Schwaben Park has its origins in 1972 when the Hudelmaier family’s animal and amusement park opened its doors as Safari Park. The park became famous for its chimpanzee show, which was discontinued in 2017.
To be honest, I never had any desire to visit Schwaben Park. However, since the focus has been shifted more and more to the classic amusement park business and the zoo has been reduced in the same process, things have changed a bit. The park now stands out positively because of its interesting ideas.
Santa Lore
Since almost all the main attractions are in the same corner of the park, we start our walk clockwise. The first ride we come across is the Santa Lore ship swing by Metallbau Emmeln, which – for whatever reason – has its own soundtrack by IMAscore. The ride itself is pretty solid and great fun for the whole family.
Azura
One of the main attractions of the amusement park is located in an old riding hall: the Azura water ride. The combination of the quiet boat ride with a fountain show is convincing all along the line. You wouldn’t expect such a spectacle in a medium-sized amusement park, and yet you can experience it at Schwaben Park. Hats off!
Schwaben Express
One ride I’ve been looking forward to for ages is the Schwaben Express from Gerstlauer. This flat ride has a rather steep hill in the course of the ride, which is travelled at a decent speed both forwards and backwards.
Bobkart
The Bobkart ride in Schwaben Park is a rather short one. As soon as we leave the station, we take the first wave. After a ride through a helix, we speed through a wide left turn. Parallel to the monza track Anno 1950, we race over several waves and a few curve swerves before we enter a helix once more. After a change of direction, we continue spiralling upwards, but then drive directly into the exit area of the ride, where the fun ride unfortunately comes to an end.
Das Sägewerk
Past the Märchenfahrt, which is a leisurely boat ride past numerous fairytale pavilions, as it was at Heide Park, we head straight to the log flume ride Das Sägewerk (The Sawmill). The classic Reverchon ride with its two drops convinces with its elaborate design and a fitting soundtrack.
Raupen Express
Directly opposite is the entrance to the family coaster Raupen Express. The Force Zero from Zierer convinces with its classic Tivoli Coaster layout including this funny little twist. In keeping with the rules, several laps are made one after the other.
Märchenturm
In addition to the abc rides children’s log flume Kroko Splash, the Pferdereitbahn and the dinghy slide Wellenreiter, you can also ride the Twist & Turn Märchenturm in this area. The mixture of a teacup ride and a Ferris wheel is always a guarantee for a good mood in Schwaben Park.
Kreiselkarussell
The Kreiselkarusell is another ride from Gerstlauer that I’ve been looking forward to for ages. The gondolas of the ride are similar to those of the Suppenfahrt in Erlebnispark Tripsdrill, but here they run on a circular track. The rotation of the gondolas creates a real spinning sensation in no time at all.
Verrückte Palme
Directly above the Kreiselkarussell is another family classic that no amusement park should be without these days. The family free fall tower Verrückte Palme convinces with its fun ride programme and the hopscotch included in it.
Wilde Hilde
Passing no less than three scenic rides – the Oldtimerbahn, the Papageienbahn and the Traktorbahn – we now approach the corner mentioned at the beginning, where three highlights of the amusement park are located. The first is the Wilde Hilde.
This roller coaster from RES runs mainly vertically. To prevent the whole thing from becoming too fast, a large part of the ride is slowed down. The highlight, however, is that the gondolas can swing freely and the transitions to the next level always result in very funny swinging sections. Unfortunately, however, the ride is ultimately a little too repetitive, so that you rarely get to enjoy the chicken cackle of IMAscore à la Popcorn.
Hummel Brummel
Things are a little different with the Hummel Brummel. Wiegand’s Wie-Flyer is basically a suspended Bobkart track. Passengers decide on their own travel speed as they whiz around the track.
The ride begins quite leisurely in a wide left-hand bend, where we gain a little height. A few bends in the airy heights follow before we make a small turning manoeuvre in a tight right-hand bend. This is followed by several wide left and right turns. Another tight right-hand bend later, we approach the station again.
Unfortunately, the suspended powered coaster Hummel Brummel lacks a bit of speed. If the ride were a little faster and the swing of the gondolas a little greater, the ride would be a lot more fun. As it is, the fun is unfortunately a little limited.
Force One
The biggest roller coaster in Schwaben Park is Force One. This ESC by Zierer offers a thoroughly impressive layout, which is notable for its numerous drops. The ride starts with a shot from a height of 22 metres. After the big drop, we immediately shoot just below the lift, where a big helix awaits us. After a smaller dip, we take another drop parallel to the first. Immediately we race into another helix close to the ground. A short turn just above the lift entrance later, the path leads us over hill and dale before we reach the final brake following several small hills.
Force One is a really cool family coaster with unfortunately not so cool ride characteristics. The ride vibrates, and not too little. Interestingly, this only slightly reduces the repeat factor. After all, Force One is still a good, albeit not perfect, family coaster in the end.
Pictures Schwaben Park
Conclusion Schwaben Park
Schwaben Park is a very solid amusement park with some really good ideas. They try to make the best of the park and that is definitely noticeable. The concepts are good, but some of them are a bit overambitious. However, I think that once the discovery phase is over, a coherent overall concept will emerge at some point. Until then, we can’t wait to see what else Schwaben Park will surprise us with.
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