Paternoster lift

A paternoster or paternoster lift is a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments
(each usually designed for two people) 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.[1] 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 out of concern for safety, but public
sentiment has kept many of the remaining examples open.[3] By far most remaining paternosters are in
Europe, with 230 examples in Germany, and 68 in the Czech Republic. Only three have been identified
outside Europe: one in Malaysia, one in Sri Lanka and another in Peru.
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.
The highest paternoster lift in the world was located in Stuttgart in the 16-floor Tagblatt tower, which was
completed in 1927.
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 relatively slow elevators, typically travelling at about 30
cm per second (approx. 1 ft per second), to facilitate getting on and off.