Legoland Deutschland Resort is a
Legoland
Legoland (, trademark in uppercase as LEGOLAND) is a chain of family theme parks focusing on the construction toy system Lego. They are not fully owned by The Lego Group itself; rather, they are owned and operated by the British theme park com ...
park located in
Günzburg
Günzburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Genzburg'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is a ''Große Kreisstadt'' and the capital of the Swabian Günzburg (district), district Günzburg. This district was constituted in 1972 by combining the city ...
in southern Germany, roughly halfway from
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
to
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
, which opened in 2002. It is 43.5 hectares (107 acres) in area, and it is one of the four most popular
theme parks
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
in Germany. The Miniland contains Lego reproductions of various German cities and rural landscapes.
History
Legoland Deutschland was opened by the
LEGO Group
Lego A/S (trade name: The Lego Group) is a Danish toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks aro ...
on May 17, 2002 in
Günzburg, Germany,
nine months earlier than planned.
During the initial operating year, the park welcomed 1.35 million visitors. In 2005 the four Legoland parks were sold to
Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments Limited is a British entertainment company based at Poole in Dorset, England. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until November 2019, when it was acquired by a consortium that includes Kirkbi A/S (the investment a ...
in a 375 million Euro deal. Although generally credited as the fourth Legoland park to open and the first in Germany, an earlier theme park (now
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 ...
) in
Sierksdorf
Sierksdorf is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, situated on the Bay of Lübeck. The Hansa Park amusement park is located in Sierksdorf.
References
External links
Internet presence of Sierksdorfon t ...
used the Legoland branding under licence from the Lego Group from 1973 to 1976.
All of the lighting for the park was done by Gallegos Lighting Design which had done the lighting for
Legoland California Resort
Legoland California Resort is a theme park, miniature park, and aquarium located in Carlsbad, California, based on the Lego toy brand. Opening on March 20, 1999, it was the third Legoland park to open and the first outside of Europe. The park i ...
and the sound and video production for the park was done by Edward Technologies Inc.
The park features Lego explore centers, roller coasters, water attractions and shows.
When it opened in 2002, it contained 40 attractions, 7 themed lands and was made out of 50 million Lego bricks.
10 years later, the park expanded to eight “adventure worlds” with 50 attractions and 55 million Lego bricks.
Legoland Deutschland is home to the world's largest Lego building, representing
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
's
Allianz Arena
Allianz Arena (; known as Fußball Arena München for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Munich, Bavaria, Germany with a 70,000 seating capacity for international matches and 75,000 for domestic matches. Widely known for its exterior ...
and weighing 1.5 tons with dimensions of 5 meters in width and 1 meter in height. Legoland Deutschland also contains many other world records such as the largest Lego flower bed (2007), largest amount of energy generated through cycling underwater (2010), highest Lego tower (2010), largest Lego mosaic (2011), longest Lego millipede (2002), and the largest Lego brick (2005).
The park celebrated its ten-year anniversary in 2012: in that occasion, the attraction ''Flying Ninjago'' debuted, and six scenes in Miniland based on the
Lego Ninjago
Lego Ninjago is a List of Lego themes, Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. Whilst it retains some elemen ...
toy series were added.
On April 22, 2013 Merlin Entertainments Group introduced an app entitled “LEGOLAND Deutschland” available for
Android and
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
devices.
The app features an interactive park map, ticket purchasing, a “Find my car” feature, and a day planner that has all of the day's events listed for visitors.
Legoland Deutschland also introduced the electronic “express pass” which allows guests to purchase either a Standard, Premium or Gold express pass, allowing guests reserve a spot in the queue line for select attractions. In 2013, the CEO of the park, Aksel Pedersen, announced the largest expansion in the history of Legoland Deutschland and consisted of 86,000 Lego bricks.
The park expanded by building the “Kingdom of the Pharaohs” themed land within ''Adventure Land'' which added the ride ''"Temple X-pedition"''.
Additionally in 2013, the park expanded the
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
Miniland Model Display when they added a
Yoda
Yoda () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' universe, first appearing in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force and is a leading member of the Jedi Order until ...
Lego model display.
In 2014, Legoland Deutschland introduced the 5 million Lego block X-Wing Model Display which used to be in the theme park in the ''Hero Factory'' attraction hall for a limited time. Also Legoland introduced the new Königsburg hotel with 68 rooms. On March 28, 2015 Martin Kring, the then new general manager of Legoland, introduced the LEGO City Polizeistation, a walkthrough maze with special effects. The attraction was built into a existing building in the Imagination themed area. In 2016 High Five in Miniland and the new Drachenburg at Holiday Village were opened. In 2017 Ninjago World was opened based on the
Lego Ninjago
Lego Ninjago is a List of Lego themes, Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. Whilst it retains some elemen ...
theme. The area includes ''LEGO Ninjago: The Ride'' and ''Lloyd’s Spinjitzu Spinner'' (opened in 2020). The new area ist the biggest investment since the opening in 2002. The following year, Legoland opened its next hotel. The ''Pirateninsel Hotel'' (Pirate Island Hotel) is based on a pirate theme and costed 26,6 million Euros. The building offers place for up to 594 guests.
On May 10, 2019 Manuela Stone, the former
F&B director, took over the position as general manager from Martin Kring. In 2020, because of the
Covid-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the park opened late on May 30 with only half of the normal capacity.
Rides/Attractions
Roller Coasters
Lands
Entrance Area/Eingangsbereich
The entrance area is where the guests first enter the park through one of twenty entrance gates.
There are three shops and one food outlet in this area, and it is also where guests can purchase an Express Pass and visit tourist information booths.
At the information booths, guests can find out more information about the park.
At the reception outside of the park, guests are able to check in the Holiday Village.
Miniland
![2017-07-04 Legoland Deutschland Günzburg (026)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/2017-07-04_Legoland_Deutschland_G%C3%BCnzburg_%28026%29.jpg)
Miniland contains 1:20
scale recreations of various European cities and landscapes such as
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
,
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
,
Swabian Village,
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
Hamburg Harbour
The Port of Hamburg (german: Hamburger Hafen, ) is a seaport on the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, from its mouth on the North Sea.
Known as Germany's "Gateway to the World" (''Tor zur Welt''), it is the country's largest seaport by volume ...
, the
Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle (german: Schloss Neuschwanstein, , Southern Bavarian: ''Schloss Neischwanstoa'') is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The pa ...
and several tall buildings from around the world including Legoland's own observation tower which is also to scale.
All of the recreations were built entirely of 25 million Lego bricks.
Many of the people, animals and vehicles can be moved by hitting a button.
Miniland also housed several
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
models: seven scenes reproduced from the franchise, including large
Yoda
Yoda () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' universe, first appearing in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force and is a leading member of the Jedi Order until ...
and
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
models. These Star Wars models were removed after the 2019 season.
Lego City
*Airport (''Flughafen''): Riders will ride in rotating Lego airplanes that move in a circular motion and riders control how high they go.
*Harbour Cruise (''Hafen Rundfahrt''): A boat ride where riders get to steer themselves around a monitored pond.
*
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups:
* Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested
** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company
** Hyundai ...
Legoland Driving School (''Hyundai LEGOLAND Fahrschule''): Children 7-13 get to drive around a test track and potentially receive a Legoland drivers license. This attraction has an additional fee.
*Hyundai Legoland Junior Driving School (''Hyundai LEGOLAND Junior Fahschule''): The Hyundai Legoland Driving School made for children under 7. This attraction has an additional fee.
*Lego Factory (''LEGO Fabrik''): A tour of how
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
bricks are produced as well as the manufacturing process behind
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
.
*Legoland Express: A train ride around Legoland Deutschland.
*Power Builder: Riders get on a modified industrial robot and get a wild or mild ride. The ride is a modified
Kuka
KUKA is a German manufacturer of industrial robots and systems for factory automation. It has been predominantly owned by the Chinese company Midea Group since 2016.
The KUKA Robotics Corporation has 25 subsidiaries, mostly sales and servic ...
robot.
*Shipyard Playground (''Die Werft''): Children can climb and crawl around a
playground
A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...
designed to look like a pirate ship.
Little Asia
*Flying Ninjago: This ride is based on the Lego Series
Ninjago
Lego Ninjago is a Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. Whilst it retains some elements of the previous ...
.
The attraction takes riders 22 m in the air as the ride spins horizontally and rotates vertically back and forth. This ride was the first sky fly tower built by
Gerstlauer
Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany.
History
In 1982, Hubert Gerstlauer, a former employee of the Anton Schwarzkopf-o ...
Knights Kingdom/Land der Ritter
*Caterpillar Ride (''Raupenritt''): A fast spinning
carrousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pla ...
for any age.
*Royal Joust (''Ritterturnier''): Children ride on a Lego designed horse around a single track.
*Fire Dragon (''Feuerdrache''): It is a
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 ...
with the vehicle designed as a dragon travelling through a medieval castle.
* Dragon Hunt (''Drachenjagd''): A smaller
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 ...
themed to mine carts.
*Gold Panning (''Goldsuche''): Guests can pan for gold and trade in gold for a golden medallion.
Imagination
![Legoland Deutschland - panoramio (4)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Legoland_Deutschland_-_panoramio_%284%29.jpg)
*Pedal-A-Car (''Tret-O-Mobil''): Riders have to pedal a vehicle around a track.
*
Duplo
Lego Duplo (trademarked as DUPLO and stylized in the logo as duplo) is a core product range of the construction toy Lego by The Lego Group, The LEGO Group, designed for children from to 5 years old. Duplo bricks are twice the size of traditional ...
Express: A train ride made specifically for younger children.
*Duplo Playground (''DUPLO Spielplatz''): A playground for younger children.
*Duplo Splash Area: A
splash pad
A splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area, often in a public park, for water play that has little or no standing water. This is said to eliminate the need for lifeguards or other supervision, as there is little risk of drowning.
Typicall ...
for younger children.
*Lego City Police Station Maze (''LEGO CITY Polizeistation''): Maze with special effects.
* Observation Tower (''Aussichtsturm''): A 50 meter high rotating tower giving riders a view over Legoland Deutschland.
*Kids Power Tower: An attraction where riders have to pull their way up to the top of the tower using a rope and their own strength.
*Gallery of Football Stars (''Gallerie der Fußballstars''): A gallery of football stars made out of Lego.
Kingdom of the Pharaohs/Land der Pharaonen
*
Temple X-pedition (''Tempel X-pedition''): Riders ride on a
Jeep
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...
vehicle and go on an interactive treasure hunt.
*Pyramid Rallye (''Pyramiden Rallye''): Competitive team attraction where groups propel a hand pumped truck in a race down a street to douse a simulated building "fire" and return the truck.
*Desert X-cursion (''Wüsten X-kursion''): Balloon ride.
*Holiday Village Entrance/Exit
Adventure Land/Land der Abenteuer
*Jungle X-pedition (''Dschungel X-pedition):'' A
log ride
Log flumes (colloquially known as log rides) are amusement rides consisting of a water flume and (artificial) hollow logs or boats. Passengers sit in the logs, which are propelled along the flume by the flow of water.
The ride usually culminat ...
for guests of all ages ending in a 12-meter drop over a waterfall.
*Canoe X-pedition (''Kanu X-pedition)'': Younger children can ride a small canoe around a track of water.
*Safari Tour: Riders ride on a track and take a tour of 90
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
created animal displays.
*Adventure Playground (''Abenteuer Spielplatz''): Built out of wood and offers obstacles for children to climb, crawl and swing from.
Pirate Land/Land der Piraten
*Captain Nick's Splash Battle (''Käpt'n Nicks Piratenschlacht''): A boat ride where riders have to shoot various targets using a water gun.
*Pirates School (''Piratenschule''): A swinging
Pirate ship
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
ride.
*Pirates’ Playground (''Piratenspielplatz''): A climbing obstacle course designed for younger children.
Lego X-treme
![2017-07-04 Legoland Deutschland Günzburg (192)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/2017-07-04_Legoland_Deutschland_G%C3%BCnzburg_%28192%29.jpg)
*Legoland Atlantis by
Sea Life
Sea Life is a chain of commercial sea life-themed aquarium attractions. there are 53 Sea Life attractions (including standalone Sea Life centres, mini Sea Life features within resort theme parks, and Legoland submarine rides) around the world ...
: Indoor
aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
containing over 2,000 fish and a million
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
bricks.
*Stepping Tones: A fountain decorated with
musical instruments
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
made out of
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
bricks.
*Water Works (''Wasserspielplatz''):
Splash pad
A splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area, often in a public park, for water play that has little or no standing water. This is said to eliminate the need for lifeguards or other supervision, as there is little risk of drowning.
Typicall ...
with jets of water shooting from the ground.
*Wave Racers (''Wellenreiter''): Riders ride on a vehicle going over waves and jets of water.
*
The Great Lego Race (''Das Große LEGO Rennen''): An 18 meter high
wild mouse roller coaster
A wild mouse is a type of roller coaster consisting of single or spinning cars traversing a tight-winding track with an emphasis on sharp, unbanked turns. The upper portion of the track usually features multiple 180-degree turns, known as flat ...
.
*Lego Mindstorms Center (''LEGO Akademie''): An educational workshop using Lego. This attraction has an additional fee.
*Techno Tea Cup (''Techno Schleuder''): A
Teacups
Teacups is an amusement ride characterized by cup-shaped spinning vehicles atop a turntable-like floor. Typically, each set of six teacups has a center bearing mounted underneath, similar to a car wheel bearing mounted on a circular floor capab ...
ride designed to look like it was made out of
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
.
*Drive Your Monster Truck: Guests can steer a remote controlled monster truck around an obstacle course. This attraction has an additional fee.
Lego Ninjago World
* Lego Ninjago The Ride: Interactive 4-D Ride
* Lloyd's Spinjittzu Spinner: Heege Loopster
Legoland Holiday Village
In 2008, Legoland opened the first ever Legoland Holiday Village directly across from the Legoland Deutschland theme park.
Holiday Village is an 11-hectare village with 72 holiday houses, 4 hotels, 39 camping barrels and a campsite.
Accommodations
Legoland Deutschland Resort offers the following accommodations at Legoland Holiday Village:
* Pirate Island Hotel (142 rooms)
* Castles
** King's Castle (68 rooms)
** Dragon's Castle (34 rooms)
** Knight's Castle (34 rooms)
* Themed Houses (72 rooms)
* Camping Barrels (39 rooms)
* Campsite
Restaurants & Shopping
* Pirates Tavern Restaurant & Smugglers' Bar (Family-Style dinner)
* The Round Table Restaurant & King's Tavern
* Jungle Buffet Restaurant (
all you can eat buffet)
* Steak House Restaurant
* Holiday Village Shop (
Lego
Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
shop)
Attractions
* Pirate Golf (12 hole
miniature golf
Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...
course)
* Bowling Center
* High Ropes Course (six different courses with 41 components)
* Themed Playgrounds
* Hot Air Ballon ride
Awards
In 2011 and 2012, Legoland Deutschland won the Parkscout Award of "Germany's Most Child-Friendly Theme Park".
In 2012/2013, Legoland Deutschland won another Parkscout Award for the "Best Family Amusement park". Additionally in 2013, Legoland Deutschland received the
Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice 2013 Award.
See also
*
Lost Kingdom Adventure
Lost Kingdom Adventure is a Sally Corporation Interactive Dark Ride located at Legoland theme parks around the globe. Locations include Legoland California, Legoland Windsor (where it is known as Laser Raiders), Legoland Billund (where it is k ...
References
External links
Official site
{{Lego
Legoland
Amusement parks in Germany
2002 establishments in Germany
Buildings and structures in Günzburg (district)
Tourist attractions in Bavaria
Amusement parks opened in 2002
de:Legoland#Legoland Deutschland