Paternoster: Eastern Europe's 'Elevator of Death'

Jukin Media Verified (Original)
For licensing / permission to use: Contact: [e-mail]
I take a ride on a paternoster, an old school type of elevator consisting of a series of constantly moving "shelves" with open fronts. Passengers just step on and off the revolving "shelves" as they wish. A dozen or so are still in use in Prague -- quite a few, it turns out, throughout Europe. The one I rode in is in the Lucerna Pasaz in central Prague. According to Wikipedia, five people have died in paternosters since 1970. (The title of this video is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, by the way.)

[@bigclivedotcom]

Paternosters usually have a safety trip wire at the top of the door frame so that any objects protruding at the top of the door frame will stop the machine. They have a much higher throughput than ordinary lifts because the next car is literally right after the last one. The cars do ride over the top and under the bottom while remaining vertical, so you can ride right round safely.

[@noah321]

bigclivedotcom wow now you’re famous

[@Dalavine]

Was wondering about that thank you!

[@MrJonsonville5]

Says the guy who posts videos of himself being extremely stupid with electronics and electricity.

[@wyn3214]

Omfg this comment is from 6 years ago wth 😂

[@millomweb]

I suppose there's none on IOM.

[@fgfg633]

Five deaths in fifty years? Not that spectacular, and shockingly low for this type of death trap!

[@MizantropMan]

We, slavs, are a strong race. Communism killed off most of the idiots. Those with strong self-preservation skills remain.

[@SandraRegina-sm1wg]

They're not doing it right.

[@Metalhead98793]

Patrick Cossack he clearly hasn’t seen the squatting vodka adidas Slavs

[@ericosborne4122]

I imagine the death rate would likely be pretty low, compared to total injuries.

[@spinony359]

@@MizantropMan yeah yeah 🤣

[@clawpro]

I would not trust myself on this

[@roshlouis8767]

Oh I know that feeling. Like while standing on the balcony of a high building, I usually get this butterfly in my stomach urging me to jump.

[@Ramog1000]

thats the call of the void, pretty interresting psychological topic

[@huffnpuffn8300]

Ramog1000 What do you mean?

[@TitorEPK]

fathercat catdaddy the call of the void is the thought to jump off the ledge you are standing on; wondering what would happen if you drove your car into another car or person; it is the thought of "I could kill someone so easily right now" when holding a knife, hammer, or what have you. It is the insane desire of our unconsciousness.

[@huffnpuffn8300]

John Titor Oh I think I get that a lot.

[@fountaincap]

This would weed out those people who are so absorbed in their phones in the elevator.

[@fuflang]

also people who can't use their legs.

[@FortuneZer0]

fuflang so a win win

[@kenetickups6146]

fountainhead ikr? how dare someone not just stand there doing nothing the nerv!

[@Ezio999Auditore]

We need to reinstall these. Darwin would be proud.

[@Michael-zj3cn]

Marijan Karaula dry humor indeed, but what about those in wheelchairs, seeing as this is the alternative to an elevator, what are they supposed to do, fly up the stairs or get crushed?

[@thrunsalmighty6863]

I suppose that farting in a paternoster is more acceptable than farting in a regular closed lift.

[@robertlee3563]

thrunsalmighty 😂😂😂💨

[@derpythecate6842]

Think again. People can hear you on multiple levels

[@davesstuff1599]

thrunsalmighty you are exactly right but conversely the package could be delivered to each floor quicker though. The whole building could reek if Tuesday burrito night.

[@EchoBuildsThings]

Yeah, spread it through all the floors.

[@jameswatkins9042]

thrunsalmighty If I had to fart I'd definitely go with the paternoster.

[@Larry]

There's one in Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, UK. But only staff are allowed to use it.

[@imdumingo]

thanks Larry Bundy Jr

[@deepwoodtickles]

Disabled access?, sure, we got a lift...

[@iannickCZ]

Take a stairs :D

[@JadeSim]

deepwoodtickles most places that have these lifts will also have additional closed lifts for disabled people too.

[@bruno8126]

Who cares about the disabled lol

[@kellie77381]

Fuck off Paul Monroe.

[@Tracert-mc1hu]

Turing being disabled into an extreme sport!

[@bepowerification]

we had one in Essen, Germany and it scared the shit out of me. I once staid in it past the top floor to get around and it was a pretty big adventure for a 14yo ;)

[@blake8768]

What happened I'm curious

[@ekkehard8]

@@blake8768 Get turned around while in the dark? 😆

[@rbmk1000]

There is one such functioning in the Finnish parliament building but, unfortunately, none of the 200 have died in it yet

[@xoen6]

lol! so, while one has proper IQ IS safe, then :D

[@MrOskaren]

danish parlament has one too. it's only dangerous if you get hurt while riding it.

[@grahambird3112]

rbmk1000 .... Anti Fart lift !

[@tshapedl]

I love how parliament is equally hated all around the world

[@justADeni]

It doesnt kill, it could back in the 20s but nowadays the paternosters which werent replaced have many security measures.

[@graysonrogers-barnes6302]

"Perhaps I'll test that one of these days."

[@kevw333]

Brilliant! A natural selection machine.

[@Hurileno]

Tom Scott made a video on this

[@canaldeblippstorm]

Fall in it is not natural selection

[@watchingyou590]

kevw333 I always said if America took all the warning signs in the country down for a month we would have a lot less traffic

[@user-dx8br5vb3n]

Lots of dead children as well.

[@TheVibes101]

Kid: mom is this surely safe? Mom: yes! If putting a Child in a microwave to dry it was dangerous, there would be a warning here! Kid: okay... Mom: *turns on microwave Kid: *sets on fire and explodes Mom: im going to sue the company that made this product!!! Its dangerous!!!

[@rhandycs]

This is the elevator of perfection actually there isn't more than 1 person that can get in so you'll never need to have someone start a random conversation with you

[@neplatnyudaj110]

4 people in a single cabin no problem. Used these daily for 5 years at my university. It's a little rush if you're the last one to get in and the cabin is already half a meter above ground, but I never heard of any accident.

[@woodgreener]

We have a 6-floor paternoster lift in our library here at the University of Essex (Colchester, UK) which has notices which begin "The Paternoster lift is not dangerous[...]" I'm still very careful when I get in, but it's a lot easier than 5 flights of stairs!

[@hannahrobin7449]

That's why Essex sucks. Oh UEA is wonderful...

[@roshlouis8767]

Given the UK's very tight health and safety red tapes, how do they still exist? Surely there must be a full proof fail safe method implemented. Right? Tell me please, I am dying to know.

[@bhaskarsamani1507]

I think it may be a old one, wouldn't be allowed to install a new one

[@dkbmaestrorules]

Probably "grandfather rights" - there's quite a lot you can get away with as regards keeping old things in use, provided nothing's happened to positively prove that they're dangerous.

[@sagem116]

woodgreener why isn't it dangerous

[@Youtubrerunknown]

"Perhaps im going to test that one of these days" "Goodbye cruel world.." *goes to the top* "..oh, okay."

[@yakacm]

There is well over 200 of these still left, although there was never any in the US and only a couple outside of Europe.

[@LatitudeSky]

diecast jam They do exist in the US. A parking garage in Atlanta uses one to transport their valet drivers to different floors. Works very well and is heavily used every day.

[@nitrojunkie9027]

Yeah I don't know if they are the same brand name or not, but there are lots of them in papermills, boilers, refineries, and furnaces in the US. And they are not enclosed like these ones. You can have several floors of open space between exit platforms.

[@cplcabs]

Can you imagine them in the US? People would be getting killed on them constantly because they are to dumb to use this sort of lift. Then of course there would be the suing.

[@qwertyTRiG]

LS My understanding is that there are no public ones in the US.

[@ToLovelyJesus]

cplcabs “To dumb”? Oh, the irony. 😂

[@jwalster9412]

I would probably stand in front of that thing for 10 minutes, paranoid I will get cut in half, and hesitating until I just go for it.

[@DJ_Dopamine]

If you stay on you simply just go over the top and then come down on the other side of the shaft. Same if you stay on at the bottom. There is a video of someone doing it at Sheffield Uni. It's quite 'safe'.

[@pschroeter1]

Wikipedia has a nice animated GIF of this.

[@edmund8954]

I feel like putting my fingers on the sensor to stop the elevator when theyre below

[@vaikkajoku]

I remember my great-grandmother's apartment building having one of these things. I was always scared shitless getting on it when we went to visit her. This was sometime in the mid 80's. I still get uneasy when I see one.

[@plateshutoverlock]

If you ever ride the lift past the bottom/top, the razor toothed leprechauns will get you.

[@JoeCrofturl5000]

Leprechauns? Don't they live in Ireland?

[@thomasschoemehl7403]

plateshutoverlock liar they have regular teeth

[@shiroineko13]

stuff straight ouf of nightmares

[@Kanal7Indonesia]

"Pater noster" because you have to pray before you ride the thing.

[@seminolegonzalezairlines7757]

????????????????????????????¿

[@kingleonidas5172]

It's called Paternoster because during the prayer the priest would sometimes hold a chain with Rosary stones on it and while reciting the prayer he would pass individual stones through his hand. The chain of Rosary stones kind of looks like the mechanism of the lift.

[@abacaxi4713]

@@seminolegonzalezairlines7757 "our father" in latin

[@jari2018]

The should have these in Dubai highest building -and yes I ride one and it was kinda scary -must have been in my 20s.

[@Kanal7Indonesia]

@@kingleonidas5172 *the more you know*

[@flankerpraha]

I´m using one every day in my work. In fact it is one of the best things when you don't need to wait for still occupied elevators. Dangerous? Maybe that's why we have so many idiots here... :) Seriusly, it's quite safe, any obstacle makes paternoster stop.

[@somethingsfishy2695]

flankerpraha and how can it lift? I mean, does it have sensors?

[@boof-7599]

it is constantly moving in rotations

[@4ever242]

BeebsBonanza No, he's absolutely right.

[@chrism7969]

They have a trip wire across the lift near the top. If any part of you is protruding out of the lift it hits the trip wire as the lift ascends or descends and emergency brakes are applied stopping the lift before any part of you becomes trapped between the lift and the floor or ceiling of the building. The reason they are not built anymore is lack of access for those with disability so they don't meet modern regulations on disabled access, not safety.

[@jumis6]

Actually in Prague there is probably another one being turn on again

[@nicolek4076]

A long time ago, when I was a student at Leeds University, there was one of these in the lecture theatre block. It was very efficient at moving people and once you'd mastered the best technique to get on and off, pretty easy to use - if you were quite agile. Last time I looked, about 12 years ago, it had been blocked off. What a pity.

[@spicylemon2736]

I feel like I’ve had a nightmare like this once

[@andymccabe5483]

I have been on the 18 storey Paternoster in Sheffield and stayed on through the top and bottom, it just gets a bit rickety as it goes round.

[@greenaum]

As I suspected! 18 stories is impressive though.

[@Viktor007]

Did you died?

[@isaacwood4071]

THAT'S SUPER ILLEGAL

[@iamkat5e]

I'm studying Architecture in Sheffield! I take the paternoster pretty much daily since I alternate between 17/16 to 15th floors. edit: during rush hour the elevators get absolutely full so many students and myself queue to take the paternoster from the17th all the way to the ground floor lol

[@iamkat5e]

Martyn Watson First of all, you seriously underestimate the students here lmao. The paternoster in Sheffield don't operate out of hours, so they stop at 5pm and start about 6am. If any student wants to get drunk during the day then...by all means? There are always emergency stop triggers (that honestly annoy the shit out of everyone, we hate having to wait for the elevator) and security guards to catch a drunken person and boot them out of the building. But Architecture students basically live here, why would any of us even think to do that.

[@carlobayani]

imagine waiting for the elevator and u go to a vending machine and when u get back the elevator passes right by u

[@LawsForever]

It might look scary, but they are safe to use. You can safely step in or out when the platform is between around one feet below or above the floor, giving you plenty of time.

[@michaelahrstkova6348]

It is central Europe! We are Czech republic.

[@Okurkaarrgghh]

It's Soviet Union.

[@andrewcruz1931]

In Soviet Union , elevator rides you !

[@user-ii6cj8gi8u]

Okurka Dude, Czech Republic didn‘t even border the Soviet Union.

[@DanielEscovedo]

No, it's in prague. It's part of german Austria-Hungary empire.

[@SeanSitka]

Czechoslovakia is a former Eastern Bloc country so many people are ignorant to the fact that Czechia is Central EU. This is very common.

[@SugarHue]

Merica can't handle the paternoster

[@jockejanne]

As to be expected from the country that created the label "WARNING, hot content" for coffee mugs.

[@SugarHue]

Joakim Jansson Yep :-(

[@keptick]

Joakim Jansson That's to avoid getting sued by retarded consumers that burn themselves and think that it's a legitimate reason for legal recourse, which has happened in the past...

[@facebag666]

keptick look up that case, I thought it was dumb too until I looked into it.

[@facebag666]

***** don't forget that McDonalds was warned several times to stop that practice before this happened. People always forget that part

[@sarcasticallyrearranged]

I would LOVE to try one of those elevators. They look fun.

[@robertbeed497]

They are Fun, Convenient, Safe. You dont have to wait. If you overshoot at the top or undershoot at the bottom the the lift stays upright you dont get turned upsidedown (mind you that could be fun). Aston University in the UK used to have them. I used to use them in the 1970s (yes im old). I once fell over getting in and was carried up two floors half hanging out of the lift. Quite safe as flaps in the floor open to allow you to pass.(you dont get cut in half)

[@millomweb]

@@robertbeed497 Let me guess - on the north side - replaced by 2 lifts ? It's the only part of MB where there are 2 lifts.

[@GoldieMethrans]

Why does this remind me of a literal up-down version of the escalators?

[@IDontKnow-pf6en]

GDSpectra i felt the same!

[@audiobuff77]

I was thinking the same thing

[@AnjellaBenz]

That's what I thought too

[@PontiacCZ]

Yeah, it's basically the same principle. :-)

[@fritztheted]

They are not just eastern Germany, they where all over the place. In my town 'Gelsenkirchen' we got at least 2 I can remember and at least one is still working. They are the safest elevators around and it's fun to drive over the top and down the other side. They where mostly around in offices and therefore called 'Beamtenbagger' that means service employee excavator.

[@ItsHyomoto]

In the UK, roughly seven hundred people died from injuries caused by stairs in 2009. Conversely, only about two hundred died from elevators and escalators COMBINED and the majority of those deaths happened while working on them. Seems like the paternoster is exceedingly safe. Of course, there are far more elevators of the traditional kind but adjusting the numbers, you are roughly as likely to die on a paternoster than a traditional elevator and more than a hundred times more likely to die on the stairs. The fact that the paternoster requires more situational awareness likely contributes to the lower number of casualties as opposed to normal stairs that aren't moving AT ALL, and as such people are more complacent around them despite being found in more varied and dangerous environments.

[@ItsHyomoto]

Really? Seriously. What the hell is wrong with you? I posted statistics and my opinion, I didn't throw a rock at you. Just because we're on the internet doesn't mean that everything anyone says is inflammatory. Is your first sentence really necessary?

[@xoen6]

IQ, this is about IQ...

[@katr5432]

There is one in the town hall of Copenhagen where my mom used to work. She can confirm, you can take the entire circuit and be fine. It is just very dark and scary to do. She lost a bet with one of the other employees and had to take the entire circuit of the elevator and came home telling horror stories :-)

[@grantpodelco]

I'm having a bit of fun in the video. Everyone is way too serious. Lighten up, people! Jeesh. But it's true, they don't make them anymore because of safety concerns, so you can't dismiss that totally. From Wikipedia: "The construction of new paternosters is no longer allowed in many countries[which?] because of the high risk of accidents (people tripping or falling over when trying to enter or exit). In 2012, an 81-year-old man was killed when he fell into the shaft of a paternoster in The Hague.[9] Elderly people, disabled people, and children are the most in danger of being crushed or losing a limb."

[@shiro_21]

Pater noster is not allowed in czech republic. But there is a monument. special rule. exception. =D god my english is to bad.. =D

[@frankeekucera3313]

+Petr Vondrovský What do you mean not allowed? there is few of them in Prague still working..mostly in government buildings... obviously not newly built

[@shiro_21]

Frankee Kucera Podle jména mi asi budeš rozumět :D Páter noster je zakázanej. tam ale kde je, je prý památková výjimka

[@frankeekucera3313]

Jo jasne tak jsem to myslel..Ja jsem jeste nedavno v nem jel ,mam pocit ze ve Vodickovy ulici.. rikam nedavno ale on to nejakej rok bude..utika to..

[@GameFreak7744]

Is it much more dangerous than an escalator though really?

[@ioanniskoletis8300]

I love it. With that elevator you are not anxious to get closed in, if it brokes or if there is a power cut.

[@Flyingtart]

Probably designed in a time where people were expected to not to be dumbasses.

[@BiohazardCrow]

But that is yet still dangerous. You can have a higth degree of nuclear physics and literally be a "smartass" and someday you are distracted and "Squish!". Also how about childern? "Squish!" and old people?! "Squish!" and handicapped? "Squish!". All dead.

[@MultiGreenwood]

That is the dumbest fucking thing I've read all day.

[@BiohazardCrow]

MultiGreenwood SQUISH!

[@ZosiaSamosiaOo]

Conchita is that you?

[@cantfindcat4347]

I love seeing all the people excited over this elevator. Went on a elevator like this everyday for almost a year

[@Satai80]

Finland's parliament house has one of those also. :)

[@chrischoy9]

It's the best way for other politicians to decapitate the opposing the opposing wing

[@Lerssinen]

lintströmmi voiskin katkaista päänsä moisessa.

[@GoldGalaxianFin]

Mä kävin kerran kunnan talossa ja näin yhden ja sitä käytettiin vielä 2011

[@andyboog2010]

When I was a kid my dad was stationed in Frankfurt Germany at the Abrams building back then. ( now it's a university) and they had one of these elevators there that I rode many times. Loved riding it.

[@lindsayfog5246]

nothing happens if you stay on ,you could stay on all day , the problem is you would get bored, its a loop you stay on or get off. do you think anyone would make a people squashing machine and sell lots to building owners ?

[@lindsayfog5246]

they may have not been so popular though.if people did get squashed

[@carolhutchinson7763]

My father mentioned this from one of my parents' vacations and I could hardly believe it. This is the first time I've seen such a thing since I heard about it decades ago.

[@undogmatisch5873]

Everyone with a basic level of coordination and common sense is able to use a paternoster correctly. But in Europe people also grow up with a sense of self-responibility. No one here would even think about sueing a coffee house for self-pouring a hot coffee in ones own lap (and win the trial).

[@undogmatisch5873]

***** Tja, die Engländer waren schon immer etwas "ganz Besonderes". Aber die vielen Extrawürste reichten nicht aus; mal sehen, wie es nach dem Brexit für die Insela...n weitergeht.

[@MegaSharpshooter1234]

I don’t care if this is 3 years late. I want you to actually look that trail up. That McDonald’s didn’t have proper sensors on there coffee and it got so hot that it was boiling and that lady accidentally spilled coffee on her self and the burns were so bad that her vagina was permanently disfigured and the doctors said it was one of the worst case of burns he had seen. AND she was old and because of that the wounds turned serious issue AND SHE ALMOST DIED! she only wanted McDonald’s to pay her medical bills and when they didn’t want to do that THEN she sued. Learn ya shit you UK twit

[@zachfox5969]

...as Europe allows itself to slowly turn into a giant defenseless haven for Sharia law. Yep. All kinds of sense over there...

[@benedekhalda-kiss9737]

@@zachfox5969 Yep even more sense with school shootings and shootouts and shit over in America.

[@zachfox5969]

@@benedekhalda-kiss9737 1/2 of which somehow don't produce actual bodies, realistic blood or "shooters" that haven't had their face altered by news media for dramatic effect. Maybe in Europe they can't smell the bull shit, but here? Here, it's getting ripe.

[@janagordon331]

I am from Prague, and we have still some paternosters remaining. These elevators are actually very safe and very efficient. For people with disabilities, we have regular elevators. Go paternosters go.

[@wiccanteddy]

Apparently, the are over 200 paternosters in use and registered in Germany

[@seethroughwalls]

We have a few in Denmark for example at the Town Hall Square building in Frederiksberg city by Copenhagen. The fun part is riding the whole loop. When you reach the top or bottom the elevator shakes and rattles and abruptly lurches to the right or left depending on if your going up or down. It's a free ride with a musty smell and a thrill.

[@Henry-hd3iu]

Bruh, imagine being high ASF tryna get on one of these 😂

[@cynthiadagama9303]

I was looking for this comment 🤣🤣

[@BoxsterSGirl]

The step on was scarier than the jump off lol. We went to the top bar called Strecha Lucerne Friday night a month ago. Totally worth the price of admission to ride this to the top!

[@robdevenney]

Interesting video and would not fancy trying that lift (elevator) but fairly sure Czech Republic is central Europe rather than eastern

[@michacz9415]

It's Poland, not Czechia!

[@danny-ss5jh]

Gryfon5848 Prague is in Czechia

[@animae008]

@@michacz9415 What the fuck? Praga is capital of Czechia

[@LandNfan]

I saw something similar years ago in a parking garage in Nashville, TN. The garage was attached to the Cain-Sloan department store. It was not intended for the general public, just the parking attendants. It consisted of a wide conveyor belt that moved vertically, with tiny step platforms about 12” x 18” mounted about every 8or 9 feet, with a corresponding handhold about 5 feet above each step.

[@eggheadnurse]

"Elevator of Death" my arse. Stepping into one of these is no different to stepping on/off an escalator.

[@101325]

When I was at University I rode one of these daily for four years. Never even heard of an accident with one. Very easy to use and convenient

[@thefreddex]

Very effective elevators, if greenfell tower had them they would have evacuated in 10 minutes.

[@anthonyxuereb792]

What a clever solution, it makes so much sense, on off on off as you please. they use one people size lifts like these in car parks for attendants to quickly retrieve your car. I couldn't believe it when my friend showed it to me when I asked him how come he was so fast. He showed me a Chinese restaurant next door that had the best fried rice to.

[@Lighteye67]

Misleading title is misleading. Rode in one a dozen times a day every day for years without issue. Not uncommon in older buildings in Europe. It's an elevator of death like a car is wheeled vehicle of death or a steak knife is a serrated tool of death.

[@vanham5397]

OhHaiNSA I wonder why you're using your own experiences to make a conclusion

[@FranciscoSWAG]

I knew this video was from 2010, not because of the quality, but because of the guy's shoes

[@stevestevensofficial]

Oh, yeah! This is from Czech Republic 🇨🇿. My country ;)

[@samo5513]

Pozdravy zo Slovenska :)

[@mira238]

@IJN Yamato Go out to fuck yourself

[@animae008]

Cool! Ja pozdrawiam z Polski uwu

[@ivorymoonkathy]

Thank you for the video. I had to use for a college paper on a scenario for solving complaints on elevator issues in the school of business.

[@Octobermory]

Much better than the 'modern' elevator, for which one must wait and wait and wait...

[@jnicholson2522]

My daughter worked for a hotel here as a valet, they had a very similar contraption in the parking garage called a Manlift. Basically the same thing, only instead of stepping in, you step ON. It's a constantly moving vertical ladder. Timing is everything there as well.

[@produKtNZ]

All I want to see is someone stay riding the car as it turns upside down at the top "D

[@NR23derek]

I've done it!

[@produKtNZ]

Derek Williams VIDEO~!

[@davidkbrees]

I used to work in the Abrams building in Frankfurt Germany (IG Farben) and they had these. The car does not turn upside down, they keep their orientation and just rotate to the other side and move down.

[@produKtNZ]

BannedUfos Heh, I reckon. Oh well, we still have our IMAGINATIONS! *skips off to wonderland*

[@vanillawaffles9798]

As David said. I tried it, nothing crazy happens.

[@rose-ey6ct]

I live in Northern Ireland. On the Shore Road, Belfast, there is what used to be the Associated Feed Manufaturer's building. ( Now Thompsons) When I went into it 40 years ago, there was a Paternoster lift going up 9 floors, and it was superb.

[@conox555]

it´s not dangerous at all... :p you can´t get cruched or cut (there are "nets" sensors which will stop the paternoster if you touch it) and you can´t fall anywhere because there isn´t elevator well. you can get stuck in normal elevator too... also there are a lot of them in europe, for example: around 250 germany, 8 slovakia, 60 czech republic, 20-30 austria, 20 UK......

[@chrischoy9]

It wouldn't be dangerous in any country but it would be for fat people. Walking in or out too slow will result in decapitation

[@conox555]

chrischoy9 yeah, of course, communist government didn´t count fat people :D but mostly there was/is one normal elevator close to the paternoster

[@armingschmitt]

chrischoy9 Being fat is dangerous to fat people. Most all of them actually die of it.

[@Saerek]

@@armingschmitt Being alive is dangerous. ALL of us die as a result of being alive.

[@Joe-ij6of]

If you look carefully, the floor (and ceiling?) of the lift compartment has a hinge for the first 1.5 ft. I'm guessing the platform is hinged to only go down to be flush with the rest of the platform but will pivot up to 90 degrees. This would seem to prevent that edge from guillotining somebody, which is what everyone is worried about I think.

[@donbagley2322]

I've been on one in Germany, 1978. It was unnerving.

[@1Roso]

It very simple, very effective, and in comparison to today used elevators: you don't have to wait for the lift to reach your floor (mainly in big buildings), you don't have to wait for the lift to close the doors, you don't have to listen to some stupid announcements on which floor you are every floor, every floor you don't have to wait for people come out and again wait for the doors to close! BUT of course, these elevators are not for elevating goods. And it is not as I see not for everyone :)) But I love it. If you can't go with this elevator, you can use stairs every time ;)

[@dancoulson6579]

What happens if you don't get out at the top floor? Does it stay vertical, and move the the down side of the loop?

[@karelpipa]

you complete a lap. You can safely go unharmed for full circle.

[@elmoelmerson172]

They probably stay upright in a loop.

[@treinenliefde]

A paternoster always stays with the same 'floor' on the same side or how you say that. I saw a video of someone staying in it.

[@wixte]

they say, if you dont exit the one going down, you can visit hell.

[@mvanco87]

www.tested.com/tech/449240-meet-paternoster-vertical-people-moving-system/

[@user-mh2bw4hu3o]

If you think about it, these things function like a Ferris wheel, instead of going in a circle, they go in a very elongated vertical oblong sort of shape

[@stereopolice]

Each little compartment should have a toilet to sit on whilst you ride.

[@armingschmitt]

That is one "shitty" idea... ;)

[@stereopolice]

Armin Schmitt Yeah .... well ..... it would elevate the concept of a water closet to the next level.

[@Petr75661]

+stereopolice You can't maintain the proper hierarchy of management long enough with paternoster for this to function.

[@TravisTerrell]

If you don't step off, it's no worry. The cab stays vertical as it cycles around the top side and descends down the back. No gears to get "chewed up" in.

[@ZosiaSamosiaOo]

What a nice, soothing voice. :)

[@mssheilajones]

they're very easy to use, unless you have mobility problems. They go very slowly. There is still one operating at Essex University in the library. I loved using it. I never heard anybody saying "woah" as they got on or off. I've never heard of anybody having a problem with it.

[@IglooDweller]

It might be okay if it was open and there was no wall you could get decapitated against.

[@BassGuitarGuy128]

But if there was no wall, you could fall down the shaft.

[@CoachJohnMcGuirk]

IglooDweller it stops if there is something blocking it.

[@i.need.a.new.nickname]

I have had recurring dreams about lifts like these, and I didn't even know such a thing like this existed

[@sunriseshine]

Yeeessss!!!!! Me - the same! What is that??

[@philipgoetz8681]

It would be a very safe elevator if it operated like our usual elevators: you push a button to get it to stop at your floor, it comes to a full stop, doors open, you step inside, & press a button saying which floor to stop at next, & the doors close. The cars could never fall, and a single paternoster could replace a lot of elevators.

[@zNblack00]

So that’s why it is called paternoster. If I were a first rider of this kind of elevator, I would chant Pater Noster while step on it too

[@stupid2574]

I love this, no more waiting 10 minutes for an elevator

[@scientist1280]

Hyperdramatics, that device is perfectly safe. Pay attention to what you are doing.

[@PvtVallen]

No its not lol, what if its going up and you slip and fall on the edge while its going up, u ded son.

[@miloslavstrejcek8630]

Minitell There's a safety mechanism which stops the elevator in case something is stuck somewhere. I was using it on daily basis at my university and haven't heard of a single accident/injury. I guess more people die when they trip on the stairs because they are too afraid to ride the paternoster.

[@13eaewe7m3thso]

safe if you have full use of your legs.

[@user-mh2bw4hu3o]

If a normal elevator's ropes get cut, you will fall to your doom, this is basically a vertical conveyor belt,or vertical escalator or even an indoor ferris wheel

[@CiaoHandy]

I used one of these on a daily basis when I was 16 and worked for British Airways at Hatton Cross. It was a bit tricky jumping on holding a VCR, but other than that, I used to love it.

[@VZ-br6xk]

We have them in Germany as well

[@mikeylikesit6588]

That’s awesome. There is an industrial version of this that consists of a handle and a ledge with no cab. Scared the shit out of me when I rode it. Wish I would’ve taken a video. Good stuff.

[@simonhorak]

Czech republic isn't eastern Europe , it's central

[@paytick9034]

simon h achyahally

[@Kubulek17]

simon h it’s eastern. It’s under Poland which is considered eastern

[@DavidMulderOne]

You are probably referring to "Eastern bloc" in that case, of which half of Germany was also a part. Would you call Dresden eastern Europe? Anyway, when you open the encyclopedic article about eastern europe on wikipedia you will find that the large majority of definitions do not consider the czech republic as part of eastern europe. Please always make sure to read up on a topic before writing comments on the internet correcting someone.

[@kenneth61]

David Mulder You can ask every europe about Czech, and they say Czech is a former Sovjet eastern union. Wiki or not!

[@DavidMulderOne]

kenneth61 But that's the entire point, eastern bloc does not define eastern Europe. "Eastern Europe" and "Central Europe" are modern concepts, the "Eastern Bloc" is a historical concept. Both valid in different concepts, but one has to be careful not to mix them.

[@lesleysmith6821]

There was one at St Thomas hospital in London. Staff were expected to use them and leave the elevators to patients and families. Scared the heck out of me.

[@kacperbaczek9230]

Denmark’s parliament also got it

[@kristoffersparegodt420]

Kacper Baczek. Yeah I think so. Are you also Danish

[@animae008]

@@kristoffersparegodt420 He is Polish

[@alftupper9359]

Extremely dangerous. A young man was operating a commercial lift (not a Paternoster) in a supermarket in my town and for some reason the shutter was disabled, making it work like a Paternoster, and he somehow got his head trapped, taking it off.

[@just_pike]

Prague (Czech Republic) is NOT in eastern europe!

[@mira238]

I think Prague people say that they are not in eastern europe, but rest of Czech republic are here :D

[@sprig3432]

You speak a Slavic language comrade

[@just_pike]

Vladimir Isyanov And? Language and geographical locations are two different kinds of things. In USA they speak English and it’s not part of Europe 🤷🏻

[@EricLeePiano]

this is awesome, and it reduces elevator waiting times to virtually zero!

[@chloealexa189]

Very nice efficient ride on them, do not understand the fuss, unless your handicapped.

[@timstill152]

After so many riders, it's only a matter of time before the wrong person steps on one of these. The aim really should be to make them foolproof.

[@Musikverkaeufer]

@@timstill152 You can make them as foolproof as you want; there will always be a bigger fool than the one before.

[@timstill152]

@@Musikverkaeufer And if their stupid asses get crushed, that's on them!

[@ashesr7]

This is like how elevators look in my dreams. Dream technology isn't usually so great in real life.

[@real_Zuramaru]

What is this, deathrun?

[@Yngvarfo]

No waiting for the elevator to come down from the top. I'm all for that.

[@Argon_02]

I am czech but still didnt tried this :D

[@bottomtextgaming1864]

Good thing

[@Grayfox988]

There's a bunch of them in government buildings in Budapest. Most are not planned to retire, but restored as they're pretty much architectural relics.

[@ddfkfkd1463]

Its central europe dude

[@GoldenStarGalaxy]

Imagine trying to bring food up and you have a shopping cart or many bags in hand

[@lindy9196]

It's decapitatious!

[@scottgrohs5940]

I am fairly certain they’ve installed sensors that make the paternoster stop if anything gets caught in the doorway.

[@ElementofKindness]

Sooooooooo. You have to think and pay attention to your surroundings for a few seconds. OOOOOOooohhhhh!!! So dangerous!

[@truecrimerip7936]

at the journalists club in the axel-springer-building there is this too and it's still in power, but you're not allowed to use it.

[@kishorenikam9919]

most safer than the Elevator !!! hmm

[@SunburstFlame]

Kison Morgan ibgot the biggest fright I thought there was a fly on my screen

[@Snoopdawggydawgg]

@@SunburstFlame 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@crabbitwife5463]

I was a temp for a couple of weeks at GEC/Plessey in Nottingham in the UK in the late 80's. They had one of these crazy death traps. You had to time it just right getting on and off. Very scary. No-one believes me, they can't imagine that such a thing would be allowed.