Europa-Park

The entrance to Europa-Park

Europa-Park is run by the Mack family, which have produced vehicles since 1780, circus wagons since 1880 and roller coasters since 1921. Franz Mack (1921–2010) in 1958 took over the family firm, Mack GmbH & Co (now Mack Rides), together with his brothers. Together with his son Roland (b. 1949) he visited the US in 1972 and was inspired to open a theme park in Germany, as an exhibition site for his company's products.[4]

At first the park was planned to be located in Breisach. It was named "Europa-Park" after Breisach's nearby Europaweiher, a small artificial lake which commemorates a historical pilot poll in Breisach held in 1950, in which 95.6% of voters were in favour of European unification. The Breisach site was deemed unsuitable because of flooding hazard, and the project was moved some 30 kilometres (19 mi) further north, where the Macks bought the park of the historical Balthasar castle in Rust.

The park opened in 1975 with an area of 16 hectares (40 acres). It counted 250,000 visitors in the first year, 700,000 in the second, passing the million mark in 1978.

Overview of the park, showing themed areas such as Griechenland.

The first country-themed section was "Italy", opened 1982. Like most of the original themed areas at Europa-Park, it was designed by Ulrich Damrau. The Alpenexpress "Enzian" and Schweizer Bobbahn rides opened in 1984 and 1985, respectively. The "Europe" theme was pursued further with the opening of "Holland" (1984), "England" (1988), "France" (1990), "Scandinavia" (1992) and "Spain" (1994) sections.

Visitor count passed the 2 million mark in 1991. The development of the hotel resort began in 1995 with El Andaluz, followed by Castillo Alcazar in 1999.

By the year 2000, the number of visitors had risen to 3 million, and the hotels had been booked to nearly 98% of their capacity. The park opened during the winter season for the first time in 2001/2. The current logo was registered in 2003.[5]

In 2011, there were 4.5 million visitors, and by 2012 the park encompassed an area of 90 hectares, featuring eleven roller-coasters, five themed hotels with a turnover of close to EUR 300 million and more than 3,000 employees. In 2012, Roland Mack announced investments in excess of EUR 60 million, the largest yearly investment in the park's history.[6] The total sum invested in the park is estimated at close to EUR 700 million.

Ed Euromaus, the park mascot developed by MackMedia, had 4D films based on his character in 2011 and 2015.

On 3 June 2017, Europa-Park opened the 'Voletarium' attraction. The attraction is the biggest flight motion simulator theater in Europe. It features a queue line with multiple pre-show elements culminating in the main ride section: a film showcasing European landmarks which lasts for 5 minutes. The ride is the most expensive single ride investment to date at the park and also features catering outlets, a shop and toilet facilities in the plaza for the ride.[7][8]

In November 2019, Europa-Park's Rulantica water park will open, in addition to a new themed hotel "Krønasår" in May 2019. There will be 25 water attractions, including 17 water slides. Other attractions include a wave pool, a surf simulator (probably on a static wave) and a wild river. There is an indoor part of 32,600 m² (351,000 sq ft) and an outdoor part of 8,000 m² (86,000 sq ft)[9]

On 26 May 2018, a fire broke out in the indoor complex between the park's Dutch and Scandinavian sections, and the complex, home to the attraction "The Pirates of Batavia", a theater, a restaurant, and an employee costume shop, was vacated. Shortly thereafter, the fire spread throughout neighboring areas, and eventually, the entire park was evacuated. Despite the efforts of the fire department, the complex was destroyed, along with parts of the neighboring Scandinavian section. The adjacent fjord rafting ride was affected by debris from burned-down wooden facades because part of its canal ran along the destroyed indoor complex and the damaged part of the Scandinavian themed area. According to the operators, the incident resulted in tens of millions in property damage. No visitors and employees were injured, while seven firefighters suffered minor injuries during firefighting operations. With the exception of a few hot spots, the fire was mostly extinguished and the park reopened regularly the very next morning. Only the destroyed attractions, restaurants, show stages and shops, the affected fjord rafting, as well as the neighboring attraction "Koffiekopjes" remained closed for the time being.

Initially closed was also "Vindjammer", a giant swinging ship ride, since one of the two entrance lines ran across the fire-destroyed Scandinavian-themed area. After closing this entrance and making adjustments to the other one, the ride was nevertheless in operation again, shortly after the park opened the next day. The attraction "Koffiekopjes" reopened four days later. On 9 June 2018, after the collection of evidence to determine the cause of fire and the cleaning of the canal from rubble, the fjord rafting ride could also be reopened. Initially, it was suspected that a warehouse near the "The Pirates of Batavia" attraction was the location where the fire broke out.

According to the current state of the investigation, on 6 June 2018, the Offenburg police believe that the fire actually broke out due to a technical failure in the fjord rafting area. However, the investigation is still ongoing. The Scandinavian village and the attraction "The Pirates in Batavia" were both rebuilt based on their original designs, with some updates. Both reopened in July 2020.

The monorail

Among other features, in 1995 the park installed a monorail system, the EP-Express, with three monorail trains reassigned after the 1988 World Expo in Brisbane. It was partially extended in 2016 in order to provide additional space for development in 2017.

Among the other systems of transportation are the Monorail, another monorail system since 1990, and the Panoramabahn, a miniature train ride.

Europa-Park is home to six resort hotels. For guests on a lower budget, the resort also has a large Camp Resort, where guests can stay in a Tipi, Chuck Wagon or Log Cabin provided they bring their own sleeping bag. Camping and caravaning is also provided for, next to the Camp Resort.

• Hotel Colosseo (four star superior), themed around the Roman Colosseum and features a fountain show created by French company Aquatique Show International
• Hotel Santa Isabel (four star superior), themed around a Portuguese Monastery
• Hotel El Andaluz (four stars), themed as a Spanish Villa
• Hotel Castillo Alcazar (four stars), themed as a Spanish Finca
• Hotel Bell Rock (four star superior), themed around New England and features a lighthouse
• Hotel KRØNASÅR (four star superior), themed as a natural history museum the museum shows unique and historical objects collected by the "Adventure Club of Europe"

• 
  El Andaluz
• 
  Alcazar
• 
  Colosseo

• Guesthouse Circus Rolando (Closed as of 2016)
• Europa-Park Camp Resort and Tipi Village
• Santa Isabel Wellness and Spa
• Colosseo Wellness and Spa
• Boston Red Socks Fitness and Spa
• Europa-Park Golf (Located 15 minutes away by car)
• Magic Cinema 4D
• Confertainment Facilities
• Europa-Park Dome

There are three different railway systems which also double as rides. The E.P. Express, the Monorail train, and the Panoramabahn. Additionally, another station was installed in 2015 onto the parking lot called Express Lane.

The Panoramabahn has been installed since the opening of the park in 1975.[10] At first, it served as a sightseeing train which departed and arrived near the entrance of the park in Germany. Today the train also stops at train stations in England, Spain, and Russia. The Europa-Park owns five type C. P. Huntington trains manufactured by the US-American company Chance Morgan.

The monorail was put into operation in 1990 and was originally intended for sightseeing only, with its starting and finishing point inside the Historama in Luxembourg.[11] In 2009, the monorail was extended by an additional stop in Iceland allowing passengers to use it as a means of transportation.[12]

The E.P. Express was built by AEG and Roll and has always been intended for transportation purposes besides its function as a panorama railway. It is a monorail modelled after a type of Alweg-monorail with closed, air-conditioned carriages, and it reaches a maximum speed of 20 km/h on a 2,5 km circuit at an average height of 6 meters. Inaugurated together with the Hotel 'El Andaluz' in 1995, one of the purposes of the E.P. Express of the Europa-Park was to connect the hotel to the main entrance. Over the course of time, the stops 'Greece' and 'Europa-Park Hotel Resort' were added to the existing 'Alexanderplatz' (main entrance) and 'Spain' stations.

The Europa-Park gains more and more importance as a media centre. Channels, such as BR, Sat.1, SWR, ZDF, Nickelodeon and Prosieben, all produce shows in the park. Each year since the summer of 1995, SWR airs its show called ‘’Immer wieder sonntags,’’ which is moderated by Stefan Mross, live from the IWS-Arena in the Europa-Park. Among other tickets, there are also combination tickets, which allow you to visit the park and the show in one day.

Every February, when the amusement park is closed during the winter break, the Euro Dance Festival takes place. Dance enthusiasts from all over the world gather at the park to learn new steps and techniques in over 200 workshops taught by some of the best and most well-known international dancers.[21] Amongst others, star guests like Detlef D! Soost, William Pino, Alessandra Bucharelli, Isabel Edvardsson, Franco Formica, Oliver Wessel-Therhorn, Kristina & Peter Stokkebroe, Luis Vasquez & Melissa Fernandez have taught there already.

The Ladies Only Festival takes place on one weekend between the months of January and March, when the park is closed for a winter break. On this occasion, the festival connects elements of fitness, dance, health, beauty and wellness. More than 200 workshops and seminars held by roughly 80 coaches are spread out over four days.

Since 2002, the official election of Miss Germany has taken place every February in the Europa-Park Dome, arranged by the Miss Germany Corporation from Oldenburg. The collaboration was so successful that in 2010 it was extended for another decade.

The Europa-Park offers a variety of dinner events on several nights of the year after the amusement park closes. There are several different events you can choose from. For example, the Dinner Show,[22] the Baden Medieval Banquet[23] as well as the Dinner & Movie.[24]

For several days every May and October, the park offers Science Days for younger and older schoolchildren, respectively. The Science Days are the oldest science festival in Germany, featuring science talks and shows, as well as exhibitors from the industrial sector, schools, hospitals, and universities.

Formerly known as WebHostingDays, CloudFest is an annual conference in March about cloud computing aimed at commercial organizations.[25] CloudFest 2020 was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.[26]

Between 2007 – 2011, the park's Terenzi Horror Nights were organised in the month of October in cooperation with Marc Terenzi. Visitors were able go on night-time walks through the Italian and French themed areas in 2007–2008 and through the Greek and Swiss themed areas in 2009, where they would be chased and spooked by actors dressed as various horror-themed monsters such as zombies. The event was again included in Europa-Park's yearly program between 2010 and 2016, billed as Horror Nights starring Marc Terenzi. Between 2013 and 2015 it was simply called Horror Nights, as it took place without Marc Terenzi during that period.

In 2017, the Horror Nights were replaced by the Traumatica event.[29] It takes place in the evenings, partly in the Greek-themed area and partly outside of the theme park's territory. Visitors are taken into a post-apocalyptic world in which five different groups fight for dominance. The group members are played by live actors and are set up in haunted houses with special effects as their main quarters, which can be attended by visitors.

Tortuga - Vergessene Piraten (English: Forgotten Pirates) took place in the Greek-themed area in 2006, and in the Scandinavian-themed area from 2007 to 2011. Visitors would walk through dark alleys and get scared by pirates, which ensured heart-stopping moments. The Spanish name Tortuga designates Haiti's second largest island which was a focal point for pirates in the years 1640 to 1670. The maze only took place in the weeks around Halloween.

After the horror maze Tortuga - Vergessene Piraten was cancelled, The Villa put the fear of God into visitors in 2012 and 2013. Numerous horror actors and special effects awaited the visitors in the horror maze that was situated in a 19th-century style, Victorian dream house.

In the years 2015–2016 the daytime maze Tenems Rache (English: Tenem’s Revenge) was located below the waiting area of the Poseidon. Visitors had to navigate through a horror mansion and its dark corridors, where boos crews were creeping through lighting and fog effects. The design of the house was inspired by Egyptian burial chambers.

Every other year from 2011 through 2016, the park's festival grounds were home to the Halloween show Mysteria, offering live music, artistic performances, pyrotechnics, and lighting effects. During off years, 30-minute concerts by the Swiss DJ BoBo took the place of the show. Starting in 2011, the show was set in a ghostly castle, with the title Mysteria: Castillo Mystico. In 2013, the park introduced an entirely new story revolving around two enemy gangs in a shantytown on the outskirts of the city.

In 2017, the show was replaced by the fountain and fire show Hellfire Fountains, offered multiple times every evening in the last week of the season.[30]

• African Queen – A boat ride around the lake.
• Jungle Rafts – A tow boat / dark ride through an African settlement.
• Water Playground

• Alpenexpress Coastiality
• Alpenexpress Enzian – Powered roller coaster which is themed like a mine train roller coaster and, after a brief encounter with some hungry bears, includes a trip inside the World of Diamonds (which can also be viewed by foot). Makes two trips through its relatively short course to form a complete run, or three on a quiet day.
• Playground Würmchen Wies'n
• Tiroler Log Flume – A traditional log flume ride through the World of Diamonds.
• Vienna Wave Swing – A chairswing ride.

• Arena of Football - Be Part of It! – A football exhibition, sports bar and Adidas shop.
• The British Carousel
• Crazy Taxis – A demolition derby carousel ride.
• London Bus – A magic carpet ride.
• Panorama Train Station Paddington – Also has stations in other areas.
• The Queen's Diamonds - The Curse of Baron Williams – Laser experience.
• Shooting Gallery
• Silverstone Race Track – A go-kart ride through English gardens.
• Soccer Bumper Cars – Dodgems ride located in the Arena of Football - Be Part of It!
• Water Lane

• 4D Magic Cinema – A large 4D cinema venue currently showing "Happy Family", a custom film made by MackMedia for the park.

Silver Star at Europa-Park

• Eurosat - CanCan Coaster – Indoor coaster. Located inside a large geodesic sphere structure, similar to Spaceship Earth at Walt Disney World's Epcot. The ride itself is similar to Disney's Space Mountain, except that the train is made up of many more cars, and it features a spiral lift hill.
• Eurosat Coastiality
• Euro-Tower – An observation tower from Intamin. In 1983 the 76m tower was opened in Europa-Park. The observation tower opened for the first time at the Münchenstein Grün 80, then at the Kassel Bundesgartenschau 1981 and at the Floriade 1982.
• Madame Freudenreich Curiosités – A dinosaur themed dark ride.
• Mercedes-Benz Hall – Small-size museum that features a full-scale replica of a Mercedes-Benz Formula One car.
• Silver Star – Hypercoaster and Europe's fourth highest and fifth fastest roller coaster, standing 239 ft tall with a top speed of 78 mph. Built by Bolliger and Mabillard, of Switzerland. One of the few non-Mack rides featured at the park, presumably because Mack didn't feature a hypercoaster model at the time.

• Carnival Barn Museum
• Elf Ride – A boat ride with a dark ride section.
• EP Express Station - Alexanderplatz – A monorail. Also has stations in Greece, Spain and Hotel Resort.
• Jim Knopf – A tracked ride based on 'Jim Button and Luke the Engine driver'.
• Panorama Train Station Germany – Also has stations in other areas.
• Puppet Boat Ride – Circular boats travel through scenes of puppets moving.
• Schatzkammer
• Vintage Cars – A car ride.
• Voletarium – A flying theatre.

Panoramic image of water roller coaster Poseidon

• Atlantis Adventure – Interactive dark ride.
• Cassandra's Curse – A mad house type indoor illusion ride with special effects.
• EP Express Station - Greece
• Flight of Icarus – A balloon ride.
• Pegasus - The YoungStar Coaster – Family coaster cleverly themed around an archeological dig.
• Water roller coaster Poseidon – High-speed water coaster with incredibly detailed theming, such as the Trojan Horse, and the station being located inside a recreated Acropolis temple.

• Cinderella
• Doctor Know-All – Walkthrough.
• Dwarf City – Kids fairytale ride.
• Enchanted Forest Cinema in Grimm's Library
• Fairy Tale Gallery
• The Frog King
• The Golden Goose – Animatronic display.
• Hansel & Gretel – Walkthrough.
• Mother Hulda – Animatronic display.
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Rapunzel – Animatronic display.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

• Sleeping Beauty's Castle – Walkthrough.
• The Valiant Little Tailor – Walkthrough.
• The Wishing Table...

Iceland

• Blue Fire– Launched roller coaster with several inversions, onboard sound and unique restraint system. Includes various headchopper effects and a dark ride section with a variety of special effects.
• GAZPROM Theme World - The Wonder of Energy – Exhibition hall featuring interactive exhibits about the world of gas supply. Comprises a café-bar, toilets and conference facilities.
• Lítill Island - Hansgrohe Water Playground – Interactive water playground sponsored by Hansgrohe.
• Monorail Station Iceland
• Whale Adventures — Northern Lights – Splash battle interactive water ride with animatronic theming and themed fishing port.
• WODAN - Timburcoaster – Wooden coaster built by Great Coasters International, featuring a heavily themed, detailed queueline.

• Ba-a-a Express – Children's roller coaster.
• BIG-Bobby-Car Circuit
• Dancing Dingie – A spinning boat.
• Dingle Bay
• Little Lamb's Land
• Old Mac Donald's Tractor Fun – A sit down tractor ride.
• Paul's Playboat
• Sheep Rock – A small water carousel.

Spinning Dragons

• Spinning Dragons – A carousel ride.
• Quipse Paddle Boats – A children's rowing boat ride.
• Tower Tow – A tower ride for children.

• Ghost Castle – A spooky dark ride with inspiration from Disney's The Haunted Mansion.
• Piccolo Mondo – A dark ride celebrating Italian culture with a family-friendly theme.
• Volo Da Vinci – A suspended pedal-monorail attraction based on Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine offering charming views of the nearby area. Manufactured by ETF Ride Systems.[40][41]

• Journey to Rulantica - Preview centre
• Monorail – Transport ride.
• Monorail Station Luxembourg

• ARTHUR – Inverted dark ride/powered roller coaster.
• Mul-Muls Carousel – A Zamperla jump around.
• Poppy Towers – A Zierer family free fall tower.
• Root Slides – Slides.

• Ball Pool
• Flying Dutchman – A carousel ride.
• JUNIOR CLUB Studios
• Koffiekopjes – A spinning coffee cup ride.
• Mini Scooters – A kiddie bumper car ride.
• Red Baron – A carousel ride.
• Rocking Bridge & Chute
• Pirates of Batavia - A themed boat ride.

The high-speed water ride Atlantica SuperSplash

• Atlantica SuperSplash – a high-speed water ride themed around Portuguese explorers. The boats are a higher capacity than Poseidon, and it doesn't feature any high speed turns as on Poseidon, but still has enough time on the coaster track that it can be considered a roller coaster. It shares a ride design with Journey To Atlantis from SeaWorld San Antonio.
• Casa da Aventura — Home of the Quipse – An indoor-playground for kids.

Outside the Euro-Mir roller coaster in the Russia area.

• Euro-Mir – A one-of-a-kind, high-speed, Mack steel track spinning roller coaster, based around Russian space missions. The spinning is controlled and only happens during some parts of the ride. The ride features indoor dark ride elements, back-to-back seating, an indoor spiral lifthill, a techno soundtrack, and one of the longest ride times of any roller coaster. The Mir space station training module is located above the outdoor queue for the ride.
• Lada Autodrom – A car ride for younger guests (it is, in essence, similar to Silverstone Race Track, but for younger children).
• The Mir Space Station
• Panorama Train Station Russia
• Russian Handicraft – Craftsmen at work with glass blowing and pottery.
• Snowflake Sleigh Ride – A short dark ride through a Siberian landscape. The ride features a Russian folklore theme.

• Fjord-Rafting – A river rapids ride.
• Snorri Touren - A dark ride which takes guests on a tour of Rulantica (New for 2019)
• Rocking bridge and wobbling boat
• Vindjammer – A swinging ship ride.

• Adventure Playground
• EP Express Station - Spain
• Feria Swing – A spinning, high-speed carousel ride.
• Kolumbusjolle – A seastorm ride, which travels backwards and forwards.
• Panorama Train Station Spain – Also has stations in other areas.

• Jungfrau Glacier Flight – A high speed spinning plane ride.
• Matterhorn Blitz – Wild mouse roller coaster themed around a Swiss farmhouse.
• Schellen-Ursli House – A Bell for Ursli
• Swiss Bob Run – A bobsled roller coaster and one of the few ones of this model to feature a regular style drop.