1001 nights gondola
| 1001 nights gondola | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Data | |
| Type | Themed ride |
| category | Gondola |
| Drive type | Self propelled |
| Manufacturer | Black Head |
| opening | 1970 |
| closure | November 1, 2009 |
| length | 358 m |
| Travel time | 5 min |
| capacity | 1000 people per hour |
| Trains | 17 trains, 3 cars / train, 1 row of seats / car, 2 seats / row of seats |
| Subject area | Orient |
| Theming | Orient |
The “1001 Nights” gondola was a themed ride in Phantasialand in Brühl . It opened in 1970, three years after the park opened. The gondola lift was the first stationary dark ride in Germany.
The gondola route was changed when the vat ride closed and changes were made again and again. So the gondolas went individually at the beginning, but later three gondolas each together. Electronic distance controls for the gondolas have also been developed. At the beginning there was an additional cost to use, so it was not included in the park entrance fee. The music of the British Mike Batt came later and came from the film The Lord of the Caravan .
The themed area of the gondola together with the Café Oriental formed the themed area Orient , which later did not include any other attractions apart from the gondola itself and which disappeared completely from the park after its closure in 2009.
journey
The station was on the first floor within a cave above which a water-spouting skull hung. After leaving the station, the gondolas drove a first part outside over the waltz dream (previously a vat trip ) and through a dragon's mouth into the interior of the cave. Inside you could see scenes from the stories from the Arabian Nights , such as Ali Baba , with animatronics . Among other things, legendary figures such as a cyclops , the fight with a dragon and the legendary bird Rok were shown , as well as a Buddha statue. The larger scenes featured camels, dancing women, treasures and several other people. Both at the beginning and at the end, the passengers drove through a larger stalactite cave.
The free suspension of the gondolas on the gearbox meant that they swung out slightly in the curves.
demolition
In view of the long-standing difficulties in the expansion process, Phantasialand was forced to demolish the gondola lift after the 2009 summer season in order to make room for new attractions. For the summer season 2010 the vacated area was straightened and built with new buildings. These now form part of Kaiserplatz and house the Maus au Chocolat attraction, which opened in 2011, and a souvenir shop and a meeting and conference center since 2012.
Web links
- Online portal of the newspaper "Die Welt" about the closure
- Article on the farewell to the gondola on parkscout.de
Coordinates: 50 ° 47 '59.1 " N , 6 ° 52' 48.9" E