Kolmården Wildlife Park sits on the shores of Bråviken bay near Norrköping, Sweden, blending Scandinavia’s largest zoo with a genuine amusement park lineup. Since opening on 27 May 1965, the park has grown from an animal park into a full day-out destination, spreading across roughly 150 hectares (370 acres) of forested coastline.
What sets Kolmården apart from a typical zoo is Wildfire, a wooden roller coaster built by Rocky Mountain Construction that opened in June 2016. Standing about 56 meters (184 feet) tall and reaching 115 km/h (71 mph), it ranks among the tallest wooden coasters in the world and is the fastest wooden coaster in Europe, giving the park a legitimate thrill-ride identity alongside its animal exhibits.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Kolmården, near Norrköping, Sweden
- Operator: Parks & Resorts Scandinavia AB
- Opened: May 27, 1965
- Size: About 150 hectares (370 acres)
- Annual Visitors: Around 700,000
- Signature Attraction: Wildfire (wooden roller coaster)
The Ride Experience
Wildfire is the headline attraction, built on Rocky Mountain Construction’s Topper Track system with a layout stretching about 1,265 meters (4,150 feet) and featuring three inversions across a roughly two-minute ride. The coaster briefly closed in late 2016 over a local permitting dispute tied to noise near the surrounding nature reserve before reopening in mid-2017 with zoning approval secured.
Beyond Wildfire, Kolmården’s Marine World area adds the family-friendly Dolphin Express coaster, and the park mixes flat rides and water attractions in with its zoo pathways, giving visitors a rare combination of safari exhibits and coaster credits in a single admission.
Beyond the Rides
Kolmården is best known as an animal park: it opened Scandinavia’s first dolphinarium in 1969 and, in 2011, debuted the world’s first cable car safari, letting visitors glide above open enclosures housing lions, bears, and other wildlife instead of driving through in a car. The park houses species found nowhere else in Sweden, including gorillas and bottlenose dolphins.
That dual identity as zoo and amusement park is central to Kolmården’s appeal, drawing roughly 700,000 visitors a year who come as much for the animal encounters as for the record-setting wooden coaster.
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Kolmården Wildlife Park FAQs
What is the main roller coaster at Kolmården?
Wildfire, a wooden roller coaster built by Rocky Mountain Construction that opened in 2016. It stands about 56 meters (184 feet) tall and reaches 115 km/h (71 mph), making it one of the tallest wooden coasters in the world and the fastest in Europe.
Is Kolmården a zoo or a theme park?
Both. Kolmården opened in 1965 as Scandinavia’s largest zoo and later added amusement rides, including the Wildfire coaster and a cable car safari, making it a combined wildlife park and theme park.
How large is Kolmården Wildlife Park?
The park covers about 150 hectares (370 acres) of forested land on Bråviken bay near Norrköping, Sweden.
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Photo: Zoostar / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.