Heide Park

Not to be confused with Hyde Park.
Heide Park Resort


Entrance in 2012
Location Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany
Coordinates 53°01′41″N 9°52′09″E / 53.02806°N 9.86917°E / 53.02806; 9.86917Coordinates: 53°01′41″N 9°52′09″E / 53.02806°N 9.86917°E / 53.02806; 9.86917
Owner Merlin Entertainments
Opened 19 August 1978
Operating season March–November
Area ~ 850,000 m2
Rides
Total 41
Roller coasters 9
Water rides 3
Website www.heide-park.de

The Heide Park Resort(in English Heath Park) is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. With an overall area of over 850,000 m² (210 acres), it is the largest amusement park in Northern Germany and among the largest in the country. It is part of the British-based Merlin Entertainments.

History

The site originally belonged to the wildlife park Heidenhof, which was named after the chapel that was built there in 1350. After the zoo was closed in 1972 (following a devastating storm), the showman Hans-Jürgen Tiemann bought the land and opened a small amusement park in 1978 (with the contractual requirement to maintain Heidenhof Chapel as well as the keeping of native animals). When Heide Park opened on August 19, 1978 it offered only six rides: the Monzapiste, the Heide-Park Express, the Oldtimerrundkurs, the Floßfahrt (tow boat ride), the Wichtelhausenbahn and the Hochbahn. In the first season Heide-Park had just under 200,000 visitors. 1979 saw the first dolphin show, for which they built a large domed roof a year later (after the 2008 season, the Dolphinarium was closed due to protests).

Heide-Park
The location of Heide-Park

The Heide-Dorf (Heide-Village), a richly detailed replica of typical buildings from the Lüneburg heath, was inaugurated in the 1988 season. In 1996/'97 the Dutch section of the park was built with a windmill and canal at the other end of the park.

With the growth of the park, the catchment area grew as well. In the 1990s, up to two million people visited Heide-Park each season with 2.100.000 guests in 2001. The following year the UK-based Tussauds Group bought the park and since then attendance to the park has decreased to 1.5 - 1.6 million visitors per annum. Hans-Jürgen Tiemann still has influence in the park by shares and as an advisory director of the Tussauds Group. In early 2007 the Merlin Entertainments Group bought the majority of the shares of Tussauds Group from Dubai International Capital, which had taken over the shares in 2005.

The most recognizable landmark in the park is a 1/3 scale replica of the Statue of Liberty (35 meters tall), it was inaugurated on July 4, 1986 on the 100th anniversary of the original statue. At the end of 2011 the whole structure was relocated to stand within the roller coaster Colossos. The park's mascot is a bear called Wumbo.

In the 1990s, Hans-Jurgen Tiemann was successful as a driver and sponsor on the touring-car racing circuit, while his son Marcel Tiemann began a career as a professional race car driver.

Music and events

The music played at Heide Park is a combination of commercial tracks, library music and commissioned music. The following composers have had their music played at the park: Graham Smart, Ian Habgood, David Buckley, Crispin Merrell, and John Sanderson.

Halloween in October is a special event.

Heide Park Resort

Mascot Mumbo Wumbo at the Holiday Camps

Hotel Port Royal was opened in 2007 with 150 family rooms and 16 suites. There is also a Holiday Camp that opened in 2005 with 81 wooden houses in Caribbean style with a total of 536 beds.

Park areas

The park is divided into five areas.

  1. Park Entrance that features Lower-Saxony style buildings
  2. Bucht der Piraten (Pirate Land) that is mainly themed around the world of pirates
  3. Transilvania with a medieval-style castle on top of the hill surrounded by a forest
  4. Land der Vergessenen (Land of the Forgotten) which hosts the park's award-winning wooden roller coaster Colossos as well as the Mayan Village that has many flat rides
  5. Wild Wild West was opened in 2008 to celebrate the park's 30th anniversary, it incorporates Lucky Land.

Attractions

Heide Park currently has about 40 rides which are mainly aimed at families but its thrill rides are also very popular. One of the main attractions is Colossos, a wooden roller coaster, which until the opening of Balder, on 12 April 2003 in the Swedish amusement park Liseberg, was the steepest wooden roller coaster in the world. The latest attraction is the wing coaster "Flug der Dämonen"-(German for Flight of the demons). It is Germany's first wing coaster and reaches a maximum of 4G positive during the ride.

Panoramic view of Colossos

Roller coasters

NamePictureTypeOpenedMax.
Height
LengthMax.
Speed
Manufacturer
Big Loop Steel
coaster
198330 m706 m67 km/hVekoma
Colossos Wooden
coaster
200152 m 1344 m120 km/hIntamin
Desert Race Launched
coaster
200719 m 650 m102 km/hIntamin
Flug der
Dämonen
Wing Coaster 2014 40 m 772 m 100 km/h Bolliger & Mabillard
Grottenblitz Powered
coaster
19856 m370 m 45 km/hMack Rides
Indy-Blitz Steel coaster 2008 4,5 m 128 m 23 km/h Zierer
Krake Dive coaster 2011 41m 476 m 103 km/h Bolliger & Mabillard
Limit Vekoma SLC 199933 m689 m80 km/hVekoma
Schweizer
Bobbahn
Bobsled
coaster
1993 27 m 990 m 53 km/h Mack Rides

Water rides

NamePicture TypeOpened inMax. HeightRide lengthProducer
Mountain Rafting River rapids ride 1992 - 600 m Intamin
Wildwasserbahn I Log flume 198012 m600 m Mack Rides
ToPiLauLa-Schlacht Splashbattle 2010-150 m Mack Rides

Other attractions

NameTypeOpened inProducer
BountyPirate Ship 1982 Intamin
Break DanceBreak Dance 1991 HUSS Maschinenfabrik
La OlaWave Swinger 2009 Zierer
El SolEnterprise 1991 Huss
Lady MoonTilted spinning ride 1991 Huss
FloßfahrtTow boat ride 1978 Mack Rides
Heide-Park ExpressCP Huntington train 1978, rebuilt 2004 Chance-Morgan
KanalfahrtSlow boat ride 1991 Mack Rides
Magicfast spinning ride 1991 Huss
MonorailMonorail 1985, renewed 1995 Intamin
OldtimerSteerable oldtimer track 1978 Mack Rides
Panoramaa 75m tall Gyro tower 1985 Intamin
PanoramabahnTrain Ride 1978 Mack Rides
OktiOctopus / polyp 1982 Schwarzkopf
HuracanStandup spinning ride 1983 Heinz Fähtz
Screama 103m tall Drop Tower 2003 Intamin
Aqua Spin Top Spin 1992 Huss
Kaptains Törna leisurely 4 min boat ride 1997 Mack Rides

Krake Alive! - a 7 min horror maze (2012); Heide Park. This indoor horror maze has 7 different scenes in the 300 sq m building with plenty of special effects and live actors as well. Age limit 12 years.

Go Karts - go karts (2004); extra charge

Kiddie Rides

Shows

Scene of the Pirate Show

Five shows are available each day at Heide Park, these are;

Trivia

Gallery

Main gallery: Heide Park at WikiCommons

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heide-Park.
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