Peak Tower

The Peak Tower is a leisure and shopping complex located near the summit of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It also houses the upper terminal of the Peak Tram. Both the Peak Tower and the Peak Tram are owned by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels group, the owner of Hong Kong's famous along with many other properties. The tower and tram are joinly promoted by the collective branding known as The Peak.

The Peak Tower is located at an elevation of 396 m, 156 m below the summit of Victoria Peak. Because the architects sought a design which would be prominent on the skyline but would not interrupt the natural line of the hills, they chose a site in a dip along the line of the hills, and restricted the tower's height to 428 m above sea level.

History

In 1881, Alexander Findlay Smith, who owned a hotel on the Peak, petitioned for the right to introduce a funicular railway to Hong Kong. The Peak Tram was opened for public service on May 28, 1888 by the then Governor .

The current Peak Tower was the work of the British architect , and was completed in 1997. It has seven floors with a total area of 10,400 m? with a ''wok'' shape at the top. A viewing platform was located on the third floor overlooking the world famous Victoria Harbour.

Attractions

Apart from the Peak Tram terminal and gift shops, the Tower also included several attraction: ''Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium'', ''Hong Kong's Historical Adventure'' and the ''Peak Explorer Motion Simulator''.

In 2000, after the closure of ''Hong Kong's Historical Adventure'', ''Madame Tussauds Hong Kong'' moved in to occupy the former vacated premises to become the first Madame Tussaud's permanent outlet in the Asia-Pacific region.

After the latest refurbishment in 2006, the Peak Tower now has eight floors with viewing terrace relocated to the top of the building that overlook both Victoria Habour and ; however, severe air pollution normally hinders the outlook from this venue.

The Peak Tower is adjoined by a second leisure and shopping centre, the Peak Galleria, built atop the bus station used by the and that serve the Peak.