Fort Fun Adventure Land

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Fort Fun Adventure Land
Entrance to Fort Fun Adventure Land

Entrance to Fort Fun Adventure Land

place Bestwig waterfall , Hochsauerlandkreis , North Rhine-Westphalia ( Germany )
opening 1972
Visitors 265,000 (2016)
surface approx. 75 hectares
staff around 200 employees
Website www.fortfun.de
Fort Fun Adventure Land (Germany)
Fort Fun Adventure Land
Fort Fun Adventure Land
Location of the park

Coordinates: 51 ° 18 ′ 31 ″  N , 8 ° 26 ′ 15 ″  E

Aerial view of Fort Fun
Entrance area
View from the Stüppelturm to the western town
Station of the Rapid River Rio Grande
Wildwasserbahn Wild River
Wild eagle kite flight
Ferris wheel
The steel roller coaster Speed ​​Snake in the amusement park Fort Fun Adventure Land
First drop on the Devil's Mine roller coaster at Fort Fun Adventure Land
A view from the moving chairlift into the valley
Trapper Slider toboggan run
Slide system
Fireworks over the western town

The Fort Fun is a seasonal amusement park in Bestwig waterfall in North Rhine-Westphalia Hochsauerlandkreis .

There are around 40 attractions and two shows on 75 hectares. The park is largely designed in the Wild West style. A log cabin camp is offered as an overnight option. In winter the park offers the possibility to go skiing. In 2016 it received around 265,000 visitors and, together with the Panorama-Park Sauerland Wildpark and the Elspe Festival, represents an important tourism and economic factor for the Sauerland .

geography

The amusement park is located in the northeast of the Sauerland ; A few kilometers to the north, the Upper Arnsberg Forest extends beyond the Ruhr . The park is about 6 km (as the crow flies ) southeast of Bestwig between its small districts Andreasberg in the north and Wasserfall in the south. It is surrounded by the Gevelinghausen forest and lies east of the Stüppel mountain ( 731.5  m above sea  level ) in the Hormecke valley between 510 and 590 m above sea level.

history

In 1967 Karl Freiherr von Wendt had a drag lift built on a ski slope in Wasserfall. In 1972 two summer toboggan runs were added in the vicinity , at that time the longest of their kind in the world. After building a holiday village with 25 log cabins and the western town of Fort Fun City with the Fort Fun Saloon restaurant (steak house), the Fort Fun Adventure Land theme park developed . From the start, the park was largely based on the Wild West theme. In 1979 a flume and a steam train built in the USA opened. In 1981 the whirlwind rollover coaster was added. Due to falling visitor numbers at the beginning of the 1980s, von Wendt ran into financial problems and had to sell the park and other properties in 1985.

The park was then taken over in 1985 by the entrepreneurs Heinrich Koidl and Helmut Schreiber. In 1986 the new operators opened a Zierer ladybug run and four transportable rides. In the following years, various children's rides and other transportable attractions were set up. In 1992, the 44-meter-high Big Wheel from Nauta-Bussink opened. Because of its location on a 598 meter high mountain, it is advertised as the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe . However, there is still the Ferris wheel in the Traumland amusement park on the Bärenhöhle, which is 816 meters above sea level and is actually the highest Ferris wheel in Europe. In 1994, the Silent Move monorail , which was formerly operated at the Federal Garden Show in Stuttgart , went into operation after the opening was delayed by a year due to the necessary modifications to the route. In 1995 Rio Grande was added, a Rapid River produced by FAB and Bearrides . In the following year, the Vekoma roller skater Devil's Mine , taken over from the bankruptcy assets of the Finnish amusement park Fanfaari, was opened. In order to adapt the roller coaster to the terrain, it first had to be modified by Vekoma and FAB.

At the end of the 2003 season, the two summer toboggan runs were closed. A rail-guided summer toboggan run was opened at the same location in 2005, which it claims to be the largest of its kind in an amusement park.

In 2002 the park was taken over by the French Grévin & Cie group. The One World Holding GmbH & Co. KG acquired on 23 December 2011, the Grevin Germany GmbH , and thus the Fort Fun Adventure Land, but the purchase of fraud and lack of bank guarantees end of January 2012 was declared invalid.

On June 5, 2015 at 2:30 p.m., a fire started on the western showset outside the park, which completely destroyed the showset. The cause of the fire was not found. Work on building a new show set began during the 2015 season.

On April 24, 2017, the park was sold to the Looping Group based in France for 7 million euros .

The park founder Karl Freiherr von Wendt died in 2006 at the age of 68.

Chronicle of the attractions

year action attraction 
1979 opening Wild River
1982 opening Whirlwind
1986 opening La Bostella, ladybird train, spider
1989 opening Magic carpet, pirate, troika
1992 opening Beverly Hills Drive, Big Wheel
closure La Bostella
1994 opening Silent Move
1995 closure Troika
1996 opening Devil's mine , roll over , wave flight
1997 opening Rio Grande
closure Spider
1998 opening monster
1999 opening Old Mac Donald's Farm and Tractor Ride, Tomahawk
closure Flying carpet
2001 opening Crazy Washhouse, Mystery Warehouse
2003 closure Power slide
2004 closure monster
2005 opening Trapper Slider, Wild Eagle
closure Roll over
2006 opening Dark raver
2007 closure Silent Move
2008 opening Capt'n Crazy
2010 opening Fun Express
renaming Whirlwind → Speed ​​Snake / SpeedSnake FREE
2011 opening Blue Dragon
2012 opening Secret Stage Of Horror
closure Mystery warehouse
opening Cowboys Golf College
2013 opening Yukan Raft
closure pirate
closure tomahawk
opening Yukan Bullride
renaming Beverly Hills Drive → Rocky Mountain Rally
renaming Tiroler Platz → Riverside
2014 closure Crazy Washhouse
opening Funny fux construction
2015 opening FoXDome
2016 opening Fort Fun LABS
2018 closure Secret Stage Of Horror
2019 opening Thunderbirds
closure Yukan Raft
2020 renaming Rio Grande → Los Rapidos

Attractions

Themed rides

  • Rocky Mountain Rally - Internal combustion engine rail cars
  • Old McDonalds - rail-guided tractors with electric motors
  • Santa Fé Express - A 914 mm gauge steam train powered by propane gas with a Wild West stunt show
  • FUN-Xpress - transport track that runs between the upper and lower parking areas
  • Secret Stage of Horror - ghost train with integrated video technology

Water rides

Surname Type Manufacturer Construction year
Los Rapidos Rapid River Bear rides 1997
Wild River Flume Mack Rides 1979

roller coaster

Surname Type Manufacturer Inversions Top speed Others
Speed ​​snake Whirlwind Vekoma 2 64 km / h formerly "whirlwind"
Ladybird train Tivoli Large Ornamental 0 36 km / h
Devils Mine Junior Coaster Vekoma 0 40 km / h Entrance area designed as a walk-in store ,
previously: Terror Train in the Finnish Planet FunFun Park

Other attractions

  • Wild Eagle - Sky Glider by Rodlsberger (kite flight simulation on a cable car construction)
  • Dark Raver - Round Up (carousel) with light and sound effects. The soundtrack composed by the German band Rotersand is available in the amusement park
  • Wave flyer - chain carousel
  • Big Wheel - 45 meter high Ferris wheel. One of the highest Ferris wheels in Europe
  • FunnyFuxBau - indoor laser course
  • YuKan Bullride - bull riding on an electric bull
  • Summiteer - climbing tower on the stump, ten meters high, with four different climbing routes
  • Capt'n Crazy - Kontiki XL. This attraction comes from the Panorama Park Sauerland Wildlife Park , where he was under the name Takka Balla Swing in use
  • Trapper Slider - Alpine Coaster (rail-guided summer toboggan run), largest facility of its kind in an amusement park with roundabouts, jumps and falls
  • Blauer Drache - mountain and valley railway
  • Water catapults
  • FoXDome (Interactive Motion Ride)
  • Fort Fun L L.ABS - interactive playing fields with different attractions
  • Thunderbirds- Air Race 8.2 from Zamperla

Accidents

  • In June 2000 there was an accident on the Power Slide summer toboggan run, which no longer exists , in which a seven-year-old boy was seriously injured due to a crack in the pavement. The facility was shut down in 2003, dismantled and replaced in 2005 by the rail-guided summer toboggan run Trapper Slider .
  • On October 7, 2017, a twelve-year-old boy was seriously injured on the Trapper Slider summer toboggan run . Part of the boy's lower leg was severed in the accident. On October 13, 2017, an expert commissioned by the Arnsberg public prosecutor's office to check whether the system was operationally safe came to the preliminary conclusion that no defects could be found in the system.

Events

Every year on five days in October / November the Halloween festival FORT FEAR Horrorland takes place. The park is then open until 10 p.m., there are special horror attractions with more than 60 live frighteners and Halloween shows.

Various theme parties are held in the saloon in the evenings throughout the year. The park also offers several live concerts every year and presents not only well-known bands but also newcomers.

Every year in May, a boy scout weekend takes place at Fort Fun, organized by Eurotransit, with the opportunity to camp on a nearby cow meadow.

Chronology of the attractions

  • 1972: Construction of the super slide, later named Power Slide
  • 1974: Construction of the second super slide
  • 1975: Expansion of the ski operation
  • 1976: Construction of the western town of Fort Fun City with US cavalry fort and Indian camp on the site of the former campsite.
  • 1979: Construction of the whitewater course and the steam train
  • 1981: construction of the whirlwind
  • 1986: Opening of the Adventure Land with a ladybird roller coaster, dream boat, La Bostella circular ride and a ghost train
  • 1987: Construction of the wooden playground and construction of some smaller rides
  • 1989: Inauguration of the Fort Fun Palace (show hall for 600 visitors), new rides flying carpet and pirate . Reconstruction of the 180 degree cinema .
  • 1991: Construction of the Tiroler Platz (catering), new construction of the Power Slide
  • 1992: Construction of Beverly Hills Drive with original American road cruisers that you can accelerate and steer yourself
  • 1993: Construction of the Silent Move monorail
  • 1995: Development and construction of the Rio Grande rafting facility
  • 1996: The roller coaster Devil's Mine is built on the site of the steak house that burned down in 1993 , also new: Roll Over
  • 1999: New are the Old Mc Donald tractor ride, farm theater, Shake (circular ride), Tomahawk and Fort Fun Adventure Camp (Davy Crockett Camp)
  • 2000: New entrance area
  • 2001: Expansion of the western town and construction of the new rides Mystery Warehouse , Crazy Washhouse and Stüppelturm
  • 2002: Expansion of the gastronomy
  • 2003: New western show
  • 2004: Construction of a natural stage and introduction of the Hopi Daga Indian show and establishment of an Indian tipi village.
  • 2005: With 7.5 million euros, the largest investment in the history of Fort Fun with the worldwide unique Skyglider Wild Eagle which lies between two mountains. Construction of the Alpine Coaster Trapper Slider .
  • 2006: Construction of the indoor round-up Dark Raver with light and sound effects.
  • 2007: premiere of the show Tatonka
  • 2009: Premiere of the interactive western film show: Duel in Santa Fé
  • 2010: Opening of the new Fun-Express transport system , re-theming and renaming of the Wirbelwind looping track as Speed ​​Snake . In addition, the Crazy Scarecrow from the Panorama Park Sauerland Wildlife Park was installed in the park and a ten-meter-high climbing tower with four climbing routes of varying degrees of difficulty was built on the stubble.
  • 2011: The old mountain and valley railway has been completely overhauled and is celebrating its comeback as the Blue Dragon in the children's area; there is a new show called Tala Takenya and the Legend of the Sacred Forest .
  • 2012: Conversion and redesign of the Mystery Warehaus to the Secret Stage of Horror , construction of an adventure mini golf course in western style (Cowboy Golf College), which can also be used outside the opening times of the park.
  • 2013: Changing the theme of Beverly Hills Drive to the Rocky Mountain Rally , opening of the Yukan Raft , a Top Spin 2 with water and light effects, its own soundtrack and embedded in a 10 m wide and 8 m high waterfall, and the YuKan Bullride , a bull ride -Investment.
  • 2014: New opening of the FunnyFuxBau on the site of the former Crazy Washhouse , Europe's first 4Cross Laser Race with adjoining playhouse, new show The Quacksalber with Sheriff Fuzzy , who has returned after ten years , further shows: Cowboys and Indians and The Secret of the Silver Mine , also in July and August the novelty Turbo Force on the stick, general overhaul of the SpeedSnake with a new color scheme and improvement of the roadway
  • 2015: Reopening of the interactive Motion Ride FoxDome, which is located in the Sauerland Halle. This is to become the indoor area FoxFort in the coming years . The Rapid River Rio Grande has been renovated. Furthermore, space would be created in the entire park area to integrate animals into the landscape in individual areas. Here, feeding is carried out with Tala Takenya . In addition, there is the summer campaign on the Stüppelberg VELT INS FASS in July and August . This is an Air2Bag jumping cushion into which you can jump from a height of 3 m or 5 m.
  • 2016: Opening of the Fort Fun LABS right next to the FoXDome with various playing fields for younger visitors and a shop. Two new rides were also opened in front of Fort Fun LABS, namely AirOBot , a so-called Time Machine built by SBF Visa , and a drop tower also built by SBF Visa .
  • 2017: New roller coaster train for "Speed ​​Snake" also renamed to SpeedsnakeFree. Sale on April 24th to the French Looping group. Renovation of the Rio Grande station.
  • 2018: Kids Place moves in front of LABS, Secret Stage Of Horror closes
  • 2019: The 2019 season in FORT FUN Adventure Land is all about the thunderbirds, German premiere of an Air Race 8.2 by Zamperla "Thunderbirds". Yukan Raft was closed because repairs were too expensive and therefore not a realistic option.
  • 2020: Renaming and redesign of the Rapid River Rio Grande to Los Rapidos. Redesign of the entrance area and addition of the "Old McDonald`s tractor ride" with new figures.

Accommodation options

Fort Fun Adventure Camp

Fort Fun offers the opportunity to stay overnight in a wooden hut camp with 25 huts right next to the park. An overnight stay is possible from four people and includes entry to the park on every day of your stay, as well as on the days of arrival and departure. There are cabins with six and eight beds. Breakfast or half board is also included in the price, and there is also the option of self-catering in the built-in kitchens. A bathroom with shower and toilet is available in every hut.

Bungalow park at Haus Aurora

House Aurora

The recreation park at Haus Aurora is also located directly at the leisure park. There is the possibility of staying with groups in the bungalows or the main house. Fort Fun visitors are offered a reduced admission price, and a separate entrance to the amusement park has been set up.

Stüppelberg

On the mountain Stüppel ( 731.5  m ), which belongs to the park area, are the Stüppelturm and the Stüppelhütte. Next door, children have the opportunity to use a climbing frame. The climbing tower Gipfelstürmer with a height of 10 meters can be climbed here for a fee of one euro. The stipple can be reached with a chair lift . There is also an additional attraction in the summer months.

Stacked tower

In 2001 the 57-meter-high Stüppelturm ( ) was built on the Stüppel . The observation and cell phone tower was built by Fort Fun together with a large German cell phone network operator. It is one of the highest viewpoints in the Sauerland and, when visibility is clear, offers a view of over 100 km.

The Stüppelhütte on the Stüppel

Stüppelhütte

The Stüppelhütte is also located on the Stüppel. You can privately z. B. can be rented for company parties. When the park is open, ice cream, hot drinks (such as cocoa , white coffee ) and soft drinks are sold at a small kiosk and can be consumed at the tables provided.

Winter world

The Fort-Fun-Winterwelt, which is a member of the Sauerland winter sports arena , is a ski area that is open in the winter months (including on the Stüppel) with two lifts and several slopes for beginners and advanced skiers. Hut disco and ski shop are on site.

Awards

In 2006 the park and the manufacturer Wiegand received the FKF-Award 2005 for the Alpine Coaster Trapper Slider from the Freundeskreis Kirmes und Freizeitparks eV .

In 2011 the park won the "Heartbeat Award" for the show "Tala Takenya & the Legend of the Sacred Forest".

In 2013 Fort Fun Adventure Land received several awards. For his show Tala Takenya - Threat from Deadwood there was the "Worldofparks Award" for "Best Show in a European Amusement Park". The Fort Fear Horror country took third place for "best event in a European theme park." In the category of "day trips" to the park of the international "Zoover Award" with 8.10 points as was recommended highly ( "highly recommended") awarded.

In 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 Fort Fun Adventure Land received the “Worldofparks Award” as “Best Event in a European Amusement Park” for its Fort Fear Horrorland event.

Web links

Commons : Fort Fun Adventure Land  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b Cession du parc Fort Fun en Allemagne. April 26, 2017, accessed April 27, 2017 (French).
  2. Adventure Land Fort Fun has a new owner , from January 3, 2012, on derwesten.de
  3. Fort Fun again in the possession of the Compagnie des Alpes , from January 31, 2012, on derwesten.de
  4. Twelve year old leg is cut off on the summer toboggan run. In: Spiegel Online . October 8, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017 .
  5. Fort Fun: No defects found on the summer toboggan run. In: Spiegel Online . October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017 .
  6. New Turbo Force attraction in the summer of 2014 at Fort Fun , from June 24, 2014, on parkerlebnis.de
  7. Fort Fun Abenteuerland , in: Amusement Park Innovations 2017 in Germany - Part 2: East & West , from December 4, 2016, accessed on December 4, 2016
  8. Fort Fun Adventure Camp (Davy Crockett Camp) , on fortfun-ablebniscamp.de
  9. House Aurora , on hausaurora.de
  10. Trapper Slider ( Memento from July 30, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ), in FKF Award Archive (2005), from fkf-award.de
  11. Heartbeat: Award for Fort Fun , December 5, 2011, on derwesten.de
  12. Worldofparks Award 2013. ( Memento of the original from April 18, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at worldofparks.eu , accessed on April 18, 2018 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.worldofparks.eu
  13. Fort Fun (8) ( Memento of November 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), in 2013 Zoover Awards , on archive.org, October 28, 2013, retrieved on April 18, 2014, from zooverawards.com
  14. Worldofparks Award 2016. ( Memento of the original from April 18, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at worldofparks.eu , accessed on April 18, 2018 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.worldofparks.eu