The Bergama Acropolis Gondola ( tr, Bergama Akropol Teleferik) is a two-station

aerial lift An aerial lift, also known as a cable car or ropeway, is a means of cable transport in which ''cabins'', ''cars'', ''gondolas'', or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables. Aerial lift systems are frequently employe ...

gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...

type at

Bergama Bergama is a populous district, as well as the center city of the same district, in İzmir Province in western Turkey. By excluding İzmir's metropolitan area, it is one of the prominent districts of the province in terms of population and is l ...

district of

İzmir Province İzmir Province ( tr, İzmir ili) is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey in western Anatolia, situated along the Aegean coast. Its capital is the city of İzmir, which is in itself composed of the province's central 11 distri ...

in western Turkey serving the nearby

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

of Acropolis. The long line is operated by Akropolis Teleferik Inc. Bergama is the site of ancient

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...

, a major tourist attraction place. A project was worked out in 2005 to connect the site Asclepium down in the valley with the far Acropolis on the top of a steep hill north of Bergama by an aerial lift line. After rejection of this project by the responsible official body due to concerns over the conservation of the historical place, an alternate project for a much shorter route between Acropolis and its foothill north of the town found acceptance in 2006. Access to Acropolis on the narrow road by bus takes considerable time for the tourists, and any widening of the existing road is not permitted due to the archaeological status of the site. The gondola lift was constructed by the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

company Leitner Ropeways of Leitner Group costing 6 million, and financed by the local Turkish company Akropolis Teleferik Inc. on the

build–operate–transfer Build–operate–transfer (BOT) or build–own–operate–transfer (BOOT) is a form of project delivery method, usually for large-scale infrastructure projects, wherein a private entity receives a concession from the public sector (or the priva ...

base for a lease term of 49 years. The gondola lift line is long with two supporting towers between the terminals. It started to operate mid May 2010, with the official opening taking place on October 14, 2010. The number of cabins each eight-seater was increased from initially nine to fifteen in 2013. The gondola lift transported with nine cabins hourly up to 1,200 people between the base station at above sea level and the high end station. The ride takes less than four minutes. The fare decreased from 10.00 to 8.00 with effect of October 2013. The development of the number passengers in relation with the number of visitors at the site is shown in the table below: ^†) in 2,5 months only.

Specifications

* Line length: * Height difference: * Number of stations: 2 * Number of cabins: 15 each eight-seater * Trip duration: 4 minutes * Hourly ridership: 1,200 * Fare: 8.00 * Terminals: ** Bergama ** Acropolis

References

{{reflist Gondola lifts in Turkey 2010 establishments in Turkey Transport infrastructure completed in 2010 Bergama Tourist attractions in İzmir Province

Specifications

See also

References