
There are 16 extant historical ''elevators'' ( es, ascensores) in the city of
Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
.
Technically most of these elevators are ''bona fide''
funicular
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...
s. Only one of them, the Ascensor Polanco, is a true vertical
elevator
An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...
. They were mainly constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Description
Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, due to the number of
hills above the so-called ''
plan
A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal.
F ...
'' has had up to 30 ''ascensores''.
Only 16 of them remained extant today and they are declared
National Monuments of Chile
The National Monuments of Chile (Spanish: ''Monumentos Nacionales de Chile''), also abbreviated MN, are the constructions, elements and places that form part of the country's cultural heritage, and they are protected by law. They are National Heri ...
. only 7 of elevators are in operation, the other 9 are under a process of restoration and modernisation.
These extant ''ascensores'' are a part of the ''Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso'' site which since 2003 is included into the
UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Below is a list of known ''elevators'' (funiculars and the lift) in Valparaiso.
[found in ''Plano y Guia Turistica, Valparaíso, Chile'' 5th Edition 2009 http://www.francotours.cl, and ''Carta de Valparaiso'' Disendora Grafica Ximena Silva San Martin http://www.ximenasilva.cl]
Further reading
*
See also
*
Trolleybuses in Valparaíso
Trolleybuses in Valparaíso, Chile, have provided a portion of the public transit service since 1952. The trolleybus system is the second-oldest in South America.Murray, Alan (2000). ''World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia'', pp. 51, 81. Yateley, Hampsh ...
*
Valparaíso Metro
The Valparaíso Metro ( es, Metro Valparaíso, formerly called "Merval") is the commuter rail system serving the urban conglomeration of Gran Valparaíso, Chile. It consists of one line, long, serving 20 stations, connecting the cities of Valpar ...
Notes
External links
Bruse's Funiculars.netascensoresvalparaiso.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Funicular Railways Of Valparaiso
Valparaiso
Valparaíso
National Monuments of Chile
Transport in Valparaíso Region