I finally rode the weird, curved German elevator.

At the New Town Hall, the Neues Rathaus, in Hanover, there's a strange elevator where the track curves unevenly. For years, people from Germany have been emailing me about it: well, I finally visited. ■ More about the Hall: www.visit-hann...
Camera: Maximilian Unger
Producer: Viktor Sramo at Klein Aber
🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.c...
❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

[@TomScottGo]

This week's pinned comment is a plug for my podcast! There are interesting questions and answers every week for free at lateralcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts, and video highlights at kzbin.info !

[@banksy9921]

Hey Tom. Why did the thumbnail change?

[@theglimpse3785]

I love Lateral! Listen to it every Friday.

[@NobodiesBusinessimo]

Hey Tom, the St. Louis arch in U.S.A. also has a curved elevator. Gonna have to ake another ride I suppose.

[@shac0le]

It didnt?@@banksy9921

[@MaxMustermann-w6v]

Why don't you try the curved elevator in Hanover, Germany! 😁😁😁

[@insight827]

The shots of Tom marching impatiently to the lift while the lady is languidly explaining it's history are killing me

[@hanshintermann1551]

I can tell you aren't German, this lady is actually quite excited.

[@insight827]

@@hanshintermann1551 yes, I suppose I must adjust my standards

[@eskewroberts7663]

@@hanshintermann1551 So I visited Austria and just assumed it was an Austrian thing. But is the entire German speaking world just a bit more grouchy than everyone else? Grouchy might be the wrong word ... maybe apathetic

[@antonliakhovitch8306]

​@@hanshintermann1551As a Russian, I can confirm that she's excited

[@Maubald]

It seems like he just doesn’t care ahahah

[@WalnutBun]

"Germany, you can stop emailing me - I have finally taken a trip on your elevator" is the single most Tom Scott sentence ever uttered.

[@VSDeluxe]

We will find something else we can email him about trying out.

[@KiraFriede]

​@@VSDeluxeFor sure!

[@likesflower]

oh my you're absolutely right.

[@PerfQA4Impact]

I'm German, but I didn't even know we have a bended elevator...😂

[@nighthunter3039]

​@@PerfQA4Impactsame 😂

[@jacka.3680]

I love that Hannover claims to have the only curved elevator in the world. I went to college in the St. Louis area and did a study abroad program in Germany with Leibniz University. It was part of our presentation that we both claim to have the only curved elevators in the world.

[@peat_moss856]

I was gonna say (and he mentions it in the video), the Gateway Arch is absolutely a curved elevator

[@SuperSMT]

@@peat_moss856Tom tactfully described the Gateway arch as a 'tram' At a certain point, what really is the distinction between a tram and an elevator?

[@Frommerman]

And it's a curved elevator which solved the floor levelling problem. It only needs to rock in one direction each way, but as it goes up or down it periodically reaches a threshold where an internal mechanism turns it back to level. I have no idea how it works.

[@larry4111]

@@SuperSMT Hehe you got me going down the rabbit hole of the arch conveyance. It's generally referred to as a hybrid elevator/Ferris Wheel/tram as it used rotating pods, each carrying 5 people, which are suspended. It probably is more similar to the "observation wheels" like we see in London, Las Vegas, and many other cities. Looking at a transparent cross section of it, it is clearly not an elevator but more like an enclosed Ferris Wheel.

[@derrekgillespie413]

​@@larry4111surely the main point of a ferris wheel is that it's... a wheel? I could see it being called a tram, but I don't think it's much like a ferris wheel

[@CesarDaSalad]

Imagine being pestered for years about using an elevator and when you finally do, you still have to climb 5 floors of stairs 😂

[@GARCIIIAmonster]

thats hanover for you. nearly everything that is advertised to you here is like 10% as cool as you thought it would be.

[@TroIIingThemSoftly]

That was all just part of the joke.

[@mats7492]

you can take an elevator to get to the curved elevator

[@carlpanzram7081]

The elevator isn't designed to make anything accessible to people who can't climb stairs,

[@rzella8022]

@@GARCIIIAmonster Rather, I'm guessing it would be 10 times as cool to visit in person as seeing it in this video. I'd love to be there. And I'm thankful for this video too.

[@bobby000]

As a Hannoveranian, I can confirm that there are so many tourists that I never visited it.

[@Highland_Moo]

I’m from the Scottish Highlands and the castle, (Eilean Donan), that was in the Highlander movie isn’t far from my house. I was well into my 20s before I went for a visit, and that’s only because I had a friend from Vienna visiting. There are so many tourists where I live and it’s getting busier every year.

[@kingpeer8544]

As a fellow Hannoveranian, I can agree with that!

[@StPauliFanNr1]

Same, I didnt even know we had such a fancy elevator.

[@malekboukhari149]

Been living here for 10 years, and i never went up there !

[@doodidood]

I'm from closeby and didn't even know this existed lmao

[@fluffy-cat654]

I express my gratitude to you on behalf of the entire German people

[@Frei_Raum]

Me neither. And I live in Niedersachsen 😄 Near Bremen, but still Niedersachsen.

[@mumin9436]

why is a cat expressing gratitude....did the cat also use the elevator?

[@fluffy-cat654]

@@mumin9436 Always! We cats love to save our energy

[@afanofKarlMarx]

vielen dank

[@RibusPQR]

Feeling dank.

[@mortuos557]

Damn it now we need to find something else to keep emailing him about 😂

[@Tunichtgut789]

I'm voting for the most lean building in the world! 5.19 % church in Suurhuse. Leaning Tower of Pisa only has 3.97 %

[@shanekeenaNYC]

​@@Tunichtgut789Or the most slender skyscraper.

[@fennaonceagain9364]

@@Tunichtgut789 Unfortunately, the record for the most leaning church tower in the world does not belong to Suurhusen anymore. It was given to a tower in Gau-Weinheim (5.4277°) in 2022. Suurhusen is still a lovely little village and the tower is, indeed, very leaning :)

[@1234567890Pirlo]

@@Tunichtgut789 the Leaning Tower in Toruń is more than 5,22, so the church is not the 'most lean buiilding in the world' xd i looked it up and they really call it that, so thers also false advertisment xdd

[@christopherstein2024]

@@Tunichtgut789 The sight was very familiar to me. There are plenty of leaning brick buildings in east frisia. The reason is that buildings where built on burried tree stems for a solid foundation in the former swamp. These stems were preserved in the swampy ground like a bog body. As the water level was lowered the wooden supports were exposed to oxygen and began to rot.

[@konkydonk4809]

My takeaway from this video is that we (germans) need to find more strange elevators to ask Tom to make videos about them

[@hb1338]

If you can't find any, build them !

[@holger_p]

The thing is, to know what others find strange, when it's just normal to us.

[@metalswifty23]

​@@holger_pThere's your answer. Just find the most mundane, stereotypically normal German thing, and the rest of us will probably find it strange.

[@holger_p]

@@metalswifty23 Germans have no stereotypes about Germans. You need foreigners, or at least talks with foreigners, to discover differences. Germans would never talk about their windows, cause they think the entire world has the same windows. If Germans assume France has the same windows - you don't categorize your window as "stereotypical german". Hope you get the problem. You need expats telling you. If you don't know german windows, search on youtube. Not sure Tom has handled it. Something non-technically would be entering the tube, metro or bus without presenting any ticket to anybody. Unlike London and Paris you can just use every station as a walkthrough or underpass.

[@tansanit3281]

@@metalswifty23 tapwater

[@mike7002]

That is really cool! I like the pragmatism of it - self levelling floor? Clever tilting cage? No, just go with a non-level floor for a minute - it's not going to hurt you.

[@3d9e]

the engineers definitely understood the use case scenario

[@sroberts605]

I'm not convinced until I try it!

[@LunaNiermann]

Love that you’d have to take the stairs either from or to the elevator. True German accessibility.

[@ben8557]

This was built in 1913. Do you think they cared about disabled people? EDIT: As many people have pointed out, Germany STILL doesn't build things to be accessible and they haven't made this building accessible even after they reinstalled the elevator.

[@maxzett]

In Germany we say "ohne Arbeit, kein Vergnügen". (no fun without work)

[@penguinnexus]

Strange to see you here Luna :D

[@nataliea7507]

@@ben8557 Well it's 2023 now and they still don't care. And you can see how much they really don't care if you ride public transit in most German cities.... (every one I've been to anyway, and I've been to 30+...)

[@Skeleman]

​@@nataliea7507 100% agree with this. i'm very disgusted every time i visit most of europe to see how inaccessible almost everything is. for once (and likely only once), i think the europeans ought to take a lesson from the US and copy the ADA.

[@havacomment]

No matter how many interesting elevators Tom rides, he'll always be that funny long haired "two drums and a cymbal fall off a cliff" guy to me 😂

[@ThomasNimmesgern]

Definitely his best video. 😊

[@m2mdohkun]

ba dum tssss

[@AnimeFreakazoid11117]

I always forget that that video is why I ever followed him to begin with

[@PressA2Die]

He's that guy who sent Garlic bread to space for me.

[@Nathan-qc4gz]

He's the guy on the park bench ranting about something niche to me

[@Mackinstyle]

I absolutely adore the solution to leveling it. Not every problem is significant enough to warrant the complexity required to solve it! I've worked with so many engineers who would hunger at the challenge without really considering if maybe they should just not touch.

[@ZenoDovahkiin]

The famous German efficiency at work. Work smarter, not harder!

[@alexanderasdf2742]

​​@@ZenoDovahkiinAs a german, I don't agree. We are famous for our bureucracy that hinders people from doing things. So we might want to work smarter, but we are often times not allowed to. Just try to buy the correct train ticket to get from A to B.

[@jkolbly1]

The solution itself is rather simple, a rail that keeps it level as he mentioned. However it does add some extra complexity in this case since it wouldn't be able to hug the wall. However, due to the relative difficulty of accessing the elevator, you can expect most occupants to be fit enough to handle an unlevel ground, so why worry about it

[@BrotherRanae]

@@alexanderasdf2742 if you cant buy a train ticket i wonder how you survive at all

[@Tomhhw]

I'd always imagined Tom Scott to be the kind of person to take multiple steps at a time

[@matthewmatthew981]

You just made me rewatch the whole video for an entirely different reason. Tom Scott thanks you.

[@DomtheWise314]

Why do I find this so amusing? 😄

[@ROGER2095]

I used to, too. But now I'm 70 and struggle to take them one at a time. So enjoy your energy and balance while you can - It doesn't last forever.

[@Splitboltxful]

@@ROGER2095and yet you still can take them one at a time, that’s more than some can say!!! my grandparents can’t use stairs anymore, so it’s worth being proud of. keep on keepin on

[@pjhelbig]

Hahaha YES!!!

[@dogevid]

Tom needs to make an elevator series.

[@alltat]

Or failing that, at least a playlist of his elevator videos.

[@smorris12]

It would be very uplifting.

[@craighamnett]

It would be great on so many levels.

[@coyoteseattle]

He could call it Getting High With Tom Scott.

[@pragmax]

I am floored that there is no playlist for these.

[@Reinindiereuse]

As a german who wrote this elevator and thought "meh, it's an elevator", i am very happy for you, that you enjoyed it.

[@carina-nonbinary]

*rode

[@ankrath]

⁠@@carina-nonbinaryget a life

[@carina-nonbinary]

@@ankrath sorry i couldn't resist

[@concuoreauftrittstraining43]

@@carina-nonbinary Thanks, I just didn't get it until you corrected the spelling :D

[@Reinindiereuse]

@@carina-nonbinary no, no. You're getting this all wrong. I am the engineer who desgined this elevator, therefore i did write the sketches for this particular you are absolutely right and i made a very silly grammar mistake, can't believe i missed this haha.

[@agbook2007]

A classic closing line, Tom. "For a video about an elevator ride, that was a lot of steps."

[@brahmbandyopadhyay]

That was an underrated joke by Tom

[@matafuko]

It was about three quarters of the way though when I realised I misread the title and stopped waiting for a curved *escalator.*

[@necipdemirbuga7024]

As a Hannoveranian I am beyond delighted to see my hometown in a video with a reach of 6 million people

[@dieseldragon6756]

Tom sehr glückisch sein: Behindertfreiheit im VK viele geld, attraktivmöglichkeit und subscriber festbringen. Behindertes KZbinr aus VK - Bei Bundestagsbeidarf - Alle unsichtbar sein... 🇬🇧♿⛔😖

[@tomtom1003]

Mei Beileid.

[@HeinzUlrich65]

Ich wusste gar nicht, dass da mittlerweile so ein Netz im Tower ist. Sieht ja mal mega sch**** aus.

[@Mobferklopfer]

​@@HeinzUlrich65 sind ja zwei Ebenen, vielleicht ist die obere noch ohne Netz.

[@1971Woodstock]

Als jemand aus Hannover find ich es mega strange die Stadt in einem Video zu sehen xD so einen auf, oh Gott, ich wohne da, ich geh fast jeden Tag da lang.. Komisches Gefühl irgendwie.

[@nerdicorgi]

Well, it took a lot of engineering, but Kudos Germany - you've made the world's least wheelchair accessible elevator. EDIT: IT'S A JOKE! Geeze! How do you some of you function?!

[@gaymooshroom371]

As a disabled person living in Germany... Yeah that checks out 😂😭

[@Chris675R]

They started building this town hall in 1901, finished in 1913. What do you expect? It's simply not possible without making big changes to the building, which is not allowed for old buildings, because of monument protection.

[@adrianthoroughgood1191]

You can't have only a lift in case of a power cut/fire etc. There would not be space for stairs and a lift in that last bit to get to the viewing platform. So you just have to accept that people who can't climb stairs can't visit every location.

[@symphantic4552]

[@SylviaRustyFae]

So much this... Like why even put in the elevator then!?!

[@catonthemoon941]

As a German thank you for teaching me about this elevator. I had no clue we got a curved elevator. I guess I have to visit Hannover now.

[@webfreezy]

I've been on the elevator a couple of weeks before KZbin suggested this video. Beat this! 😂 And btw I'm also a German.

[@notenoughmonkeys]

I hear Tom got so many e-mails about this lift that it literally drove him round the bend.

[@Scott-i9v2s]

... without tilting at windmills...

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

This works on multiple levels.

[@alanmichael5619]

But I hear it elevated his mood and really gave him a lift.

[@firesurfer]

It drove him 'up the bend'.

[@RDSk0]

BRB, gonna become filthy rich and build a freaky elevator so we can bother Tom once again.

[@stevieinselby]

How about one that twists as it goes up, so that it only needs one set of doors but can open in a different direction on different floors?

[@getoffamylan6844]

Spiralvator? Helixvator?

[@harmless6813]

@@stevieinselby Oh, come on, that surely must already exist somewhere!

[@AltonV]

​@@harmless6813 tried to google it but it seems to be really obscure if it does exists.

[@swanclipper]

@@getoffamylan6844 Rotator-Vator!

[@CarinaCoffee]

As a German I've found it really interesting over the years just how often Tom ended up in my country for these videos. We truly have some interesting stuff here.

[@tarekihaddaden9512]

I’m so happy that Hannover finally made it into a Tom Scott video! And as a Hannoveraner I can confirm that we are very proud of our curved elevator.

[@JeromeKerr1]

Gibt ja auch sonst nix hier

[@KevinJLoos]

Na klar gibt's hier sonst noch ne ganze Menge! Alkis am Raschplatz, stinkende Gullis in Kleefeld, überteuerte Lokale am Kröpcke... 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@1zebbe3]

@@KevinJLoosden größten Stadtwald Europas, mit den besten ÖPNV Deutschlands, sehr gute Fahrradinfrastruktur, Maschsee, Altstadt, Profimannschaften in mehreren Sportarten… Ich kann als Zugezogener das Gemecker der „Urhannoveraner“ nicht mehr hören. Hannover ist weit davon entfernt perfekt zu sein, aber so schlimm ist es nicht.

[@GARCIIIAmonster]

@@1zebbe3 tut uns natürlich leid wenn die öffis woanders noch schlechter laufen als hier und der maschsee ist vielen von uns einfach ein graus. ein riesen teich der nur ekelige anzieht, vorallem zum maschseefest - der mit abstand beschissenste ort den ich hier kenne und ich trottel hab da auch noch gearbeitet. ich war als schulkind beim fahrstuhl und finde ihn bis heute überbewertet und langweilig. hannover hat auch tolle seiten aber nichts von dem genannten oder hier gezeigten. wobei ich gestehen muss dass mir das grüne in anderen städten sofort fehlt! dass dich das gemecker stört versteh ich, kenne aber niemanden der ungefragt über die stadt herzieht - die meisten bleiben ruhig und warten darauf wegziehen zu können, bei mir dauert es noch 2,5j und dann seid ihr mich auch endlich los :D

[@karlheinz4098]

​@@JeromeKerr1Hochdeutsch😂

[@pyglik2296]

I love the shots of Tom rushing to get to the elevator, while the lady was talking.

[@toaster_2815]

Peak Tom Scott vibes

[@mrTii]

He seemed so eager!

[@oskarrrr_lj]

I went here a few months ago, its so crazy, and the views are amazing from the top

[@matthewazzy8759]

I love the annoyed energy that Tom has from start to finish in this video. From the thumbnail, to all of the stairs, to the shots where he’s literally just walking because there’s nothing more interesting to film, to the extremely mediocre view. This is an instant classic.

[@robbybevard8034]

Also it being a quick 3 minute video after he had a mini-movie full documentary last week about the giant telescope where he was clearly super impressed.

[@qualityegg]

As a person who's lived in Hannover for a bit, it's extremely funny to me

[@dripgawd1992]

No wonder, he had to go to Hannover an unimpressive city for an even more unimpressive elevator

[@desaturated-firefox]

Goth!Tom would go to Hannover and make a video about the giant statue of Odin and his wolves and the even bigger pentagram on the side of the Marktkirche (church).

[@Schmidtelpunkt]

@@dripgawd1992 Well, he could look at the models. Those are fun.

[@xriss_xross]

Hanover is Germany’s best kept secret. Pretty sure that it has Europe’s biggest inner city forest. Up until relatively recently it was kinda cheap to stay in despite the amenities. Super flat to cycle everywhere and some weird and wonderful places like a curved elevator.

[@HALTSMAULALLLER]

Hannover with two nn please ;)

[@StPauliFanNr1]

I think it even has the biggest inner city forest in the world. It definetely is bigger than Central Park.

[@thomasuber6531]

@@HALTSMAULALLLER the German spelling is Hannover, the English Hanover - just like Munich vs München.

[@juneair]

Lived there, loved it.

[@jonborno8550]

psssshhh - dont tell them.

[@svenericklemantowitz7233]

I lived in Hannover area 29 years, went even to school there for some years. I knew this elevator existed but never cared. I moved abroad last year and when I came back to visit my family I finally went up this summer. It took me more than 30 years and I needed to become a tourist to ride that elevator.

[@Veggieture]

Similar for me with Taj Mahal…

[@shinyagumon7015]

Love that you still have to walk up a narrow set of stairs before you reach the observation platform. It's not often that you see an elevator open to a flight of stairs.😂

[@Ducky69247]

Or have to climb 3 flights to get to it

[@Happymali10]

Well it's not one meant for handicap accessibility, it's just there because there's no space for a staircase in its place.

[@Sp4mMe]

The apartment building I live in has its elevators "between" floors, so you have to walk a few steps to and from the elevator no matter whether you want to go further up or down. Stupidest building design I've ever seen. I'm sure there's a reason for it but I can't for the life of me think of a good one.

[@ohauss]

@@Ducky69247 "Or have to climb 3 flights to get to it" You don't. Just because Tom did so doesn't mean there aren't other elevators in the building. Says something about you that you believe taking the stairs when there are elevators is inconceivable.

[@xpehkto]

@@Sp4mMe I live in an apartment building like this, and I know a reason why it was made that way. In my case it was build as a five floor commercial building without elevators during Lenin's New Economic Policy, then nationalised and turned into communal apartments under Stalin, when they added hot water and gas, and then a half of century later under Khrushchev there was a policy of converting communal apartments into individual apartments, so there was a need to add more space into existing buildings, and so two floors were added, and the corner of every staircase was cut to put an elevator there, as regulations required an elevator for every apartment building with more than five floors. In my section of the building they chose to put an elevator to the side of staircase opposite of apartment entries because there was no space for it otherwise.

[@PlsPickMeXayah]

Awesome elevator video Tom, but have you heard of the elevator in Hanover City Hall that goes up a dome?

[@jbZahl]

Nope you have to do it again. I can't see my flat at @3:17 . You'd have to pan 3 more degrees to the right otherwise it doesn't count for me... :)

[@real_Clone_Gordon_Freeman]

Thank you Tom Scott for always elevating my knowledge about the elevator industry

[@ArchFluctuation]

He never fails to lift our spirits.

[@blackharmonics4518]

@@ArchFluctuation That's really uplifting!

[@nuneke0]

I live 50km from Hannover and have never heard of this elevator. Thanks Tom, for taking the ride for me, I would be too scared anyway. 😄

[@AmstradExin]

same

[@eidontkehr4081]

same but i live in the middle of hannover

[@symphantic4552]

scared of what? It's german engineering in Germany. What could be safer?

[@nuneke0]

@@symphantic4552 Like heights and confined spaces for example?!

[@Fabianthehunter]

Ich bin hier geboren, wohne hier und doch war ich nie dort

[@SaphirXC3]

Omg this video unlocked a memory 😂 I rode this elevator almost exactly 5 years ago (it was the election weekend around 15th october 2017) and simply forgot about it. The view is stunning and the nearby lake/pond looks kinda tiny from up there. Thanks for the memory refresher 😁

[@piiinkDeluxe]

As a German I can confirm it's very German to obsessively email him about things from our country. 😂

[@beth12svist]

As a Czech, I relate. (And think it's further proof of our Central European commonality.)

[@danielled8665]

Understandable. "Look! Look at this cool thing we did! We are more than just The Bad Man Place!"

[@piiinkDeluxe]

@@danielled8665 true 🤣

[@danielled8665]

@piiinkDeluxe I understand; I'm Canadian. So we're all "Hey look how nice we are! Maple Syrup! A moose! Haha! ... Residential Schools were an unfortunate and upsettingly recent problem... Health care!"

[@maeryn4200]

Indians do that too, Asians in general, Arabs also. "Come to our country!" begging everyone who makes videos on it

[@mie-Constance]

Come on guys there must be a second peculiar elevator in Germany we can e-mail him about.

[@regulusblack9023]

He already did the "Tauchgondel" ;)

[@bruceboa6384]

I don't know about Germany, but the Peace Tower, Centre Block, Parliament Hill, Ottawa Canada has an interesting elevator.

[@GGysar]

@proudofyourroots9575 How about you start paying reparations to the Indians and literally 50% of the world for what you did? Oh, and empty out the "British" museum of course, the exhibits aren't exactly British. The world will never forget.

[@regulusblack9023]

@proudofyourroots9575 what are you referring to? Which reparations and what exactly won't you forget?

[@JasonOFlaherty]

This reminds me of the curved elevators in the St. Louis Gateway Arch. They have to follow the curve of that structure, too. Edit: I heard you mention it at 2:38. Nice

[@dlbstl]

Yes. I love it that he mentioned it because I think the elevator or tram, as they call it, is really an engineering feat! It's very loud but whenever I've gone up into the St Louis Arch I've always enjoyed it.

[@stlelevators]

@@dlbstlI’m glad it was mentioned too. I’ve been on thousands of elevators, and the arch is still one of the most unique ones I’ve seen. It’s totally worth visiting!

[@iankemp1131]

There should have been a curved panoramic elevator on the outside of the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth. It gave a lot of problems, delayed the opening and then got stuck on the opening day. The 3 passengers had to be abseiled out. They were the 3 senior people most involved in the design, manufacture and construction of the lift and the council chief executive in an unguarded moment on radio said "I can't think of 3 people I'd rather have seen get stuck in that lift!" They never got it into service and it was quietly forgotten about and removed in 2012.

[@elimik31]

Wow, never expected Tom Scott to visit the city that I grew up in that has a reputation for being "boring" within Germany. I took the elevator too many times as a child, though always found it a bit underwhelming, in my childish imagination I expected something more roller-coaster like, but the tilt was barely noticeable, even though I recognize it now as a feat of engineering for the time when it was constructed.

[@marcelhannover3]

I've been on it a few times, I didn't even know it was the only one in the world.

[@markfryer9880]

Perhaps in your childhood mind you were expecting an elevator similar to the one in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Mark from Melbourne Australia

[@andresrosa7496]

When he sees the city from above you almost expect him to say "boring" but he is too nice for that.

[@Eva-nw5go]

3:11 immer wieder schön den gelben Sticker zu finden

[@jk9554]

2:15 That's German engineering for you... "Passt, wackelt & hat Luft", at least after a few up/down cycles.

[@evjq]

How very uplifting

[@AnnaHandle]

My town is a sleeper, no one cares about it besides its citizens and now its up there with the other tom scott videos ❤

[@jonborno8550]

As a hannoveranian and a true tom scott fan, I love that you finally visited us. There will probably be another video about water in hannover soon?

[@Rovokan]

Hilf mir mal auf die Sprünge, was stimmt mit unserem Wasser nicht? 😀

[@jonborno8550]

@@Rovokan also nebenan beim Rathaus ist ganz besonderes Wasser. Mit so einer Welle. Ich mach mal keinen Spoiler ;)

[@Thunderwingisatakenalias]

Das würde auch erklären, weshalb er so "spät" ist. Das "besondere Wasser" war ja noch nicht fertig, hätte sich also nicht gelohnt.

[@llIlllllIll]

and maybe about the Musikgulli?

[@levico1]

Juungs habt ihr ihn auch deswegen gemailt 🤣😂😂

[@dennisk5818]

You had it easy, Tom. On a business trip in Köln, I decided to walk up the spiral staircase of the South spire of the St. Petrus Kölner Dom Cathedral. At over 300 ft., it is a workout!

[@weicocu]

Wait can we talk about how the "New Town Hall" was built 100 years ago but is still called "New Town Hall?"

[@radagastwiz]

'New' is always a relative term in Europe...

[@felsspat]

There is part of Prague that is called "New Town" and they started building in 1348 :)

[@on_spikes6867]

Hannoveranian here, its because the old one still stands. to differentiate between the buildings, you refer to one as old, the other one as new :)

[@myreness]

The New bridge in Paris is their oldest standing bridge, from 1578

[@aim-to-misbehave5674]

Newcastle is named after the New Castle...that was built in 1080 by the son of William the Conqueror. But it's newer than the Roman fort! (The castle currently standing was built in the 1100s, so even newer than the original New Castle)

[@Spicy880]

A lot of steps, says Tom, as he strides up two at a go.

[@BuiHieuDong]

The way this elevator works is just kinda hard to believe, just like something out of a movie.

[@BurtSampson]

the St.Louis arch has a similar one, just to an even more extreme degree.

[@SobeCrunkMonster]

what movies you be watchin? what?

[@kietlegia4593]

u a fan of tom scott😭u jus be appearing anywhere

[@GeneralKenobi69420]

"Mom can we have Justin Y" "No we have Justin Y at home" Justin Y at home:

[@kruks]

@@BurtSampson - I see what you did there.

[@thefunpolice]

This is a great time to email Tom about the curved elevator ride.

[@Bobmcjoepants]

Only in Germany would they invent some new and crazy engineering marvel to get around a small inconvenience

[@AmstradExin]

I didn't even know this is less than 10 minutes away from me

[@doncomputer5931]

but then they would have to use stairs...

[@nuneke0]

Definitely 100 years ago. Not today though unfortunately.

[@Bobmcjoepants]

@@nuneke0 idk man, go look at the inside of a German car (in particular any Porsche) It's very German

[@sorenkair]

Except they didn't

[@Pixelbrain]

This video already got 4 times the views the city you visited has residents. Nice.

[@explorer914]

In Stockholm, Sweden they have a elevator that curves up around a spherical building. It also happens to be the largest spherical building in the world too. 😁 But the tilting floor will sure make me nauseus because I'm sensitive to that since I have problems with motion sickness...

[@Greippi10]

*Was the largest spherical building until they opened that Sphere thingy in Las Vegas.

[@Liggliluff]

​@@Greippi10Which isn't a spherical building but a spherical exoskeleton (claimed by the website itself) and shouldn't count. Stockholm still has the world's largest actual spherical building.

[@innnlove]

bröther

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Aight, anyone knows Tom's email?

[@anttihelin6820]

Is that the Globen panorama elevator that got stuck a couple of months ago?

[@ianmcdowell2762]

This seems quite similar to the elevator used in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis Missouri... Just a lot less cramped! It is a combination of an elevator, Ferris wheel, and escalator that they call the tram.

[@EdwardEast-x1j]

I really like visiting Hanover, was based in Paderborn for just over 5 years and never knew about this! I may have to venture there again someday.

[@yxcs]

it’s closed now :(( they have to repair it

[@scanida5070]

3:10 Nett hier Sticker detected

[@HangryOne]

Glad you mentioned the Gateway Arch. Also a very interesting "elevator". The museum underneath has tons of details about the construction and design challenges and is worth a visit for anyone visiting St. Louis.

[@FozzyBBear]

Same. Now I'm pondering why it's called a tram instead of an elevator, and why is it called a tram at all when Americans usually call trams "trolleys" or "streetcars".

[@BrandonFesler]

The Gateway Arch elevator should be properly classified as a “claustrophobia induction device” 😂 But it’s definitely worth it.

[@ericanderson6395]

Gateway arch elevator is a lot longer and scarier.

[@Steadfast_Apparition]

@@FozzyBBear I think it might have to do with the fact that it ascends and descends in a pack of pods instead of just one solo pod, could be wrong though.

[@MattMcIrvin]

@@FozzyBBear "Tram" is a word with odd miscellaneous applications in US English: we use the word to refer either to suspended cable cars or to trackless passenger trains with rubber tires, such as the ones used to carry people around large parking lots at amusement parks.

[@gregbolls7815]

Good German ingenuity. And thank you for the video those are hard work to do

[@man_on_wheelz]

I recently rode the tram at Gateway Arch in St. Louis, glad you mentioned it briefly here. The self-leveling mechanism in that thing really makes for a strange experience indeed, even stranger, it's a tram where you start with cars left to right at ground level, and by the time it reaches the top the cars are organized right to left. This elevator here just maintains its orientation relative to the rails the whole way up, I find that absolutely hilarious!

[@ronhutcherson9845]

The Arch Tram is a unique experience, and may be the most unique railroad in the world.

[@ChrisD__]

0:13 I'm so sorry... it's already too late.

[@ManuelRiccobono]

"Hi, where is the elevator?" "Oh yes, just take the stairs that way and you'll find it"

[@EmeraldLavigne]

I'm gonna miss these kinds of silly little videos, Tom. I hope you continue to do things like these periodically, even after you wind down the series

[@jjefferp1]

love how you don't make your videos 20 minutes needlessly. always super interesting. thank you

[@zixx5792]

But at the same time, how they never feel rushed. Takes real skill.

[@TheAspieDrummer]

Binge watching your videos with an Adblocker is great!

[@CollateralDamage1571]

I love heights, and was about to be really excited about being able to access this sort of space as a wheelchair user... and then I saw there's a flight of stairs up/down to the elevator doors. 😐Ah well.

[@am7ha7]

welcome to germany

[@omga9574]

​@@am7ha7have a look around

[@Merugaf]

The wheelchair access is a a catapult and a large net on top.

[@sirBrouwer]

@@MerugafAnd down? Another catapult aimed at the ground? I hope that the pillow will be enough.

[@gaymooshroom371]

I had the exact same thoughts, I live in Germany and specifically clicked on this video because I thought it would be a cool place to visit 😢

[@griffgruff1]

Another curved elevator is used to take people up to the top of the "Gateway Arch" in St Louis, US. It is 630 feet high and I travelled up it many years ago - it is quite scary.

[@centauri61032]

Technically, it's a tram. Since it has more than one car linked together.

[@Dave-in-MD]

I like to describe it as riding in a 5 person porto potty. It is every tight in the cars, but at least you get to sit.

[@firesurfer]

@@centauri61032 Trams don't need to be more than one. The Monongahela Incline in Pittsburg is quite interesting. Also see the Duquesne Incline nearby.

[@DougAdams]

He mentions it in the video

[@markfryer9880]

​@@DougAdamsThat it's a tram or a 5 person porta-potty?

[@theblitz9]

Elevator? Tom. You'll lose you British citizenship!

[@Alphoric]

I’d love to know the cost and time that goes into a video like this even just for a 3:30 video I bet it takes so much

[@jismeraiverhoeven]

I was in an amusement park in germany recently and one of the coasters there also had a curving elevator (would first go strait up, then curve to one side, then curve back before going strait to the top again). Thing is they dont warn you about this before hand (that the ride brings you up with an elevator and that the elevator curves). Almost had a hard attack when the elevator suddenly moved in a direction it wasnt supposed to 😂. For those wondering it was in europapark and the ride was called matterhorn blitz

[@MattMcIrvin]

Intamin makes a water coaster, sort of a cross between a roller coaster and a flume, that lifts its boat-shaped ride vehicles up to the top of the ride with a huge vertical lift. The lift has two tracks on opposite sides and the tracks bow out in the middle so the lift carriages can clear one another going in opposite directions, a little like a funicular (but vertical). It's ingenious and odd. There is apparently no leveling mechanism so the car tilts a bit as you're on the lift.

[@Moorb0y52]

If you were scared of the elevator how did you survive the coaster 😭

[@urphakeandgey6308]

@@Moorb0y52 Are you serious? You expect a rollercoaster ride to be wild. You don't usually expect an elevator to start tipping unless something is very wrong. Jesus Christ, use your brain.

[@alayla_lou]

I love seeing people go to my city and talk about it because hanover often gets left out when bigger citys like Cologne, Berlin or hamburg have so much more to offer. So thank you for education the world about my beloved City hanover

[@K0ALA.]

To think that these videos are ending soon :(

[@manuelmaharjan859]

You should have tried the curved elevator on the Montreal Tower when you visited the Olympic stadium there! It uses some of the hydraulic concepts you mentioned to keep the cabin vertical, and it has an amazing glass window view. :)

[@elisam.r.9960]

Well, now I know what else to look out for in my future Montreal visit.

[@AlryFireBlade]

I really never heared about this Elevator befoire, and I live only 1.5 hours away from Hannover.

[@HerrBlauzahn]

I've been in this elevator once. It makes me so happy to have been somewhere, Tom has been!

[@ulixo1132]

Actually he's been somewhere you've been :)

[@HerrBlauzahn]

@@ulixo1132 Yes, technically. But I think you can also say it the other way around.

[@ulixo1132]

@@HerrBlauzahn Of course, I was just teasing

[@mattropolis99]

The elevators in the Gateway Arch in St Louis also must follow the curved path of the arch legs up to the top - as well as auto-rotate to stay level. I remember riding those cool little cars.

[@zacsfoodchannel]

Legit, us lou'uns ain't getting no respect

[@heatherkuhn6559]

It's been a while since I rode the trams up the Arch, but, IIRC, the cars don't self-level continuously; they self-level at a few discrete points on the Arch legs.

[@zrspangle]

​@@zacsfoodchannelhe literally mentions it in the video

[@zacsfoodchannel]

@@zrspangle we ain't gettin any respect anywhere else tho And frankly we don't deserve it :)

[@KTZEyt]

Vielen Dank, für ihren Beitrag. Die Kommentarsektion wird, von nun an, der Bundesregierung Deutschland angehören.

[@tonypang83]

I seem to get recurring dreams (not so much recently) where I get into "lifts", but they take me to entirely new buildings as they travel in all kinds of directions, like they morph into some kind of pod transport. There's also the lifts that never take me to where I want to go, and I end up getting out at some random location.

[@OCinneide]

Chocolate factory elevator

[@g_lorn]

Maybe your subconscious wants to tell you something? Like, you just want to leave no matter where as long as its far away? 🤔

[@tonypang83]

@@OCinneide Yes, I've often wondered if that's where it stems from 😅

[@LiveFreeOrDieDH]

When the turbolifts in Star Trek get a virus.

[@ChaoticNeutralMatt]

That's actually not a bad idea.

[@JonBrase]

For once Tom goes somewhere I've already been! Saw this back in spring of 2010. Met some other American tourists on the way back down. I had spent my entire weekend speaking German, and when my brain suddenly had to speak English, I could hardly put 2 words together in my own native language!

[@GARCIIIAmonster]

i feel the same about german when i speak english for a couple of days. always saying the time in english-grammar and not german i.e.

[@maeryn4200]

I bet you're traumatized now

[@str1kerxx]

That polish/german english accent is so great :D

[@Dr_Kenneth_Noisewater]

I have a recurring nightmare about complicated, cramped, and generally scary elevators that my brain contrives. Tonight my brain won’t have to work very hard! 😂

[@IowaKim]

I have that nightmare too! It goes sideways sometimes, over from one building to another and other crazy configurations. Very unnerving!

[@markfryer9880]

Alright, just to add to your nightmare, imagine riding on the top of the lift car in order to strip off some temporary timber work during construction? Something I had to do in a five storey building when I was an Apprentice Carpenter back in the mid 80s. Mark from Melbourne Australia

[@GordonHouston-Smith]

London Underground had a spiral escalator in 1903. It didn't last and there has never been another. I would love to know more about that.

[@user-ot5zy2fb7b]

Reminds me of the setup at the St. Louis arch!

[@derlustikus4188]

Glad to see that you've took a ride in our elevator. It's funny to see a childhood memory and a for me normal thing in one of your videos. Greetings from Hannover! ^_^

[@GARCIIIAmonster]

when he started about talking about its curve i was wondering: no way hes in town

[@owensparks5013]

Seems a bit like taking the train. It neither starts from where you are, nor ends where you'd like to be.

[@megsmith6758]

Tom running up the stairs like it’s a race 😂

[@slopes83]

I just realized that I don't even read the video title when Tom posts something. It's going to be interesting, enlightening, educational, awesome, or all of the above.

[@apveening]

Usually about five out of four ;)

[@loganwoodrum2600]

0:34 man's walking with purpose

[@IowaKim]

This reminds me of St. Louis Arch in Missouri, USA where it also follows the curve. Been up that 3 times and each time is an experience.

[@LightTheMars]

I didn't know you were in this city! I've been on this elevator a bunch of times, I knew it was unique but it never felt unusual to me. I would have never expected a video from you on it!

[@brycewalburn3926]

This a very rare instance of a Tom Scott video of a place or experience that I've actually been to or done before. Love it!

[@bethzaida85]

My cat was VERY into this. He loves all things mechanical and landscaping, very obsessed with landscaping videos 😹 Thank you for making his day❤️

[@ules5799]

187 Straßenbande im tom scott video hahahaha 3:05

[@rexfury6231]

Die bande ist überall

[@muckelchen7327]

Yesss! Finally a Tom Scott video filmed in my home town!

[@philrabe910]

I was disappointed by the St. Louis arch ride. As a Florida kid used to Disney World, I expected it to be much smoother.

[@BnORailFan]

As Tom mentioned, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri is an interesting one. I rode on it once and it was like getting in a washer that kept tilting then uprights itself and repeats.

[@leget4694]

JAA HANNOVER!!!

[@HerrBlauzahn]

Ah, endlich ein Hannoveraner 😂

[@sophiaaretuza]

Schönste großstadt der region

[@mhbrugman]

As a former inhabitant of Hannover I can confirm: this is a very quirky elevator.

[@AubriGryphon]

I love the way you can make out what German words mean without knowing any (or very little) German. Like that word for "observation platform", knowing what it means or having a decent idea, is clearly "out-sighting-platform".

[@mizlia]

Of all other languages, English is the most similar to German!

[@voland6846]

@@mizlia English is much closer to Dutch than German

[@VideoSage]

I want to see more of that building, looked like it had some lovely architecture.

[@Michael-js6gp]

That long journey just to look over a city that looks like every other medium-sized city in Europe.