Valkyria is a steel dive coaster at Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden, built by Bolliger & Mabillard and named for the Valkyries of Norse mythology, the warrior spirits said to carry fallen soldiers to the afterlife. It opened on August 10, 2018, following a 250 million SEK investment tied to a Norse-themed expansion of the park, and replaced the park’s former Kanonen launch coaster on the same plot of land.
The construction was delayed several months past its original spring target after crews ran into complications building the ride’s signature tunnel, pushing the debut from April to August 2018. When it finally opened, Valkyria was billed as Europe’s tallest and longest dive coaster, giving Liseberg a distinct floorless, face-down drop experience unlike anything else in its lineup.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Liseberg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
- Opened: August 10, 2018
- Height: about 154 feet (47 m)
- Top speed: about 65 mph (105 km/h)
- Length: about 2,297 feet (700 m)
- Inversions: 3 (Immelmann, Zero-G Roll, Heartline Roll)
The Ride Experience
Valkyria’s signature moment comes right at the start: riders are held face-down at the top of a roughly 164-foot drop before plunging nearly straight down into a tunnel carved beneath the ride’s structure. From there the train sweeps into a trio of inversions, an Immelmann, a Zero-G Roll, and a Heartline Roll, that keep the floorless trains twisting through Liseberg’s Norse-themed section of the park.
Each train seats 18 riders arranged six across in a single row, a signature layout of B&M’s dive coaster models that gives every rider an unobstructed view during the drop. With three trains running, the ride can move about 1,100 guests per hour.
Design and Legacy
Valkyria was built on the site of Kanonen, a launched coaster that closed at the end of 2016 to clear space for the new attraction. Its construction was part of a larger investment in Norse mythology theming across that area of Liseberg, and the project’s centerpiece tunnel proved complex enough to delay the coaster’s debut by several months.
At its 2018 opening, Valkyria was recognized as the tallest and longest dive coaster in Europe, cementing Liseberg’s reputation for pairing Scandinavian folklore with cutting-edge steel coaster engineering from B&M, the manufacturer behind other dive coasters worldwide.
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Valkyria FAQs
What type of roller coaster is Valkyria?
Valkyria is a steel dive coaster built by Bolliger & Mabillard, featuring floorless trains that hold riders face-down at the top of the first drop before a near-vertical plunge.
How tall is Valkyria’s drop?
Valkyria’s first drop is about 164 feet (50 m), sending riders straight down into a tunnel beneath the ride’s track.
When did Valkyria open at Liseberg?
Valkyria opened on August 10, 2018, after construction delays pushed its debut back from an original spring target.
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Photo: Befi99 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.