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Linnanmäki ( sv, Borgbacken, colloquially ''Lintsi'', ) is an
amusement park 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
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. It was opened on 27 May 1950 and is owned by the non-profit Children's Day Foundation (, ), which operates the park in order to raise funds for Finnish
child welfare Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to e ...
work. In 2019, the foundation donated , and so far has donated a total of over to this cause. Linnanmäki is the oldest and most popular amusement park in Finland.Linnanmäen huvipuisto on Suomen suosituin matkailukohde
- Sightseeinghelsinki.com (in Finnish)
It has many rides of different types and sizes, and of the all Nordic amusement parks, Linnanmäki has the most rides in relation to the number of visitors. It also has other attractions, including arcades, games, kiosks, restaurants and an outdoor stage on which different performers appear in the summer. The park is open from spring to autumn and is visited by over a million guests annually. In August 2006, Linnanmäki received its fifty-millionth visitor.


History

In 1950, six Finnish
child welfare Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to e ...
organisations leased an area from the city of Helsinki for an initial period of three years in the middle of a recreational area consisting of two parks, where they set up an amusement park. The city extended the lease in 1953 and leased for the amusement park. In accordance with the city plan approved in 1956, the amusement park area was expanded to more than . In 1957, the welfare organisations established the non-profit Children's Day Foundation, which continues to maintain and develop the amusement park. Today, the site covers . Linnanmäki is built on a
hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...
and derives its name from ''Vesilinnanmäki'' (), the name locals gave to the hilly area in the early
20th century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...
since it had two
water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...
s, built in 1876 and 1938, respectively. The water towers are no longer in operation and were disconnected from the grid in 2003. However, the towers are protected by the
zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...
plan of the city and cannot be demolished. In the future, it is hoped that the towers will be used year-round to support amusement park activities. The older, angular tower near the perimeter of the amusement park—the oldest water tower in Helsinki—currently houses the park's maintenance and storage facilities, while the newer, cylindrical tower dominating the park and its wider surroundings houses an
indoor roller coaster An indoor roller coaster or enclosed roller coaster is a roller coaster built inside a structure. The structure may be unrelated to the ride, or it may be intended solely or primarily for the ride. Many indoor coasters are custom made and placed ...
called Linnunrata eXtra. Since its opening in 1950, two people have died in amusement ride accidents at Linnanmäki, both caused by negligence on the part of the rider. In 1953, an employee, a roller coaster brakeman who was sitting in the front row after his shift on the last ride of the evening did not attach the safety bar, fell off and was hit by the train. In 1985, a guest, a boy, also sitting in the front row, had managed to open the safety bar and stood up to wave to his friends. The boy then fell in front of the train, which ran over him.


The park

Linnanmäki is located in the
Alppila Alppila ( sv, Alphyddan) is a quarter of Helsinki, Finland. It is located north of the city centre, between the districts of Kallio and Pasila, and together with Harju it forms the district of Alppiharju. Alppila has a population of 4,244 (as o ...
sub-district of
Alppiharju Alppiharju ( sv, Åshöjden) is a district of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the eastern part of the Central major district of Helsinki, Finland. It consists of sub-districts Alppila and Harju, and is bordered by Kallio in the south, Taka-T ...
, north of the city centre of
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, the Finnish capital. The hill where the park is located has a nice view of the city. The park has no discernible theming and feels relatively compact and densely packed; the rides and attractions are in close proximity to one another. In addition to the amusement rides and attractions the park also contains the Peacock, a historical theatre built in 1957 and known for its musical productions. In addition to the park itself, guests can also visit the
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 ...
aquarium, the only Sea Life centre in the Nordic countries, opened in 2002. The park is open from April to October, while the theatre and aquarium are operational throughout the year. The park also featured ''Linnanmäen museo'' from 1996 to 2005, a museum facility which located next to the park's main entrance and housed several exhibitions every year. The park is easily reached from the city centre by tram lines 3, 8, 9, and bus line 23.


Rides and attractions

Linnanmäki currently has 43 rides, along with many other non-ride based attractions. The most notable ride in the park is Vuoristorata, a
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 b ...
, opened in 1951. It is the most recognisable symbol of the park, and was one of the first permanent rides to be built at the park. Technically the oldest ride at Linnanmäki is Karuselli (a
carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
), which was built in Germany in 1896 and has been at Linnanmäki since 1954. Linnanmäki has eight roller coasters. Other major rides include three tower rides, a ferris wheel, a river rapids ride and spinning rides. The park also has a selection of family and kiddie rides. Admission to the park is free, and most of the rides can only be ridden with the possession of a ride ticket, or the more popular wristband, which allows the wearer unlimited access to all of the park's rides for the entire day. , the wristband costs the same for each customer, regardless of height.Linnanmäki prices
, 2013.
Linnanmäki also hosts various events and
festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
s every year, such as the popular ''iik!week Horror Festival'' and traditional ''Carnival of Light'' (''Valokarnevaali''), which are both held in the autumn.


Mermaid hall

Vedenneitohalli (English: ''Mermaid hall'') was one of Linnanmäki's most popular attractions in 1951–1980. Young female mermaid performers, dressed in swimsuits, would lie down on a platform above a pool behind a net. For a fee, visitors tried to hit a release button on a pole at the front of the net with a ball. When the ball hit the target, a lock at the top of the platform would open and the mermaid performer would fall into the water. In the 1970s, men were also being dropped after a women's organisation drew attention to the issue in the name of equality.
Naisasialiitto Unioni Naisasialiitto Unioni (Finnish) or Kvinnosaksförbundet Unionen (Swedish), sometimes referred to in English as the League of Finnish Feminists, is a non-profit Finnish women's organization which was established in 1892. Since 1904 it has been the ...
, a Finnish women's organisation, considered the hall to be a demeaning place for women and in 1978 sent a letter to Linnanmäki's management. As a result, the hall was closed in 1980.


Current rides


Roller coasters


Major rides


Family rides


Kiddie rides


Attractions


Rides under construction


Removed rides and attractions


Gallery of images

File:Vonkaputous Hurjakuru (Linnanmäki Helsinki).jpg, Hurjakuru File:Kieputin on Linnanmäki amusement park Helsinki Finland.JPG, Kieputin File:linnanrollerc.JPG, A view from the
Panoraama Panoraama is a tall gyro tower at the Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. Its observation deck rises about above sea level. Panoraama was built in 1987 by the Swiss Intamin and offers capacity for 400 visitors per hour. It was o ...
observation tower File:Suihkulähde Linnanmäki Helsinki.JPG, Water fountain File:Maisemajuna Linnanmäki Helsinki.JPG, Maisemajuna File:Vonkaputous Linnanmäki Helsinki.JPG,
Vonkaputous Vonkaputous was a water roller coaster located at Linnanmäki in Helsinki, Finland. Ride experience In Vonkaputous, visitors rode in a roller coaster car appearing as a boat, seating 10 passengers in 5 rows. After leaving the station, the car ...
File:Linnanmäki2.JPG, Rolle the Clown, mascot of Linnanmäki File:Linnunrata Linnanmäki Helsinki.JPG, Linnunrata and the water tower


References


External links

*
20th Spinning Coaster set for Linnanmäki in 2008

Photographs and video from Linnanmäki's major rides
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linnanmaki 1950 establishments in Finland Amusement parks in Finland Parks in Helsinki Amusement parks opened in 1950