PhantasialandLocation: Bruhl Germany
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Phantasialand is located in Brühl in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The park, which opened in 1967, is owned and operated by the Löffelhardt family. Its founders, Gottlieb Löffelhardt and Richard Schmidt began the park as a family-oriented park but they have steadily also added thrill rides, attractions and accommodations to make Phantasialand the second most visited resort in Germany, just behind Europa Park.
Phantasialand opened in 1967. The park is divided into six uniquely distinct sections called “Lands”, each with its own rides and attractions themed to that section. The “Lands” are: Fantasy, Deep in Africa, Berlin, Mexico, Mystery, and China Town. Among the original park rides were two coasters that were built by Schwarzkopf. Gebirgsbahn, a steel roller coaster which opened in 1975, and Grand Canyon Bahn, a powered coaster which opened in 1978, were razed and heavily damaged by a fire in May of 2001. These coasters were replaced by creatively designed rides called Mystery Castle which is an indoor Intamin Bungee Drop haunted castle and River Quest, a river rapids ride built by Hafema. Roller coaster enthusiasts will greet treats in store at Phantasialand. For those that love dark rides, Temple of the Night Hawk, a 1988 Vekoma coaster formerly known as Space Center, one of the longest enclosed roller coasters, is there to enjoy. There is also a themed mine train roller coaster in the park. Built in 1996, Colorado Adventure is a Vekoma steel mine train located in the “Wild West” section of Mexico. This ride’s official opening was attended by none other than the infamous Michael Jackson. In Mexico, riders will also find interesting thrill rides such as Talocan. This ride is a Huss suspended Top Spin ride that is fantastically themed with fire, water and Aztec art. In 2006, Phantasialand teamed up with Bolliger and Mabillard to add to their Africa section, and what an addition they made. Black Mamba is an inverted coaster that travels at speeds of up to almost 50 miles per hour along its track length of slightly over 2500 feet. It has a height of just over 85 feet and a drop of just over 88 feet with four inversions including an exciting zero-g roll. It is one of the most sought after credits by coaster enthusiasts. In 2010 Phantasialand expanded Wuze Town by adding more attractions for smaller children. They added a maze called Baumberger Irrgarten, a Zamperla Jump Around called Die fröhliche Bienchenjagd, Zamperla magic bikes called Wolke's Luftpost, a crazy bus ride by Zamperla called Der lustige Papagei, and a monorail called Würmling Express. New Maurer Sohne indoor spinning coasters called Winjas: Fear and Force were added as well in 2002. The rides consist of dual tracks that are similar and basically mirror each other at first but some sections are also unique from the other. In 2011 Phantasialand expanded yet again with the addition of Maus au Chocolat, which is a 3D dark ride. They have also added more flat rides to their collection such as Verrücktes Hotel Tartüff (The Wacky Hotel Tartuff) which opened in 2012. The most recent addition to the park is Chiapas. Opening in 2014, which was actually later than expected, this massive water ride is billed as the steepest log flume ride in the world. That record has yet to be certified but the ride certainly looks refreshing. Phantasialand is landlocked because of the surrounding residential areas and roads, but they plan construction of a water park, one or more hotels with a total capacity of 4,000 beds, a theater/concert hall of 6,000 seats and a new parking lot on existing property that had already been approved for in addition to housing for staff. With the two hotels already among their holdings, thrill rides, and one of the best B&M inverted coasters in Europe, Phantasialand certainly has a lot to offer world coaster and thrill ride enthusiasts so it is worth a look…and a stay! |
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