisindo sesondo: amathani angu-245

Isisindo sayo yonke insimbi okwakhiwa ngayo: amathani angu-430

Isivinini: amakhilomitha angu-2,7 ngehora

[Umthombo]

Source: The Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel, by Helmut Jahn and Peter Petritsch, 1989, page 39

[Isithombe ekhasini 21]

Uma ubuka inyakatho-mpumalanga yeVienna usesondweni elikhulu