The Rotor

Stick on the wall like a fly in the Rotor

You climb onto the Rotor, the drum begins to rotate. The floor under your feet disappears and you stick to the wall – impossible to get loose!

What’s special: the centrifugal force

The Rotor is a true classic among the rides at the Oktoberfest. It celebrated its premiere here in 1955. And even if the Rotor’s exterior has changed over the years, the principle is still the same. Here you feel the centrifugal force on your own body and stick to the wall like a fly. This feeling is just as exciting today as it was in 1955. And this is what happens to riders: You enter the cylinder and lean your upper body against the wall. The cylinder slowly begins to rotate. The speed increases and the ground is lowered. Thanks to the centrifugal force, the riders are now “stuck” to the wall and don’t fall down. If you want to watch the spectacle and don’t have the courage to try this experiment yourself (yet), you can watch from the top of the grandstand.

The Rotor: for everyone who wants to know

If you’re interested in physics, you have to ride the Rotor. Where else can you feel the laws of physics on your own body in such an impressive way? Of course, everyone else is also allowed to ride the Rotor. Those who don’t like to give up control could, however, reach their limits: In the Rotor, centrifugal force holds the reins, and nobody else. Children ages 8 and up may ride alone in the cylinder, while children ages 6 and up are permitted to ride when accompanied by an adult. The “sticking to the wall,” which is guaranteed to leave no traces on your clothes, and works regardless of body size or weight.

Gallery: Rides at the Oktoberfest

Karl Valentin rode on the Teufelsrad (Devil's Wheel)

Fun and spookiness with the VR adventure ride "Dr. Archibald - Master of Time"

Action at the Breakdancer, the successor to the Calypso

Only flying is more lovely! The swing carousel

The largest transportable roller coaster in the world: The Olympic Loop

A popular motif: the lettering of the Autoscooter Distel

Fun not just when riding: the historic Toboggan

Wilder than you think: the Zugspitz Railway

The symbol of the Wiesn: Wellenborg's 50-meter-tall Ferris wheel

Rotor for backseat drivers: the patent specification

This is how the patent specification describes the Rotor: “Hollow rotary cylinder for popular entertainment, consisting of a cylinder, preferably open at the top, which can be rotated so quickly that persons present in the cylinder are held by centrifugal force on its inner wall, characterized in that installations are provided that rotate with the cylinder, which carry the persons traveling with it when the cylinder is stationary, but separate from these persons when the speed is reached at which the persons are held by centrifugal force and friction on the inner wall of the cylinder.”

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