The Freizeitpark Plohn (also known as Plohni; formerly Märchen- und Erlebnispark Forellenhof Plohn) is a seasonal

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

Lengenfeld Lengenfeld is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in the Free State of Saxony in eastern Germany. The town is situated 19 km southwest of Zwickau, and 18 km northeast of Plauen. History During World War II, Germany operated a Forc ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It has about 350,000 visitors a year and 79 attractions.

History

Arnfried Völkel, who became

unemployed Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (hu ...

after the

Peaceful Revolution The Peaceful Revolution () – also, in German called ' (, "the turning point") – was one of the peaceful revolutions of 1989 at the peak of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s. A process of sociopolitical change that led to, am ...

, built a

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

farm in Plohn (Lengenfeld municipality) in 1991. On the basis of this

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

, he opened a small fairy tale forest with twelve

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

s by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...

in 1996. In the course of the following years the park continued to develop. The park's largest investments so far in 2009 were for the El Toro

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 be ...

, the large

water ride Water rides are amusement rides that are set over water. For instance, a log flume travels through a channel of water to move along its course. Notable types * AquaLoop * Bumper boats * Fishpipe * FlowRider * Lazy river * Log flume * Old Mill ...

''Wild Water Ride'' that has been in the park since 1999 and the

Mack Rides Mack Rides GmbH & Co KG, also known simply as Mack Rides, is a German company that designs and constructs amusement rides, based in Waldkirch, Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Ge ...

BigDipper coaster called ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

'' in 2019. The park had its first

roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

as early as 2000, the ''

Silver Mine Silver mining is the extraction of silver by mining. Silver is a precious metal and holds high economic value. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires the use of complex technologies. In ...

'' from the

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or Production (economics), production of goods with the help of equipment, Work (human activity), labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary se ...

Zierer Zierer Karussell- und Spezialmaschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG (Short name: Zierer ) is a German company located close to Deggendorf. Zierer manufactures ESC and Force line of roller coasters, as well as panoramic wheels, wave swingers, flying car ...

. However, this was not a brand new ride at the time of purchase; it was a model from 1975 that had previously been in various other parks. In 2005 the park celebrated its tenth season and opened two attractions, Germany's largest tree house and a looping ride. In 2006, the roller coaster ''Raupe'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: ''

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

''), a roller coaster for children, was added. A completely new themed area was opened in

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...

-like style with a

drop tower A drop tower is a type of amusement park ride incorporating a central tower structure with one or more gondolas attached. In a typical modern configuration, each gondola carrying riders is lifted to the top of the tower and then released t ...

at the beginning of 2007, the ''Dinoland'' (derived from the

Dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...

s). This was expanded for the 2008 season to include ''Flintstone's Gunboats''. These are themed

pedalo A pedalo (British English), pedal boat (U.S. English), or paddle boat (U.S., Canadian, and Australian English) is a human-powered watercraft propelled by the action of bicycle pedal, pedals turning a paddle wheel. Description A pedalo is ...

s. Also new in 2008 were the

ghost train In ghostlore, a ghost train is a phantom vehicle in the form of a locomotive or train. The ghost train differs from other traditional forms of haunting in that rather than being a static location where ghosts are claimed to be present, "the app ...

''Scary Scooter'' (closed), which is now supposed to scare visitors in the beginning of the water ride, and the ''Ghost Mill''. In 2009 the wooden roller coaster ''El Toro'' was opened. A new themed area, the ''Plohni Village'', was opened at the start of the season on April 21, 2011. As a new attraction there is the family roller coaster ''Plohseidon'' from Zierer, a nostalgia-

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

, which was previously in

Heide Park Heide Park Resort, commonly known as Heide 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. ...

and ''Plohni's Diving Excursion'' since

Whitsun Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian holy day of Pentecost. It falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and commemorates the descent of the H ...

2012. Since 2013 there has been a completely new theme area: ''The village of the Gauls'' (). The main attraction is the raft water slide called ''Curse of Teutates'' (), manufactured by ABC Rides. The tavern house has been back on the complex since 2014, and work is being carried out on sanitary and

catering Catering is the business of providing food services at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio. History of catering The earliest account of major service ...

facilities in the style of a

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

village. In 2015, the new

indoor roller coaster An indoor roller coaster or enclosed roller coaster is a roller coaster built inside a structure. The structure may be unrelated to the ride, or it may be intended solely or primarily for the ride. Many indoor coasters are custom made and place ...

''Miniwah & The Secret of Gold Creek City'', manufactured by Mack Rides with a multimedia show opened in the former

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

. In 2016 the park opened a new main entrance in the style of the ''Village of the Gauls''. The construction of a bungalow resort with up to 600 beds is planned for the future. Furthermore, the vaulted cellar in the ''Old Brewery'' is to be expanded.

Attractions

The attractions of the Freizeitpark Plohn are divided into the following theme areas: ''Plohni's Village'', ''Village of the Gauls'', ''Wild West City'', ''Enchanted Forest'', ''Dinoland'', ''Nature Park'', ''Oldtimerpark'', an area for the action attractions and a catering area.

Roller coasters

Water rides

Other attractions

* Nostalgia-carousel * Plohni's Diving Excursion * Holzmichel-Villa * Pony-Adventure * Old-Timer Trip * Crazy House *

Fairy Tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

Forest * Children's Swingboat *

Gnome A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

Train in the Land of the Dwarfs * Climbing Mountain *

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

* ''Wild sow'' slide *

Ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

mill * Freefall Tower () * Flintstone's Journey * Red-Baron Carousel * Fairytale Carousel *

Bull Riding Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to bucking, buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." ...

Trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame often using many coiled spring (device), springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes. The fabric that use ...

Area *

Tree house A tree house, tree fort or treeshed, is a platform or building constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, a ha ...

(the largest of Germany) * Magic fountains *

Tipi A tipi or tepee ( ) is a conical lodge tent that is distinguished from other conical tents by the smoke flaps at the top of the structure, and historically made of animal hides or pelts or, in more recent generations, of canvas stretched on ...

with

Slide Slide or Slides may refer to: Places * Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998 * ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018 *''Slide'', by Patrick Glee ...

Former attractions

* Sling-Shot (2003) * Dragon Loop (removed 2010) * Dragon Swing (removed 2016) * Silver Mine (replaced by Dynamite 2017)

Shows

In the early years various

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

es made guest appearances in the park. Furthermore, there was a large western arena in the Freizeitpark Plohn until 2013, which could accommodate up to 700 visitors. At the end of the 2012 season, the shows listed there were canceled. The reasons for this include the immense increase in GEMA

fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contrad ...

s from 2013. From the end of 2013 to the beginning of 2015, the hall for the indoor roller coaster ''Miniwah & The Secret of Gold Greek City'' was largely gutted and redesigned. Currently, there is also a mapping show about the history of ''Gold Greek City'' every hour. This indoor area with a powered coaster from Mack Rides received the FKF award from the ''Freundeskreis Kirmes und Freizeitparks'' in 2016. Since the closure of the Western Arena as the central location for shows, various artists and have appeared in the park at changing intervals, including the

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Marionette Theater with the tent show ''Plohnis Marionettencircus'' next to the ''Plohseidon'' roller coaster in 2014. *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Freizeitpark Plohn Operating amusement attractions Amusement parks in Germany Amusement parks opened in 1996 Economy of Saxony