Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

s and

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

s, located in

Münsterhausen Münsterhausen is a municipality in the district of Günzburg in Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the lar ...

, Germany.

History

In 1982, Hubert Gerstlauer, a former employee of the

Anton Schwarzkopf Anton Schwarzkopf (8 July 1924 – 30 July 2001) was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs ...

-owned Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH company founded his own company, named Gerstlauer Elektro GmbH. With this new Gerstlauer-named company, he delivered electric and

pneumatic Pneumatics (from Greek ‘wind, breath’) is a branch of engineering that makes use of gas or pressurized air. Pneumatic systems used in Industrial sector, industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A central ...

equipment for Schwarzkopf's facilities. After final

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

of Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH in 1992, Gerstlauer Elektro GmbH acquired part of their production sites and facilities, and continued the manufacture of amusement rides and roller coasters. In March 2007, Gerstlauer Elektro GmbH was subsequently renamed Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH. Gerstlauer's first own-designed and manufactured roller coaster, the 'G'sengte Sau', a bobsled roller coaster, was built in

Erlebnispark Tripsdrill Erlebnispark Tripsdrill is a wildlife and theme park near Cleebronn in Southern Germany. Covering in total, the park offers 29 attractions, including museums, animal petting and feeding, roller coasters, playgrounds, and a theatre. Opened in 19 ...

, an amusement park in

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, south-eastern Germany. Since 2003, Gerstlauer became popular with their

Euro-Fighter The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of ...

roller coaster, which is present in different styles in Europe and the United States. A specific design feature of all Euro-Fighter roller coasters is a drop with a 'beyond vertical' angle of more than 90 degrees. Another model is their

spinning roller coaster A spinning roller coaster is a roller coaster with cars that rotate on a vertical axis. Models Virginia Reel The first spinning roller coaster was the Sierra Sidewinder, first built in 1908 by Henry Riehl. Instead of trains, the ride had "tubs ...

, in which the riders are seated facing each other. Gerstlauer also built trains for several

wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also ...

s, though several of which are no longer operating. Examples of these include The Boss at

Six Flags St. Louis Six Flags St. Louis, originally known as Six Flags Over Mid-America, is an amusement park featuring characters and rides from many Warner Bros. films and tv shows such as, Looney Tunes, DC Comics, and formerly Scooby-Doo. It is located in Eureka ...

, USA.

List of Gerstlauer designed rides

Gerstlauer roller coasters

As of 2022, Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH has built 106

s around the world.

Other Gerstlauer amusement rides

In addition to roller coasters, Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH has also manufactured a range of flat rides and track rides. }. , - , Fly France , Global Village Dubai , United Arab Emirates , Sky Fly , 2017 , , , - , Flying Macaw , Camel Republic , Thailand , Sky Fly , 2014 , , , - , Flying Ninjago ,

Legoland Deutschland Legoland Deutschland Resort is a Legoland park located in Günzburg in southern Germany, roughly halfway from Munich to Stuttgart, which opened in 2002. It is 43.5 hectares (107 acres) in area, and it is one of the four most popular theme parks ...

, Germany , Sky Fly , 2012 , , , - , Flying Ninjago ,

Legoland Japan is a theme park in Nagoya, Japan. It opened on April 1, 2017. It is the first Legoland theme park in Japan; the second in Asia, after Legoland Malaysia Resort; and the eighth worldwide. The park was projected to attract over two million visito ...

, Japan , Sky Fly , , , , - , Gokuraku Pilot , Sagamiko Resort , Japan , Sky Fly , 2016 , , , - , Grande Roue ,

Nigloland Nigloland is an amusement park located in Dolancourt in the French county Aube. This is one of the most visited parks in France after Disneyland Paris and Parc Astérix. Nigloland was created by two brothers, Patrice and Philippe Gélis. The ...

, France , Giant Wheel , 2009 , , , - , Höhenflug ,

, Germany , Sky Fly , 2017 , , Name translates to "Soaring". , - , Jett Fly , , Poland , Sky Fly , 2021 , , , - , Jukebox ,

Liseberg 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 roll ...

, Sweden , Polyp , 2012 , , , - , Kärnapulten ,

Hansa-Park Hansa-Park is a seasonal amusement park in Sierksdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany off the Baltic Sea. It was opened on May 15, 1977 under the name Hansaland and renamed Hansa-Park in 1987. It currently spans and includes more than 125 attracti ...

, Germany , Sky Fly , 2017 , , , - , Leonardos Flugmaschine , Familypark Neusiedlersee , Austria , Sky Fly , 2015 , , , - , Mowgli in the Dino Land , Dream Island , Austria , Sky Fly , 2020 , , Ride identified as ''Flight School'', or Лётная школа, on park website , - , Pixarus - Flight School of Magic ,

Toverland Attractiepark Toverland is an amusement park located in Sevenum, the Netherlands. It first opened in 2001 as an indoor family entertainment center, operated by the Gelissen Group. In recent years, Toverland has grown into a fully-fledged theme p ...

, The Netherlands , Sky Fly , 2023 , , , - , Red Arrow Sky Force ,

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore, in the county of Lancashire, North West England. It operates as a secure facility, and has introduced epayments via smartphones for admission charges, replac ...

, United Kingdom , Sky Fly , 2015 , , , - , Sky Fighter , Land of Legends , Turkey , Sky Fly , 2018 , , , - , Sky Fly , Holiday Park , Germany , Sky Fly , 2015 , , Also identified as ''Air Show'' on Gerstlauer's website. , - , Sky Fly , , Poland , Sky Fly , 2022 , , , - , Skyhawk ,

Canada's Wonderland Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life As ...

, Canada , Sky Roller , 2016 , , , - ,

Tail Spin ''Tail Spin'' (also known as ''Tailspin'') is a 1939 aviation film. The screenplay was written by Frank Wead and directed by Roy Del Ruth. It was based on the book, "Women with Wings: A novel of the modern day aviatrix" (Ganesha Publishing, 193 ...

, Dreamworld , Australia , Sky Fly , 2014 , , , - , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock , Nickelodeon Universe - Mall of America , United States , Sky Fly , 2012 , , Replaced ''Tak Attack''. , - , Tentekomai ,

Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan, owned and operated by the namesake Fuji Kyuko Co. it was opened on 2 March 1968. The theme park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a number of roller coasters, as well as two haun ...

, Japan , Sky Roller , 2016 , , , - , Wild Wings ,

Duinrell Duinrell is an amusement park situated in Wassenaar Wassenaar (; population: in ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and Dorp (town), town located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, on the western ...

, Netherlands , Sky Fly , 2016 , , , - , Wings of Icarus/The Icarus Race , VinWonders Phú Quốc , Vietnam , Sky Roller , 2020 , , Ride identified as ''Wings of Icarus'' on Gerstlauer's website, but is referred to as "The Icarus Race" by VinWonders.

Gallery

Klotten HeisseFahrt.jpg, Bobsled roller coaster Heiße Fahrt at Wild- und Freizeitpark Klotten. SOB with G-trains.jpg, Gerstlauer-designed

train on

Son of Beast Son of Beast was a record-breaking wooden roller coaster at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, United States. Built and designed by the now-defunct Roller Coaster Corporation of America (RCCA), it opened to the public on April 28, 2000, as the talle ...

Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company. It was part of a larger effort to move and expan ...

. WEM Galaxy Orbiter 1.JPG, The Galaxy Orbiter spinning coaster at the Galaxyland Amusement Park inside

West Edmonton Mall West Edmonton Mall (WEM) is a shopping mall in Edmonton, Alberta, that is owned, managed, and operated by Triple Five Group. It is the second most visited mall in Canada, after the Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto, followed by Metrotown Mall in B ...

, Canada. File:Thorpe Saw3.jpg,

Saw – The Ride Saw – The Ride is a steel roller coaster located at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, the Euro-Fighter model opened to the public as the steepest freefall roller coaster in the world on 14 March 2009, with a drop angl ...

Thorpe Park Thorpe Park Resort, commonly known as Thorpe Park, is an amusement park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertai ...

References

External links

Gerstlauer-Rides.de
— Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH official website {{Authority control Companies established in 1982 1982 establishments in West Germany Roller coaster designers Roller coaster manufacturers Amusement ride manufacturers Manufacturing companies of Germany Günzburg (district) Companies based in Bavaria