Fluch von Novgorod (“Curse of Novgorod”) opened at Hansa-Park in Sierksdorf, Germany, on April 9, 2009, as a custom Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter built around a launched, dark-ride opening sequence. Riders depart the station through an indoor show scene before an LSM launch system rockets the train from a standstill to about 62 mph in just 1.4 seconds, bursting outside into a banked turn and top-hat.
The outdoor circuit continues through a large overbanked turn, a pretzel-turn, and a heartline roll before the train slows on a brake run and re-enters the show building. From there it climbs a 90-degree vertical lift hill in total darkness and crests into the ride’s signature moment: a 97-degree, beyond-vertical drop billed as the steepest dark-ride descent in the world. The park later renamed the attraction Flucht von Novgorod (“Escape of Novgorod”) to fit an updated storyline, though the ride itself, and its record-setting drop, remained unchanged.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Hansa-Park, Sierksdorf, Germany
- Manufacturer: Gerstlauer
- Model: Euro-Fighter (launched)
- Opened: April 9, 2009
- Height: 131 ft (40 m)
- Top speed: 62 mph (100 km/h)
- Length: 2,296 ft (700 m)
- Inversions: 1 (heartline roll)
The Ride Experience
Trains leave the station into an enclosed scene before the LSM launch accelerates riders to top speed almost instantly, carrying the train straight into a hard banked turn and a top-hat for a burst of airtime. The layout then swings through an overbanked turn, a pretzel-turn, and a heartline roll in the open air above the park before braking and heading back indoors.
Once back inside the show building, the train climbs a 90-degree vertical lift hill through more special effects before cresting into the 97-degree first drop, a near-vertical plunge through darkness that is steeper than straight down. At around 4.3 g, the drop delivers one of the more intense force spikes found on a Euro-Fighter, a model line known for compact layouts and steep first drops, before a final banked turn and brake run return the train to the station.
Engineering and Theming
Gerstlauer built the ride’s trains to work with both a launch system and a conventional chain-style vertical lift, letting designers place the launch at the start of the circuit and save the ride’s steepest drop for a separate, fully enclosed climb later in the layout.
The coaster’s narrative follows a mystery tied to the medieval trading city of Novgorod, reflected in the sets, lighting, and audio riders pass through both before the launch and again during the dark lift hill and drop.
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Fluch von Novgorod FAQs
Is Fluch von Novgorod still called that today?
No. Hansa-Park renamed the ride Flucht von Novgorod (“Escape of Novgorod”) for the 2021 season to match a revised storyline, though the physical coaster and its stats are unchanged.
What makes the drop on Fluch von Novgorod unusual?
After the launch and outdoor circuit, the train climbs a 90-degree vertical lift hill inside the show building and then falls at 97 degrees, past vertical, entirely in the dark, making it one of the steepest coaster descents in the world.
Who manufactured Fluch von Novgorod?
Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, a German manufacturer, built the coaster as a custom launched Euro-Fighter that opened in April 2009.
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Photo: Nils Burmeister. The original uploader was Bright86 at German Wikipedia. on 26 December 2009 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.