Russian Mountains

Russian Mountains were a predecessor to the roller coaster.

This article is about an early type of amusement park ride. For the mountain range in Antarctica, see Russkiye Mountains. For the area in the Klamath Mountains in California, see Russian Wilderness.
Katalnaya gorka pavilion in Oranienbaum, a part of the 18th century roller-coaster complex.

The earliest roller coasters were descended from Russian winter sled rides held on specially constructed hills of ice, sometimes up to 200 feet (61 m) tall.[1] Known from the 17th century, the slides were built to a height of between 70 to 80 feet (21 to 24 m), had a 50-degree initial slope, and were reinforced by wooden supports. In the 18th century they were especially popular in St. Petersburg and surroundings, from where their usage and popularity spread to the rest of Europe. Sometimes wheeled carts were used instead of tracks, like in the Katalnaya Gorka built in Catherine II's residence in Oranienbaum. By the late 18th century, their popularity was such that entrepreneurs elsewhere began copying the idea, using wheeled cars built on tracks. The first such wheeled ride was brought to Paris in 1804 under the name Les Montagnes Russes (French for "Russian Mountains").

Early builders

Among the early companies were Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville, which constructed and operated a gravity track in Paris from 1812, and Promenades Aeriennes ("Aerial Promenades", 1817, at Beaujon Gardens, Paris). The first loop track was probably also built in Paris from an English design in 1846, with a single-person wheeled sled running through a 13 feet (4 m) diameter loop. None of these tracks were complete circuits.

In modern times

To this day, a number of languages (e.g. French: montagnes russes and Italian: montagne russe, Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese: montanha-russa, Spanish: montaña rusa) use the equivalent of "Russian Mountains" to refer to roller coasters. When "true" roller coasters appeared in Russia in the 19th century, they became known as американские горки (Amerikanskie gorki), or "American mountains". For example, Gagarin Park, the second largest amusement park in St. Petersburg has an Amerikanskie gorki ride.

References
  1. Roller Coasters A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines pg 13 (1st Published Edition)
  • Russia and Europe in the Nineteenth Century - Edward Strachan, Roy Bolton. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  • The American Roller Coaster - Scott Rutherford. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  • Night+Day Mexico City - Pedro Romero. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
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