Phantasialand is a theme park in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that opened on April 30, 1967, founded by dollmaker Richard Schmidt and businessman Gottlieb Löffelhardt. What began as a puppet theater with a handful of boat rides has grown into one of Europe’s most densely themed parks, packed onto roughly 28 hectares (69 acres) of land.
The park is organized into distinct themed worlds, including Klugheim, Mystery, Berlin, Mexico, China Town, and the aviation-inspired Rookburgh, each built with elaborate, immersive detail rather than open midways. Phantasialand draws around 2 million visitors annually and has become known for pushing coaster technology forward, most notably with Taron, an Intamin launch coaster whose track weaves through its themed village 58 times, a world record for the design.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
- Opened: April 30, 1967
- Park Area: About 28 hectares (69 acres)
- Themed Lands: 6, including Klugheim, Mystery, Berlin, Mexico, China Town, Rookburgh
- Annual Visitors: About 2 million
- Signature Coaster: Taron (Intamin, opened 2016)
- On-Site Hotels: 3 themed hotels: Hotel Charles Lindbergh, Hotel Matamba, Hotel Ling Bao
The Ride Experience
Phantasialand’s headline attraction is Taron, an Intamin multi-launch steel coaster that opened in June 2016 in the Klugheim area. It reaches a top speed of about 117 km/h (73 mph) over roughly 1,320 meters (4,331 feet) of track, with a maximum height of about 30 meters, and was built as the world’s fastest and longest multi-launch coaster at the time of its debut. Other notable rides include Black Mamba, a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster from 2006, and F.L.Y., a Vekoma coaster from 2020 billed as the world’s first launched flying roller coaster.
Unlike parks built around wide-open sightlines, Phantasialand’s rides are woven tightly into themed architecture and landscaping, so coasters like Taron and Raik, a Vekoma family boomerang model, wind through buildings and terrain rather than standing apart from them.
History and Growth
The park has expanded steadily from its 1967 origins into a resort-style destination with three themed on-site hotels: Hotel Ling Bao, Hotel Matamba, and the steampunk-themed Hotel Charles Lindbergh in Rookburgh, which opened in 2020. Its history has not been without setback: a cable fire on May 1, 2001, destroyed two roller coasters, a theater, and parts of the park’s Western-themed area, injuring 54 people, though the park rebuilt and continued expanding its themed lands in the years that followed.
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Phantasialand FAQs
Where is Phantasialand located?
Phantasialand is located in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, roughly between Cologne and Bonn.
What is Phantasialand’s most famous ride?
Taron, an Intamin multi-launch coaster that opened in 2016, is the park’s signature attraction, known for reaching about 117 km/h and threading through the Klugheim themed area a record 58 times.
How many hotels does Phantasialand have?
Phantasialand operates three themed on-site hotels: Hotel Charles Lindbergh, Hotel Matamba, and Hotel Ling Bao, each offering direct access to the park.
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Photo: Phantasialand Schmidt-Löffelhardt GmbH & Co. KG / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.