Liseberg

Liseberg
Location Gothenburg,  Sweden
Coordinates 57°41′44″N 11°59′24″E / 57.69556°N 11.99000°E / 57.69556; 11.99000Coordinates: 57°41′44″N 11°59′24″E / 57.69556°N 11.99000°E / 57.69556; 11.99000
Owner Göteborgs stad
Operated by Liseberg AB
General Manager Andreas Andersen
Opened 8 May 1923
Operating season April to October (October, November and December for Halloween and Christmas season)
Visitors per annum 3,100,000 (2014) [1]
Area 170,000 square metres (42 acres)
Rides
Total 37
Roller coasters 6
Water rides 2
Website Liseberg.com
Liseberg dressed for Christmas market

Liseberg is an amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden, that opened in 1923. It is one of the most visited amusement parks in Scandinavia, attracting about three million visitors annually. Among the noteworthy attractions is the wooden roller coaster Balder, twice (2003 and 2005) voted as the Best Wooden Tracked Roller Coaster in the world in a major international poll.[2] The park itself has also been chosen as one of the top ten amusement parks in the world (2005) by Forbes magazine.[3]

Additional to the summer season, the park is also open during November and December, albeit with fewer rides operating, hosting a Halloween season with various house of horros and a Christmas market with traditional Swedish cuisine such as mulled wine and specialties such as döner kebab made from reindeer meat.

The official colors of Liseberg are pink and green as can be seen on the entrance and the older houses in the park, the colors were also adopted for the logo, which was introduced in the 1980s, but changed in 2013 to the current logo.

History

In 1752, the landowner Johan Anders Lamberg named his property Lisas berg ("Lisa's Mountain") after his wife Elisabeth Söderberg. The area eventually became known as Liseberg.

In 1908, Gothenburg City bought the property including the on-site buildings for 225,000 Swedish kronor.

In 1923, Gothenburg celebrated its 300-year anniversary with the Gothenburg Exhibition (1923), which included a Leisure Park and the Congress Park; the area was opened on 8 May and included fun slides and the 980 ft long wooden Kanneworffska Funicular, designed by the Danish amusement builder Waldemar Lebech (originally there were 5 trains with 3 cars each that accommodated 10 people in each car, the ride lasted 2 and half minute; the ride was demolished in 1987 after having served over 41 million visitors). The fun park was originally intended as a temporary attraction for the Exhibition, but it became such a success with over 800,000 visitors in just over a month, that it was kept open. With an area of 1,500,000 m² the park had cost 2.6 million kronors to build.

On 24 November 1924, the Gothenburg City Council decided to purchase the Liseberg amusement park for 1 million kronors. In 1925, the amusement park was taken over by the municipal company Liseberg AB. The park's first director and one of its initiators was the legendary "carpenter from Skåne" Herman Lindholm, who managed it 1923–42.

On 13 August 1935, the functional-inspired Liseberg Bath was inaugurated, created by engineer KI Schön Anderson. The pool was 15 meters wide and 36 meters long and sported underwater Lights and artificial waves. The Pool was able to receive 800 people at a time, entrance fee with a cabin was 50 cents. The Swedish Olympic hopeful champion from 1920, Arvid Wallman, inaugurated the facilities. The pool was closed in 1956 and the building was demolished in 1962 for the forthcoming 40th anniversary in 1963.

Liseberg Atmosfear

Rotundan was one of the largest dancehalls when it opened on 10 January 1940. Its architect was Axel Jonson, and the construction lasted for one year at a cost of approximately 500,000 SEK. The dance floor held 1,200 persons and on the second floor a bar with the name Uggleklubben was opened. In 1956, the facility was renovated and its name changed to the Rondo. The architect Gunnar Aspe was behind the work, which cost 1 million dollars.

In 1947, Liseberg AB opened hotel facilities; Hotell Liseberg Heden. Right from the start one of the objectives of Liseberg was that it would be an opportunity for Gothenburg dwellers to experience recreation and enjoy the beautiful scenery, and in 1959 it opened the Princess Birgitta, a flower exhibition. During the opening ceremony, 15,000 roses were strewn over the park by helicopter. In 1977, Honor Place was founded, a collection of many of the world's largest celebrity hand impressions. At the time, there were 50 imprints; today, there are more than can fit the area, so an annual selection is made as to who should get the honor to appear.

In 1991, the Liseberg Guest AB was formed to oversee the running of Gothenburg campsites and harbor. In the 1990s the park was expanded by 35 000 square meters and a host of new attractions was inaugurated. In 2015 Lisebergs different companies consolidated into one: Liseberg AB.

The park

In addition to the park's more than 30 different rides, Liseberg has many venues (stages, dance hall, restaurants and arcade halls). The park has two entrances / exits (one at Örgrytevagen, the other at Getebergsled). Much of the park is forested.

In 1983, the green-pink bunny, Liseberg Rabbit, became the park's symbol and mascot.

In 1998, That year's Sveriges Television's Christmas calendar När karusellerna sover was filmed there.

The park is noted for its Lisebergs Lustgarten (botanical garden) that is beautifully landscaped and has many waterfalls, artworks and a variety of plants.

Liseberg Main Stage (Stora Scenen) was built in 1923 and was originally designed as a big music pavilion for the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and other large-scale concerts (over the years the design of the venue has been modified). Many famous bands such as Abba and the Rolling Stones have performed here. Right next to the Stora Scenen is the smaller Kvarnteatern which plays host to various smaller events, in particular children's theater.

Polka (Polketten) is the dance hall that was built in 1925 but has since been moved to its current location. The Taube Scene was inaugurated in 2008 and is named after Evert Taube; this venue is used for different types of music such as jazz, and the Liseberg Orchestra plays here as well.

Adjacent to Liseberg Park are more venues: Lisebergshallen is an entertainment and sports arena, home to the local floorball team and team handball team. Rondo is the name of a show venue and Liseberg Theater is a local theater.

Multifarious Swedish performers have performed at Liseberg since its opening. Among them, Zarah Leander, Maurice Chevalier, Marlene Dietrich, Evert Taube, ABBA, Lasse Dahlquist, Birgit Nilsson, Pernilla Wahlgren and Carola Häggkvist. Sten-Åke Cederhök played in 25 years' own perceptions of the “Week Revy”. Other artists like Sonya Heden Bratt, Hagge Geigert and Laila Westersund have appeared countless times at Liseberg. Olof Palme gave a speech on the main stage during his last election in 1985.

International acts who have performed at Liseberg include Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard, Nightwish, Delta Rhythm Boys, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cat Stevens, The Beach Boys, The Kinks, The Who, PJ Proby, Frank Zappa with The Mothers of Invention, Bill Haley & His Comets, Procol Harum, and Toto, among others.

Since 2004 a sing-along show called Lotta på Liseberg (Lotta at Liseberg), hosted by Lotta Engberg, is held every summer at Stora scenen in Liseberg, which airs over TV4 since 2009.

Rides and attractions

Helix in 2014.
FlumeRide in 2010.
Kållerado in 2004.
Balder roller coaster in 2006.
Kanonen in June 2012.

Roller coasters

Ride Year opened Manufacturer Description
Balder 2003 Intamin A wooden sit down coaster that reaches a speed of 90 km/h (55.9 mph) on a 1070 m long track (3510 ft) and a height of 36 m (118 ft). Twice nominated Best Wooden Tracked Roller Coaster.
Helix 2014 Mack Rides Steel roller coaster featuring two launches, seven inversions and numerous airtime spots. (Second longest roller coaster with inversions in the world.)
Lisebergbanan 1987 Anton Schwarzkopf A steel train-themed coaster that reaches a speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) on a 1548 m long track (5079 ft) and a height of 45 m (148 ft).
Rabalder 2009 Zierer A children's steel sit down coaster that reaches a speed of 39 km/h (24 mph) on a 222 m long track (728 ft) and a height of 9 m (29 ft).
Stampbanan 2013 Preston & Barbieri A small and short steel sit down coaster aimed at young children and first time riders.
Valkyria 2018 Bolliger & Mabillard A Dive Coaster that will reach speeds of 104.9 km/h (65.2 mph) on a 700.0 m (2,296.6 ft) long track and at a height of 47.0 m (154.2 ft).

Water rides

Other rides

Children's rides

Other attractions

Former rides

Visitors

See also

References

  1. ↑ Abrahamsson, Anders (11 October 2015). "Ännu ett nytt rekordår för Liseberg" [Yet another record year for Liseberg]. Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 September 2016. Under året som helhet besöktes parken under 2014 av 3,1 miljoner gäster.
  2. ↑ Wood Roller Coaster Poll Results 2005
  3. ↑ Forbes.com
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