Katalnay gorka Ekateriny II v parke Oranienbaum (Russia)

Russian Mountains were a predecessor to the

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...

in which the term is adopted by several

Romance languages The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language ...

in other parts of Europe. The earliest roller coasters were descended from Russian winter sled rides held on specially constructed hills of ice, sometimes up to tall.''Roller Coasters A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines'' p. 13 (1st published edition). Known from the 17th century, the slides were built to a height of between , had a 50-degree initial slope, and were reinforced by wooden supports. In the 18th century they were especially popular in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

and surroundings, from where their usage and popularity spread to the rest of Europe. Sometimes wheeled carts were used instead of tracks, like in the built in

Catherine II , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

's residence in Oranienbaum. By the late 18th century, their popularity was such that entrepreneurs elsewhere began copying the idea, using wheeled cars built on tracks. The first such wheeled ride was brought to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

in 1804 under the name (French for "Russian Mountains").

Early builders

Among the early companies were , which constructed and operated a gravity track in Paris from 1812, and ("Aerial Promenades", 1817, at , Paris). The first loop track was probably also built in Paris from an English design in 1846, with a single-person wheeled sled running through a diameter

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

. None of these tracks were complete circuits.

In modern times

To this day, a number of Romance languages (e.g.

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: ''montagnes russes'',

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''montagne russe'',

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: ''montanha-russa'',

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''montaña rusa'') use the equivalent of "Russian Mountains" to refer to roller coasters. When the much modern and mechanized roller coasters appeared in Russia in the 19th century, they became locally known as ( ''Amerikanskie gorki''), or "American mountains". For example, , the second largest

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

has an ride.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3LFl80xGY8sC&dq=%22Russian+Mountain%22+roller+coaster&pg=PA82 , title=Night+Day Mexico City - Pedro Romero , isbn=9780977624560 , access-date=2013-07-26, last1=Romero , first1=Pedro , year=2007 Amusement rides Russian inventions