WEIRD rides that were popular in the USSR (PHOTOS)
Many children in the Soviet Union dreamed of becoming cosmonauts and pilots. And amusement parks had many types of rides where you could experience turbulence and the illusion of flight.
1. Parachute tower
Gorky Park in Moscow was the first Soviet park with amusement rides. It first opened in 1928. One of the unusual entertainments was the option to jump from a 40-meter height with a parachute, which was secured by a steel cable.
It was also possible to descend from the parachute tower along a spiral path on a special carpet. Although popular, the tower was dismantled in the 1950s.
2. ‘Centrifuge’ or ‘Surprise’
It was not advisable to go on this attraction after lunch. ‘Centrifuge’ rotated rapidly at an incline and fans of extreme sports stood along the sides. It appeared in the USSR in the 1970s and proved to be very popular, as similar carousels were installed all across the country.
3. ‘Sputniks’
It took almost ten years to build this unusual space attraction in Gorky Park. Sometimes, it was called ‘Saturn’ for the shape of the carousel. ‘Sputniks’ rotated in different directions, so you could test your vestibular apparatus for strength.
4. The Wheel
The ‘Wheel’, aka ‘Runner’, was a merry-go-round with a complex trajectory. Four wheels with seats rotated both by themselves and simultaneously in a circle.
5. ‘Turbo’
It seems that cosmonauts were trained on this, too! The rides called ‘Turbo’ also appeared in the 1970s in the USSR. The cabins rotated in a spiral in the most unexpected way, so that only the bravest extreme people dared to ride it.
6. ‘Dead Loop’
Such swings appeared in Soviet parks in the mid-1950s. At one end was a two-seater airplane, at the other was a counterweight. The swings rotated and bobbled on a horizontal axis.
7. ‘Illusion’
It would seem that there is nothing surprising about a big box? And yet, it was one of the most impressive rides in the USSR. Imagine sitting on a bench and vertically rotating 360 degrees! Of course, it was an illusion: it was the room rotating, not the bench, but the effect was incredible!
