Some coasters brag with height and speed. Lisebergbanan brags with terrain. Opened on April 18, 1987 at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden, this 1,548-meter steel coaster snakes down a wooded hillside in the middle of one of Europe’s most beloved amusement parks — and it was reportedly the favorite roller coaster of its own designer, the legendary Anton Schwarzkopf.
Nearly four decades on, Lisebergbanan remains the heart of Liseberg: a long, fast, gloriously smooth terrain coaster that regularly appeared in the Golden Ticket Awards’ top-50 steel coaster rankings from 2015 through 2021.
Key Stats
| Height | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
| Length | 1,548 m (5,079 ft) |
| Max g-force | 3 g |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Trains | 5 trains, 22 riders each |
| Riders per hour | 2,000 |
| Designers | Anton Schwarzkopf & Werner Stengel |
| Manufacturer | Zierer |
| Opened | April 18, 1987 |
Schwarzkopf’s Favorite
Lisebergbanan was designed by Anton Schwarzkopf together with engineering icon Werner Stengel, with manufacturing handled by Zierer. Schwarzkopf — the German master behind some of the smoothest, most forceful steel coasters ever built — is said to have considered Lisebergbanan his favorite of all his creations. Given a résumé spanning hundreds of rides, that is quite an endorsement.
The ride’s secret is Liseberg itself. The park climbs a steep hillside in central Gothenburg, and Lisebergbanan uses every meter of that slope, diving along the terrain and threading between trees and other attractions rather than relying on one towering structure.
The Ride Experience
From a station styled after a classic railway terminus, trains climb a chain lift to 45 meters (148 feet) above the lowest point of the ride, then spend over a kilometer and a half hugging the hillside. Sweeping helices, sustained near-ground curves and up to 3 g of positive force define the experience — there are no inversions, just relentless, flowing speed up to 80 km/h. At 5,079 feet, it ranks among Europe’s longer steel coasters; see where the giants stand on our list of the longest roller coasters in the world.
Capacity is a quiet superpower here: five 22-seat trains can cycle 2,000 riders per hour, which is why the queue at this park favorite keeps moving even on packed summer days. That kind of throughput would hold its own on our highest-capacity roller coasters ranking.
Recognition has followed steadily. Lisebergbanan entered the Golden Ticket Awards’ top-50 steel coaster ranking at No. 35 in 2015 and stayed on the list every year through 2021 — remarkable staying power for a ride designed in the mid-1980s. Part of that endurance comes down to the rolling stock: five long trains of eleven two-seat cars apiece, whose single-file rows give every rider an unobstructed view of the hillside rushing past.
FAQ
How long is Lisebergbanan?
Lisebergbanan is 1,548 meters (5,079 feet) long — one of the longer steel coasters in Europe — with a ride that winds down the hillside of Liseberg park in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Who designed Lisebergbanan?
It was designed by Anton Schwarzkopf together with Werner Stengel, with manufacturing by Zierer. Schwarzkopf is said to have regarded it as his favorite roller coaster.
Does Lisebergbanan go upside down?
No. Lisebergbanan has zero inversions. Its thrills come from terrain-hugging drops, fast helices and up to 3 g of force at speeds up to 80 km/h (50 mph).
Photo: Albin Olsson via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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