Hamburger Sommerdom (2017)

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Who would have ever believed to see the last Mack Rides log flume to disappear from the German fair circuit and yet it is. Since my childhood, Meyer/Steigers log flume Wildwasser dominated all fairs in Northern Germany and of course most of the other parts of Germany as well with its stunning backdrop and the great double drop finale. Let’s see where Mellors will place the Grande-Dame, maybe we will see her again in Skegness in some years.

While Wildwasser shows up for the last time, the VR dark ride Dr.Archibald Master of Time had its great premiere. Sadly, it was broken on my day of visit, but Mr.Greier did a fantastic job on the decoration of the ride. You can hardly tell, that this ride used to be the Geistertempel/Geisterhotel ghost train in its former life.

Will you miss the log flume Wildwasser? Just write it in the comment field below the report or visit our social media channels:

TKathke July 29, 2017 May 7, 2023 Hamburg

Following the gold rush to Slagharen

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Gold Rush at Attractiepark Slagharen

After the rumour that the looping star Thunder Loop would soon be dismantled had persisted for several years, the ride in Slagharen actually came to an end towards the end of last year. But don’t worry about the old lady, who has been turning the world of visitors to the Attractiepark upside down since 1979, as she is now once again owned by the Bemboom family – so a return to one amusement park or another cannot be entirely ruled out. This year, the Gold Rush roller coaster, a compact roller coaster with triple launch and closed circuit by the manufacturer Gerstlauer takes its place.

But can the roller coaster worthily follow in the footsteps of the roller coaster that was the first looping roller coaster for generations of Dutch and border-crossing Germans? I admit that this question is a bit too far-fetched, but nostalgia cannot be replaced so quickly. In fact, Slagharen is now home to an unparalleled gem; a state of affairs that was not so difficult to achieve compared to the previous status quo. However, the perfect integration of the ride, which visually benefits the left-hand side of the park and makes it look quite smooth, does not reveal anything about the ride itself.

It begins with a very shallow launch from a standing position towards the top hat, which is consequently climbed to a rather low level. With the speed now built up, the launch distance is passed backwards once more, but this time with a much more intense acceleration. With a broad smile on your face you shoot the dive loop up at the rear end of the acceleration section, turn there in a slight overhead position and take a third run-up. After reaching the top speed of 90 km/h you dare to climb the top hat once more, which you can now do easily. While the entrance to the element bends to the right, you leave it in a straight downhill run. With a good push you cross the following valley and immediately turn around in a high banked steep turn, whereupon the station is crossed on a camelback. Far above the heads of the future passengers, the train performs another steep curve manoeuvre, which releases you parallel to the station. The train then gains height for a last time before it dives into the dive loop towards the end of the ride and quickly returns to its starting position.

The new Gold Rush roller coaster offers a solid ride for young and old and therefore fits perfectly into the Attractiepark Slagharen. Although it is newer and follows a trend with the triple launch, it offers about the same ride pleasure as its predecessor – so they did everything right.

Pictures Attractiepark Slagharen

What do you think of the new roller coaster Gold Rush at Attractiepark Slagharen? Just write it in the comment field below the report or visit our social media channels:

TKathke June 11, 2017 July 19, 2026 Attractiepark Slagharen

Europa Park

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Theme Park:	Europa Park (since 1975)
	Part of the Resort Europa-Park Freizeit- und Erlebnisresort

Address:	Europa Park Straße 2
	77977 Rust
	http://www.europapark.de/de

Operated by:	Fam. Mack

Europa Park in Rust, Baden-Württemberg is the largest and most visited theme park in Germany. The amusement park was built in 1975 as an exhibition area for the rides of Heinrich Mack GmbH & Co. KG – today Mack Rides GmbH & Co. KG, which have their production facilities in nearby Waldkirch near Freiburg. The Mack family, who own the park, has been running the amusement park ever since.

Europa Park is home to a very large number of roller coasters and family-friendly rides, as well as dark rides, all of which have been assigned to European themed countries and thus offer an extremely immersive experience. There is something new to discover at every corner of the amusement park, no matter how small.

Reviews

A trip to Croatia on Voltron Nevera
Batavia is burning – and you want to go there?
Ba-a-a Express in the Harbo(u)r Street
French lobby work at Europa Park
A positive surprise at Europa Park
A great weekend at Europa-Park

Fun Fact #1: The amusement park was originally intended to be run by the showman Otto Tiemann. Since he died shortly before the opening, the Mack family took over the management themselves. Hans-Jürgen Tiemann, Otto Tiemann’s son, however, opened the Heide-Park in Soltau three years later. Even today one can discover many similarities within the two parks.

Fun Fact #2: As the track of the popular roller coaster Eurosat has reached the end of its lifetime in 2018, it was replaced. However, as the Eurosat hall is very complex, only a few modules were removed and the track was lifted out bit by bit. To keep the support structure stable, only single rail sections were removed and replaced by the new rail.

Fun Fact #3: Although the first rollercoaster restaurant is located in Harburg Harbour in Hamburg, the Food Loop was the first restaurant of its kind where the pots also go through vertical loops.