Paternoster

This article is about a type of elevator. It is not to be confused with the Lord's Prayer (Pater Noster). For other meanings, see Pater Noster (disambiguation).

A paternoster in Prague

A paternoster (/ˈpeɪtərˈnɒstər/, /ˈpɑː-/, or /ˈpæ-/) or paternoster lift is a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments (each usually designed for two persons) that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like. The same technique is also used for filing cabinets to store large amounts of (paper) documents or for small spare parts. The much smaller belt manlift which consists of an endless belt with steps and rungs but no compartments is also sometimes called a paternoster.

The construction of new paternosters was stopped in the mid-1970s due to safety concerns, but public sentiment has kept many of the remaining examples open. By far most remaining paternosters are in Western Europe, with perhaps 230 examples in Germany and 68 in the Czech Republic. Only two have been identified by hobbyists outside Europe: one in Malaysia, another in Peru.

History

Peter Ellis installed the first elevators that could be described as paternoster lifts in Oriel Chambers of Liverpool in 1868. In 1877, British engineer Peter Hart obtained a patent on the first paternoster. In 1884, the Dartford, England, engineering firm of J & E Hall built its "Cyclic Elevator".

The name paternoster ("Our Father", the first two words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin) was originally applied to the device because the elevator is in the form of a loop and is thus similar to rosary beads used as an aid in reciting prayers.

Paternosters were popular throughout the first half of the 20th century because they could carry more passengers than ordinary elevators. They were more common in continental Europe, especially in public buildings, than in the United Kingdom. They are rather slow elevators, typically traveling at about 0.3 metres per second (0.98 ft/s), to facilitate getting on and off successfully.

Safety

The construction of new paternosters is no longer allowed in many countries 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. Elderly people, disabled people, and children are the most in danger of being crushed or losing a limb.

In 1989, the paternoster in Newcastle University's Claremont Tower was taken out of service after a passenger, attempting to ride the lift as it transitioned from upward to downward travel, became caught in the drive chain. This required a rescue by the local fire service. A conventional lift was subsequently installed in its place.

In West Germany, new paternoster installations were banned in 1974, and there was an attempt to shut down all existing installations in 1994. However, there was a wave of popular resistance to the ban at that time, and to another prospective ban in 2015. As of 2015, Germany has 231 paternosters.

In April 2006, Hitachi announced plans for a modern paternoster-style elevator with computer-controlled cars and standard elevator doors to alleviate safety concerns. A prototype was revealed as of February 2013.

Examples

As a result of safety issues, many paternoster lifts have been shut down, but a few survive around the world. These include:

Denmark

• Christiansborg, Danish parliament.
• Frederiksberg Town Hall

Germany

• the IG Farben building in Frankfurt am Main
• the Stuttgart Town Hall in Germany, completed in 1956, has at least 3 operating paternosters accessible by the public
• the State Parliament building for the German state of Schleswig-Holstein has had a working paternoster since 1950 (https://www.landtag.ltsh.de/parlament/english/)
• in Berlin, the offices of the conservative tabloid Bild use a 19-storey paternoster, whose continued operation was vigorously defended editorially by the newspaper. Also in Berlin, the Haus des Rundfunks.
• in Berlin, in the Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Technologie und Forschung building in Schöneberg
• in the office for citizen service in Eimsbuettel
• in Leverkusen, Chempark building K10, K12, K17, Q18, Q26 and in the surrounding area of the Chempark in building E39, E47 and Building I

UK

• one at the Arts Tower at the University of Sheffield, said to be the largest in the world
• one at the Albert Sloman Library at the University of Essex.
• one at the Attenborough Building at the University of Leicester.

Poland

• in Poland, the Silesian Parliament

Czech Republic

• in Prague, Czech Republic, the Petschek Palace and the New City Hall (Prague)
• in Ostrava, Czech Republic, the New Town Hall, Ostrava

Gallery

• Play media

  View of a working paternoster

• Play media

  View from inside a working paternoster

• 

  Paternoster in Vienna, built c.1910

• 

  Vienna Town Hall, built c.1918

• 

  Modern paternoster in Berlin

• 

  Paternoster in use at German publisher

• 

  Paternoster in Parliament House, Helsinki

• 

  View from inside a pasternoster, showing floor slab

• View from working paternoster in a library

• 

  Paternoster machinery in Prague

• 

  Ground floor lobby offering a choice of paternoster or lift

• 

  In this Hamburg shopping mall, artwork has replaced the old paternoster

See also

• List of elevator manufacturers

External links

• A clip of new students trying a Paternoster in Leicester
• The Elevator Museum
• List and photos of paternoster lifts (German)
• Paternosters still in operation in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria (German)
• Link to a tour of the University of Essex Albert Sloman library in England with picture of the paternoster lift
• Pages about history of paternosters in the world and especially in the Czech Republic (Czech) — List of all paternosters in Prague with information and photographs; technical directives of the European Union for paternosters
• History and photos of the I.G. Farben Building (now the Poelzig-Bau) in Frankfurt/M, Germany, famous for its paternosters
• Information and photos regarding the GEC Marconi paternoster featured in "The Prisoner" TV series
• A short video of the operating paternoster in Leipzig
• Paternoster at the NIG ("Neues Institutsgebäude") - University of Vienna. In operation until 2007 Videodocumentation from 1996
• Paternoster Yahoo Group

• Google translation