Europa-park stories

Europa-Park is a leading European theme park based in Rust, Germany. It first opened in 1975, following Franz and Roland Mack's idea to develop a family theme park that could act as a showroom for potential clients of the family's rides manufactured in Waldkirch, Germany. The park is, therefore, predominantly home to a high proportion of attractions manufactured by MACK Rides and is owned by the Mack Family. The site selected for the park is home to centuries-old castle gardens, close to a traditional fishing village which proved supportive of the newly introduced tourism to the area. 250,000 visitors visited Europa-Park in the first year alone, with the one million season mark being attained three years later. The first themed area, Italy, opened in 1982 in collaboration with designer and architect Ulrich Damrau. In the next decade, other countries, including Holland, England, France, and Scandinavia, followed. By 1991, two million guests visited each year. In 1995, Europa-Park added its first on-site hotel, El Andaluz, which had an 87% occupancy rate in its debut year. Castillo Alcazar followed in 1999. In 2009 Europa-Park utilised a 15-hectare expansion to install blue fire Megacoaster. Roland Mack was previously appointed IAAPA president in 2011. Michael Mack has been CEO of Europa-Park in Germany since 2006. He is part of the eighth generation of the Mack family to make a living in the amusement industry. In 2018, the park experienced an unprecedented fire that severely damaged the Scandinavia and Holland areas. A major dark ride, Pirates in Bavaria, has since been rebuilt and renovated with new animatronics and a soundtrack. In 2019, Europa-Park’s second gate, Rulantica, opened to the public. It features 25 water attractions, including 17 slides, on a 32,600-square-metre venue.