Linnanmäki ( sv, Borgbacken, colloquially ''Lintsi'', ) is an amusement park in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It was opened on 27 May 1950 and is owned by the non-profit Children's Day Foundation (, ), which operates the park in order to raise funds for Finnish

child welfare Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to ...

work. In 2019, the foundation donated , and so far has donated a total of over to this cause. Linnanmäki is the oldest and most popular amusement park in Finland.Linnanmäen huvipuisto on Suomen suosituin matkailukohde
- Sightseeinghelsinki.com (in Finnish) It has many

rides Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

of different types and sizes, and of the all Nordic amusement parks, Linnanmäki has the most rides in relation to the number of visitors. It also has other attractions, including arcades, games, kiosks, restaurants and an outdoor stage on which different performers appear in the summer. The park is open from spring to autumn and is visited by over a million guests annually. In August 2006, Linnanmäki received its fifty-millionth visitor.

History

In 1950, six Finnish

organisations leased an area from the city of Helsinki for an initial period of three years in the middle of a recreational area consisting of two parks, where they set up an amusement park. The city extended the lease in 1953 and leased for the amusement park. In accordance with the city plan approved in 1956, the amusement park area was expanded to more than . In 1957, the welfare organisations established the non-profit Children's Day Foundation, which continues to maintain and develop the amusement park. Today, the site covers . Linnanmäki is built on a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

and derives its name from ''Vesilinnanmäki'' (), the name locals gave to the hilly area in the early 20th century since it had two

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

s, built in 1876 and 1938, respectively. The water towers are no longer in operation and were disconnected from the grid in 2003. However, the towers are protected by the

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

plan of the city and cannot be demolished. In the future, it is hoped that the towers will be used year-round to support amusement park activities. The older, angular tower near the perimeter of the amusement park—the oldest water tower in Helsinki—currently houses the park's maintenance and storage facilities, while the newer, cylindrical tower dominating the park and its wider surroundings houses an indoor roller coaster called Linnunrata eXtra. Since its opening in 1950, two people have died in amusement ride accidents at Linnanmäki, both caused by negligence on the part of the rider. In 1953, an employee, a roller coaster

brakeman A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The earliest known use of the term to describe this occupation occurred in 1833. The advent of through brakes, ...

who was sitting in the front row after his shift on the last ride of the evening did not attach the safety bar, fell off and was hit by the train. In 1985, a guest, a boy, also sitting in the front row, had managed to open the safety bar and stood up to wave to his friends. The boy then fell in front of the train, which ran over him.

The park

Linnanmäki is located in the Alppila sub-district of

Alppiharju Alppiharju ( sv, Åshöjden) is a district of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the eastern part of the Central major district of Helsinki, Finland. It consists of sub-districts Alppila and Harju, and is bordered by Kallio in the south, Taka- ...

, north of the city centre of

, the Finnish capital. The hill where the park is located has a nice view of the city. The park has no discernible theming and feels relatively compact and densely packed; the rides and attractions are in close proximity to one another. In addition to the amusement rides and attractions the park also contains the Peacock, a historical theatre built in 1957 and known for its musical productions. In addition to the park itself, guests can also visit the Sea Life aquarium, the only Sea Life centre in the Nordic countries, opened in 2002. The park is open from April to October, while the theatre and aquarium are operational throughout the year. The park also featured ''Linnanmäen museo'' from 1996 to 2005, a museum facility which located next to the park's main entrance and housed several exhibitions every year. The park is easily reached from the city centre by tram lines 3, 8, 9, and bus line 23.

Rides and attractions

Linnanmäki currently has 43 rides, along with many other non-ride based attractions. The most notable ride in the park is Vuoristorata, a

wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also ...

, opened in 1951. It is the most recognisable symbol of the park, and was one of the first permanent rides to be built at the park. Technically the oldest ride at Linnanmäki is Karuselli (a carousel), which was built in Germany in 1896 and has been at Linnanmäki since 1954. Linnanmäki has eight roller coasters. Other major rides include three tower rides, a

ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsule ...

, a

river rapids ride A river rapids ride (or river rafting ride) is an amusement ride that simulates whitewater rafting. History The river rapids ride concept was proposed by Bill Crandall (general manager of AstroWorld in Houston) and developed by Intamin. AstroW ...

and spinning rides. The park also has a selection of family and

kiddie ride A kiddie ride - or kids' ride - is a coin-operated amusement ride for young children. Kiddie rides are commonly available in amusement parks, arcades, malls, hotel game rooms, outside supermarkets and discount department stores. Less commonly ...

s. Admission to the park is free, and most of the rides can only be ridden with the possession of a ride ticket, or the more popular wristband, which allows the wearer unlimited access to all of the park's rides for the entire day. , the wristband costs the same for each customer, regardless of height.Linnanmäki prices
, 2013. Linnanmäki also hosts various events and

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

s every year, such as the popular ''iik!week Horror Festival'' and traditional ''Carnival of Light'' (''Valokarnevaali''), which are both held in the autumn.

Mermaid hall

Helsingin olympialaiset 1952 - N210080 - hkm

Vedenneitohalli (English: ''Mermaid hall'') was one of Linnanmäki's most popular attractions in 1951–1980. Young female mermaid performers, dressed in swimsuits, would lie down on a platform above a pool behind a net. For a fee, visitors tried to hit a release button on a pole at the front of the net with a ball. When the ball hit the target, a lock at the top of the platform would open and the mermaid performer would fall into the water. In the 1970s, men were also being dropped after a women's organisation drew attention to the issue in the name of

equality Equality may refer to: Society * Political equality, in which all members of a society are of equal standing ** Consociationalism, in which an ethnically, religiously, or linguistically divided state functions by cooperation of each group's elit ...

. Naisasialiitto Unioni, a Finnish women's organisation, considered the hall to be a demeaning place for women and in 1978 sent a letter to Linnanmäki's management. As a result, the hall was closed in 1980.

Current rides

Roller coasters

Major rides

Family rides

Kiddie rides

Attractions

Rides under construction

Removed rides and attractions

Gallery of images

File:Vonkaputous Hurjakuru (Linnanmäki Helsinki).jpg, Hurjakuru File:Kieputin on Linnanmäki amusement park Helsinki Finland.JPG, Kieputin File:linnanrollerc.JPG, A view from the Panoraama observation tower File:Suihkulähde Linnanmäki Helsinki.JPG, Water fountain File:Maisemajuna Linnanmäki Helsinki.JPG, Maisemajuna File:Vonkaputous Linnanmäki Helsinki.JPG,

Vonkaputous Vonkaputous was a water roller coaster located at Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Finland. Ride experience In Vonkaputous, visitors rode in a roller coaster car appearing as a boat, seating 10 passengers in 5 rows. After leaving the station, the car ...

File:Linnanmäki2.JPG, Rolle the Clown, mascot of Linnanmäki File:Linnunrata Linnanmäki Helsinki.JPG, Linnunrata and the water tower

References

External links

*
20th Spinning Coaster set for Linnanmäki in 2008

Photographs and video from Linnanmäki's major rides
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linnanmaki 1950 establishments in Finland Amusement parks in Finland Parks in Helsinki Amusement parks opened in 1950