Phantasialand

Phantasialand
The Phantasialand logo:
place	Brühl , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany
opening	April 30, 1967
Visitors	2.05 million (2019)
surface	28 hectares
staff	around 500 permanent employees and up to 850 seasonal workers
Website	www.phantasialand.de
Phantasialand Location of the park

Coordinates: 50 ° 48 ′ 0 ″  N , 6 ° 52 ′ 46 ″  E

The Phantasialand is a theme park in Brühl in Cologne , North Rhine-Westphalia . With almost two million visitors in 2019, it is the second most visited amusement park in Germany and one of the 15 most visited seasonal amusement parks in Europe. Phantasialand offers numerous rides and shows in six themed areas . The regular season runs from late March to early November; In the winter months the park opens for a few weeks with a special winter program.

With an operating area of ​​around 28  hectares , of which the actual park (excluding parking spaces and hotels) occupies around 12 hectares, Phantasialand is one of the smaller theme parks in terms of area . The park is characterized by a compact construction method with partially intertwined attractions and a comparatively frequent demolition of old attractions in favor of new ones. Affiliated to Phantasialand are two themed hotels as well as event and conference rooms.

location

Phantasialand is located in the southwest of the Badorf district of Brühl on the ridge of the Ville between 115 and 130  m above sea level. NHN . In the west the park area borders on the forest areas of the Ville-Seenplatte , in the south runs the federal highway 553 , whose nearby junction Brühl-Süd serves as the main feeder to Phantasialand. The Lenterbach (Dickopsbach) rises in the northeast of the park .

history

See also : Timeline for the history of Phantasialand

Opening as a fairytale forest in 1967

Gottlieböffelhardt (2010)

Phantasialand was founded on April 30, 1967 by the showman Gottlieb Löffelhardt (* December 25, 1934 - July 7, 2011) and the puppeteer Richard Schmidt (* August 22, 1926 - May 16, 2020) in the former Berggeist mine , a lignite - opencast mine in southern Brühl, opens and is one of the oldest amusement parks in Europe. Schmidt had supervised numerous television puppet shows and wanted to make the puppets and sets from his collection permanently accessible to the general public. To this end, he teamed up with his friend, the showman Gottlieböffelhardt, and built a fairy tale park around a lake and a few other attractions such as a classic car ride , western railway , adventure playground and Hawaii restaurant .

400,000 visitors were already counted in the first year. This success led to the park area being expanded several times in the following years for new attractions, which were also more geared towards an adult audience.

Expansion and development into a theme park in the 1970s and 1980s

Viking Cruise and Hawaiian Restaurant (1981)

Silver City with Mountain Railway (1984)

In 1970, a replica of Berliner Strasse Unter den Linden opened under the name Alt Berlin in the style of the 1920s and 1930s, including the Neptune Fountain and the Brandenburg Gate on a scale of 1: 2. The stretch of road, which among other things show theater conservatory was home, joined directly to the newly constructed front entrance to the park and was therefore in his system and function comparable to that from the Disneyland Resort known Main Street, USA was second reopening of the year the 1001 Nights gondola , which is Germany's first stationary dark ride .

From 1972 onwards, further terrain beyond the Lenterbachsweg was gradually developed. The western town of Silver City was created with Germany's first wild water ride and two roller coasters , which were built with an artificial mountain range for reasons of noise protection. From 1974 the Phantasialand-Jet monorail ran on a circuit across the park area. The idea of extending the route to Brühl train station in order to use the jet as a means of local transport was not implemented.

In 1981, China Town opened another new themed area. For the most authentic implementation possible, 1.3 million components were produced in Taiwan and Chinese skilled workers were brought to Brühl. The result is considered to be the largest collection of Chinese buildings outside of Asia. Schmidt and Löffelhardt were the first Europeans to be awarded the Taiwanese culture medal for spreading Chinese culture.

Modernization with fast rides from 1988

Colorado Adventure (2003)

With the establishment of China Town , the operational area of ​​the park reached its present size. In order to be able to offer visitors new attractions in the future, on the one hand the park area was densified and on the other hand existing attractions were dismantled. The operators increased the number of faster and more exciting rides.

In 1988, the Space Center opened as the world's longest dark roller coaster in a new hall at the previous location of the children's rides from the year the park was founded. The space theme was continued in 1994 with the construction of the Galaxy simulator ride , whose gold-colored dome was one of the most striking buildings in Phantasialand until it was demolished in 2016.

In 1996, the Colorado Adventure mine coaster opened. On the night before the opening, a fire triggered during welding work caused property damage in the millions; five workers were slightly injured. A few weeks after the opening, pop star Michael Jackson christened the track during one of his visits. Like the two roller coasters from the 1970s, Colorado Adventure had to be retrofitted with noise protection devices after complaints from residents.

The park received a widely visible landmark in 1998 with the 65-meter-high Mystery Castle , in which there is a vertical drive. In the same year, Robert Löffelhardt, son of the park founder Gottlieb Löffelhardt, took over the sole management of Phantasialand, having already taken over the shares from co-founder Richard Schmidt in 1995.

Major fire in 2001 and consequences

A major fire broke out on May 1, 2001, in which 63 people were slightly injured and damage to property and losses totaled 38 million euros. The fire broke out as a result of a technical defect in the Grand Canyon railway and spread to the 25-year-old artificial mountain range, which also housed the mountain railway and through which the rails of the Phantasialand jet led. In addition, the fire destroyed the roof of the adjacent Tanagra Theater and parts of the western town. At the time of the fire there were 150 passengers in the five roller coaster trains, around 1,000 people in the waiting area and a total of 20,000 guests in the park. Phantasialand was closed for 15 days during the demolition and clean-up work. As a consequence of the events, the park tightened its safety regulations and invested almost two million euros in fire protection.

The opening of the Wuze Town complex, originally planned for 2001 , a two-story hall with two indoor roller coasters and various children's attractions, was subsequently postponed to 2002. In the same year, the replacement buildings for the attractions that fell victim to the fire opened: the River Quest rafting facility and the Mad House Feng Ju Palace . The construction work for the first theme hotel was delayed by the events.

Development into a short trip destination and event location as well as park renewal from 2003

Chiapas (2016)

With the opening of the theme hotel PhantAsia (since 2007 Ling Bao , →  Hotels ) in 2003, efforts began to establish Phantasialand as a short trip destination and to address new target groups such as business customers. A year later, the Fantissima dinner show had its premiere, a combination of a gourmet menu and a show with artistry, live music and dance, which takes place as a separate evening event after the park closes.

In 2006, the park underwent its first noteworthy expansion since the completion of China Town in 1981, but within the existing operating area. On a former parking lot and storage area, the Deep in Africa theme area was created with the Black Mamba roller coaster , the first runway with rollover elements in Phantasialand. In order to be able to furnish the area as authentically as possible, Phantasialand in Cameroon had set up an artists' village and had art objects made there. Two years later, the themed area was completed with the Hotel Matamba (→  Hotels ).

The demolition of the fairytale forest , the nucleus of Phantasialand, in 2007 marked the beginning of far-reaching redesigns, during which many older attractions, especially those from the early years, had to give way. In 2008 and 2009 the Phantasialand-Jet , the gondola lift including the boat ride as well as the Neptune Fountain and the Brandenburg Gate were dismantled. At the end of the street in Old Berlin , the spacious Kaiserplatz was built in 2010 on a completely different floor plan . Behind it, an event location with function rooms was built with the Quantum , which can be used for conferences, company celebrations, etc. can be rented.

In 2012 and 2013, the Mexico themed area was largely rebuilt. The demolition of the wild water courses and the former jet train station created space for a new rocky landscape with the Chiapas water course . The neighboring western town including the silver mine had to give way in the following year and was replaced by the medieval Klugheim by 2016 , an extension of the mystery theme area with the two new roller coasters Taron and Raik in the middle of a landscape made of tall basalt columns for noise protection reasons . At the former location of the Race for Atlantis simulator ride and adjacent operating areas, the new section Rookburgh has been under construction since the beginning of 2017, which will include the Launched Flying Coaster F.LY and a hotel called Charles Lindbergh .

Subject areas

Themed areas and attractions of the Phantasialand

In 2009 Phantasialand officially divided the park into six themed areas. One of the six dragon mascots is assigned to each area and can be found on site as running figures.

Many attractions that have been built over the years had their own theme (e.g. Hawaiian restaurant , Viking boat trip , Hollywood tour ) or were entirely without special design (e.g. Dolphinarium , Condor ). Others formed subject areas that no longer existed (e.g. western city , orient , space ). In the course of the standardization, the remaining non-themed attractions were adapted to the new areas (for example, in the fantasy area the Space Center became the Temple of the Night Hawk and Galaxy became the Race for Atlantis ) or reinterpreted ( Silver City and Colorado Adventure became part of Mexico).

Surname	Characteristic		mascot	opening
Berlin	Historic Berlin with the nostalgic flair of the early 20th century; Boulevard and Kaiserplatz		Drago	1970
Mexico	Plaza Mariachi with Mexican buildings; Chiapas rocky landscape ; Aztec and Maya cultures		Quetzal	1973 †
China Town	Traditional Chinese buildings and gardens		Wang	1981
Mystery	Medieval village of Klugheim with Nordic symbolism in a mystical, dark atmosphere; Basalt mountains ; gloomy castle complexes		Snail	1998
Fantasy	Playful, child-friendly fantasy world around the Wuze people in Wuze Town and Baumbergen at Mondsee		Phenia	2002
Deep in Africa	Savannah and rainforest landscape with West African adobe buildings		Kroka	2006

^†None of the Mexico buildings erected in 1973 have survived; its former location is now partly in the mystery area

Attractions

The park's attractions are a mix of fast, exciting and slow, leisurely rides as well as rides and play areas specially designed for children. For noise protection reasons, some rides were built inside buildings or provided with cladding.

A number of rides from earlier years were later demolished. The following table lists attractions that have shaped the image of Phantasialand over many years and were therefore particularly well known.

Shows and demonstrations

Playhouse (2003)

Phantasialand has several show theaters and event areas. Shows are offered here, the seasons of which usually span several seasons. The largest theaters are the Wintergarten (since 1970 revues, magic and artistry shows), the Arena de Fiesta (since 1976 dolphinarium and aqua theater, since 1997 ice theater), the Silverado Theater (since 1989 stunt and action shows) and the playhouse (since 1999 4D cinema). In addition, there are regular open-air events on the central Kaiserplatz and in some subject areas.

Over the years, not only have the shows changed, but some venues have also been demolished or rebuilt. With the Scala (1977–1997) and the Tanagra Theater (1981–2001) there were two electronic puppet theaters. In the former western town, the western saloon was the venue for music shows from 1974, the Casa Magnetica presented optical illusions between 1973 and 2011, and from 1986 to 1989 the Acapulco death jumpers performed in their own diving theater at the current location of the Silverado Theater . With the Cine 2000 there was also a dome tent for all-round projections from 1978 to 1995. After the railway was dismantled in 2009, the former train station of the Phantasialand jet was used as a Tula temple for children's theater for a few years .

and display information about the image

Kaiserplatz (2011)

Template: Panorama / Maintenance / Para4

Special events

Winter dream

Since 2002, Phantasialand has been opening for a few weeks outside the regular season under the title Winter Dream . The park is decorated for Christmas and winter, and there are special attractions such as toboggan run, reindeer rides, children's snowmobiles, ice rink, curling and shows. The water attractions are subject to special attention because of the risk of frost: River Quest remains closed, while Chiapas - The water slide is open on less cold days.

The Fantasypride has been taking place once a year since 2004 , an event for lesbians , gays and their friends, with which Phantasialand wants to set an example for tolerance. In 2006 the Fantasypride took place for the first time in winter under the name Snowpride . Other special events that took place regularly over several years included the Festival of Lights (1998–2006) and the Asia Nights (2005–2015). On the occasion of the 50th anniversary in 2017, the Celebration Days took place on four Saturdays in July and August, with the park opening longer until midnight and a final fireworks display.

Hotels

Ling Bao

Hotel Ling Bao

The four-star hotel Ling Bao (“holy jewel”, since 2007), opened in 2003 under the name PhantAsia , is considered the largest Chinese building outside of China. Its architecture and furnishings follow the theory of harmony in Feng Shui . As with the construction of the China Town themed area , many individual parts were imported from China, and over 200 local Chinese craftsmen were involved in the construction. In the first year after its opening, the hotel brought about an increase in the number of overnight stays and an increased proportion of foreign guests in Brühl.

Matamba

Hotel Matamba

In 2008, the park's second theme hotel, the Matamba , was opened. The three-star superior hotel, the architecture of which is based on the clay buildings of the West African Dogon culture, closes the Deep in Africa area to the south. The name of the hotel is inspired by the former kingdom of Matamba .

Charles Lindbergh

The third hotel in Phantasialand is currently being built in the new Rookburgh theme world .

criticism

Phantasialand has been exposed to criticism from the population since the 1970s.

View from north-westerly direction (2012): In the area of ​​the lake (in the picture below) the park borders directly on the residential buildings; on the right the planned expansion area

Noise pollution

The main reason for conflicts is the immediate vicinity of the park area to the residential developments in the Badorf and Eckdorf districts of Brühl, which in particular leads to problems with noise emissions . After complaints from residents over the years, some attractions had to be retrofitted with noise protection devices; others were fitted with them when they were built or they were built in buildings. The Wakobato water ride is only operated on weekdays following a resident's successful lawsuit against the original building permit due to the noise pollution.

Park extension

There is also resistance to a large-scale park expansion, which Phantasialand has been trying to achieve since 2003. Among other things, a water park with a hotel as well as a theater and concert hall are to be built. The original plans provided for an additional 30 hectares in areas that consisted of forest and are designated as nature or landscape protection areas. Both environmental organizations and residents, who feared a further increase in noise pollution, opposed these plans from the start, while Phantasialand described the expansion as necessary in order to remain competitive in the long term.

A compromise was negotiated at regional political decision-making level, and at the end of 2012 a change in the regional plan was decided that would allow an expansion of 15 hectares in the Ententeich nature reserve and a further 4 hectares east of the existing site. In return, Phantasialand declared that it would forego further expansion in the future. As a result of the regional plan amendment , the procedure for drawing up a development plan was decided in 2015 . Due to the ongoing conflicting interests on site and since the potential expansion areas are predominantly owned by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which has so far refused to sell, the start of a possible expansion is not yet in sight.

literature

• Ralph Latotzki et al. a .: From the fairytale forest to River Quest, a journey through 35 years of Phantasialand. Special edition of the club magazine park + ride of the Freundeskreis Kirmes und Freizeitparks e. V. on the 35th anniversary of Phantasialand, 2002.

See also

• Timeline for the history of Phantasialand

Web links

Commons : Phantasialand  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Wikivoyage: Phantasialand  - travel guide

• Official website of Phantasialand
• Link catalog about Phantasialand at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} TEA / AECOM 2019 Theme Index and Museum Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report. (PDF) Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), accessed on August 18, 2020 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Planned expansion of the Phantasialand Brühl - final report of the moderation process 2010. (PDF) Working group for the expansion of the amusement park “Phantasialand”, accessed on September 20, 2016 . 
3. ↑ measured with Google Earth polygons
4. ↑ https://www1.wdr.de/stichtag/stichtag-eroeffnung-phantasialand-100.html April 30, 1967 - Phantasialand opened near Brühl
5. ↑ WirTrauern: Obituary from Gottlieb Löffelhardt. Retrieved on April 26, 2018 (birth and death dates can still be found in the website's metadata even after the memorial page has expired). 
6. ↑ WirTrauern: Richard Schmidt's obituary notice. Retrieved June 4, 2020 . 
7. ↑ ^{a b} Schmidt -öffelhardt GmbH (ed.): Phantasialand - the land of unlimited possibilities. Parkmagazin, Brühl 1988.
8. ^ Lothar Theodor Lemper: Fantastic Phantasialand - The most enjoyable company in Brühl. (PDF) Brühler Heimatbund e. V., July 2014, accessed on September 20, 2016 . 
9. ↑ Interview with the Phantasialand founder Gottlieb Löffelhardt in 1988. (YouTube video) Retrieved on September 23, 2016 (recording from the ZDF summer hit parade in Phantasialand on July 21, 1988). 
10. ↑ Phantasialand: gondola lift closes forever! Parkscout.de, accessed on September 23, 2016 . 
11. ↑ Phantasialand Jet in Phantasialand. PHL-Infos.de, accessed on September 23, 2016 . 
12. ↑ Dolls, animals, sensations - Richard Schmidt and his Phantasialand. (YouTube video) Retrieved April 2, 2017 (part 5 of 5). 
13. ↑ The Phantasialand. WDR, archived from the original on July 2, 2007 ; accessed on September 20, 2016 . 
14. ↑ Udo Beissel: Phantasialand open to Jacko Park. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. June 26, 2009, accessed September 20, 2016 . 
15. ↑ Ulla Jürgensonn, Uli Kreikebaum: Obituary: A man with a vision. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. July 8, 2011, accessed September 24, 2016 . 
16. ↑ Phantasiaweb - The Magazine: People of the Week 2001 - Gottlieb Löffelhardt. May 17, 2010, accessed April 25, 2018 . 
17. ↑ ^{a b} Alexandra Ringendahl: The wounds of the fire are slowly healing. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. April 30, 2002, accessed April 24, 2018 . 
18. ↑ Sabine Trenkler: Queues in Phantasialand are shorter than usual. In: General-Anzeiger Bonn. May 21, 2001. Retrieved April 24, 2018 . 
19. ↑ Alexandra Ringendahl: More security and a new attraction. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. April 30, 2002, accessed April 24, 2018 . 
20. ↑ Black Mamba Report (Part 3/14). (YouTube video) Retrieved on September 23, 2016 (recording of an RTL 2 report “Exklusiv - Die Reportage”). 
21. ↑ ^{a b} German hotel classification. Retrieved on September 19, 2016 (hotel search via form). 
22. ↑ Marcel Wolber: Reside like the Emperor of China. In: General-Anzeiger Bonn. July 4, 2003, accessed September 19, 2016 . 
23. ^ Christian Buhl: A real jewel of Asia. In: Phantasialand magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2016 . 
24. ↑ Angelika Mikus: Brühl records tourist boom. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. August 27, 2004, accessed September 19, 2016 . 
25. ^ Lilli Feller: Hotel Matamba - Development & Architecture. In: Phantasialand magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2016 . 
26. ↑ 20 December 2018 by Alex, he Louisin Deutsche Freizeitparks, Freizeitpark News, Top News: Phantasialand announces a large steampunk hotel as part of the new “Rookburgh” theme world. Retrieved on February 25, 2020 (German). 
27. ↑ Phantasialand: “Wakobato” only opens on weekdays. In: Kölnische Rundschau. October 19, 2011, accessed September 24, 2016 . 
28. ↑ Stefan Kaufmann: Phantasialand aims high. In: The world. January 23, 2012, accessed September 24, 2016 . 
29. ↑ Template for the 13th meeting of the regional council on December 14, 2012. (PDF) (No longer available online.) District government Cologne, November 19, 2012, archived from the original on May 6, 2015 ; accessed on September 24, 2016 . 
30. ↑ Regional council decides to change the regional plan - basis laid for expansion of Phantasialand. (PDF) (No longer available online.) District government Cologne, December 14, 2012, archived from the original on May 6, 2015 ; accessed on September 24, 2016 (press release). 
31. ↑ ^{a b} Ulli Tückmantel: Phantasialand is fighting for expansion. In: RP online. March 22, 2014, accessed September 24, 2016 . 
32. ↑ Public minutes of the meeting of the Committee for Planning and Urban Development of the City of Brühl on August 27, 2015. September 16, 2015, accessed on September 24, 2016 (Ratsinformationssystem der Stadt Brühl).