Mad House
A mad house is an amusement ride that is used at fairs , fairgrounds and amusement parks and creates the illusion that passengers are turning 360 ° within a swinging room. In German-speaking countries, older versions of this system are also known as the witch swing , and the German manufacturer Mack Rides also uses this name in its German publications.
functionality
It is a room that is mostly octagonal (hexagonal) constructed lengthways. The two side parts are each provided with a round rail system, these rails are mounted on friction drives , which allow the room to be rotated 360 degrees around its own axis. At the same time, a gondola bridge is suspended in the middle of the side parts, on which the passengers can sit in individual benches secured by brackets. As a rule, the passengers sit opposite each other on these benches. The gondola bridge can be swiveled out in both directions and thus follow the movement of the room. This creates the impression that the passengers are being "turned upside down". In reality, however, the space just keeps turning while the gondola bridge is rocking up to 30 degrees to both sides.
By fixing all moving parts in the room, the decoration of a Mad House often gives the impression that it behaves without the influence of gravity.
history
At the end of the 19th century the first witch swings were developed in rudimentary versions. Since then, however, the technology has been developed a lot. The first modern Mad House is the Villa Volta, built by the Dutch manufacturer Vekoma and opened in 1996, in the Dutch leisure park Efteling .
In addition to the company Vekoma, which built a large part of the existing systems, the German manufacturer Mack Rides also produces a ride of this type.
technology
A perfect illusion is possible through computer control and synchronous operation of light effects and music . The driving programs can be varied depending on the audience. It is driven by three-phase motors.
The capacity of the modern versions of Mack and Vekoma is 40 to 78 people per trip, depending on the version. Older systems offer space for significantly fewer passengers.
Investments
| Surname | park | country | Opened | Manufacturer | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Défi de César | Parc Asterix | France | 2008 | Mack Rides | |
| Feng Ju Palace | Phantasialand | Germany | 2002 | Vekoma | |
| Curse of Cassandra | Europe Park | Germany | 2000 | Mack Rides | |
| The Haunting | Drayton Manor | Great Britain | 1996 | Vekoma | |
| Duke swing | Fairytale Garden Blooming Baroque Ludwigsburg | Germany | 1972 | ? | |
| Witch swing | Mobile Mad House Oktoberfest Munich | Germany | 1894 | And basement | |
| Hex'n Wippn | Mobile Mad House | Germany | 1968 | Lielie | At times operated as a "space party". Appeared as a Faller model |
| Hex - The legend of the Towers | Alton Towers | Great Britain | 2000 | Vekoma | |
| Hotel Embrujado | Parque Warner Madrid | Spain | 2002 | Vekoma | |
| Houdini's Great Escape | Six Flags Great Adventure | United States | 1999 | Vekoma | |
| Houdini - The Great Escape | Six Flags New England | United States | 1999 | Vekoma | |
| Jack the Ripper | Wiener Prater | Austria | 1997 | ? | |
| Magic House | Gardaland | Italy | 2002 | Vekoma | |
| La Maison d'Houdini | Bellewaerde | Belgium | 1999 | Vekoma | |
| Maison Houdini | Rainbow MagicLand | Italy | 2011 | Vekoma | |
| Merlin's Magic Castle | Walibi Holland | Netherlands | 2000 | Vekoma | |
| Merlin's Mystical Mansion | Clark's Trading Post | United States | ? | ? | |
| Mobile Mad House | Part in the running business Alpenhotel Rasch | Germany | 2011 | ? | |
| Noah's incredible adventure | Noah's Ark Water Park | United States | 2003-2009 | Mack Rides | |
| Le Palais du génie | Walibi Belgium | Belgium | 2001 | Vekoma | |
| Rolling wine barrel | Tripsdrill adventure park | Germany | ? (before 1990) | ? | Closed in 1996 and converted into a fantastic wine barrel (closed in 2011) |
| Rotating House | Everland | South Korea | 2007 | Mack Rides | |
| Space Adventure | Genting Theme Park | Malaysia | 1998 | Vekoma | |
| Haunted house | Taunus Wonderland | Germany | 1973 | Fescue | |
| Valhalla Borgen | Tivoli Copenhagen | Denmark | 1998-2007 | Vekoma | |
| Bewitched castle | Dreamland amusement park | Germany | ? | Dietz vehicle construction | Built in 1977, first operated as a mobile system under showman Hiller. Over the years the park has been redesigned into a "forest castle" |
| Dungeon of horror | Belantis | Germany | 2003 | Vekoma | |
| Villa Volta | Efteling | Netherlands | 1996 | Vekoma |
Web links
- Mad House from the manufacturer Vekoma
- In 1894 the first witch's swing at the Munich Oktoberfest was no longer available
- Website manufacturer Mack Rides
- Vekoma Mad Houses collection, Europe area freizeitpark-welt.de
- Hexenschaukel no longer available
Individual evidence
- ↑ Video showing how it works
- ^ Villa Volta - General Facts. In: Freizeitpark-welt.de. Björn Baumann, archived from the original on June 28, 2012 ; Retrieved March 9, 2012 (original website no longer available).
- ↑ Unexpected encounters on the Hamburg Winter Cathedral. Tobias Kathke, November 19, 2014, archived from the original on December 5, 2014 ; accessed on December 28, 2018 (original website no longer available).