Rulantica is a
water park
A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
in
Rust, Baden-Württemberg
Rust (; gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Ruäscht) is a municipality in the district of Ortenau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
It is also the home of the famous theme park Europa-Park. The Renaissance era Balthasar Castle is now part of the theme ...
. It is named after the fictional
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea ( no, Norskehavet; is, Noregshaf; fo, Norskahavið) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to ...
island ''Rulantica''. The park is operated by Europa-Park GmbH & Co Mack KG, and owned by the
Mack family
Mack may refer to:
People
*Mack (given name)
*Mack (surname)
*Reinhold Mack, German record producer and sound engineer, often credited as simply "Mack"
*Richard Machowicz
Richard John "Mack" Machowicz ( ; May 30, 1965 – January 2, 2017) was ...
. It was opened to the public in November 2019. The Rulantica site has a total area of 450,000 m², and a maximum capacity of 5,000 visitors per day.
Location and site
![Europa-Park Krønasår the museum hotel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Europa-Park_Kr%C3%B8nas%C3%A5r_the_museum_hotel.jpg)
The Rulantica site is located in the east of
Rust, Baden-Württemberg
Rust (; gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Ruäscht) is a municipality in the district of Ortenau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.
It is also the home of the famous theme park Europa-Park. The Renaissance era Balthasar Castle is now part of the theme ...
, about 30 km north of
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...
and 28 km south-east of
Offenburg
Offenburg ("open borough" - coat of arms showing open gates; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemmanic: ''Offäburg'') is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With nearly 60,000 inhabitants (2019), it is the largest city and the ad ...
, in close proximity to the
Europa-Park
Europa-Park is the largest theme park in Germany, and the second most popular theme park in Europe, after Disneyland Paris. Europa-Park is located in Rust, south-western Germany, between Freiburg im Breisgau and Strasbourg (in neighbouring Franc ...
.
Its total area is 45 hm², of which about 15 hm² are developed.
Rulantica contains
car park
A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surfac ...
s, the ''Krønasår'' hotel, the Hyggedal sauna and relax area, and the actual water park.
The latter has 13 themed areas with a total square footage of 40,000 m², of which more than 32,600 m² are indoors.
The water park comprises a hall with a height of 20 m and a roof surface of 10,500 m² that houses the park's indoor attractions. The hall bears resemblance to a hand-held fan
or shell,
According to
Badische Zeitung
The ''Badische Zeitung'' (''Baden Newspaper'') is a German newspaper based in Freiburg im Breisgau, covering the South Western part of Germany and the Black Forest region. It has a circulation of 145,825 and a readership of 409,000. The paper was ...
, the total construction cost was then said to be about EUR 150 million,
and has one of the largest wooden roof structures in Europe.
The pylon that supports the wooden roof structure is made of spruce wood and has a mass of 50 t.
Rulantica has a total indoor volume of 300,000 m³.
About 25 per cent of the electric energy needed for Rulantica is generated with
solar cell
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon. s installed in the car parks as shadowing. The water required for Rulantica is taken from purpose-built wells.
2000 new trees were planted in the process of constructing Rulantica.
Rulantica has about 550 employees, of which 300 work in the water park, and 250 in the ''Krønasår'' hotel.
Themes
![Wiking-Saga im Bubba Svens](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wiking-Saga_im_Bubba_Svens.jpg)
Rulantica has a
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n theme throughout all its dedicated areas and attractions.
The ''Krønasår'' hotel is modelled on a museum of natural history
that features various exhibits based on fictional Rulantica characters,
but also non-fictional exhibits like the ''Wiking Saga'' that was used by to cross the Atlantic.
The mascot of Rulantica is a blue, six-limbed
cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...
called ''Snorri''.
He was first unveiled in late 2017.
History
The earliest ideas for Rulantica date back to 1996.
The planning phase for the project began in 2012.
In April 2014, the Rulantica brand was registered by Europa-Park GmbH & Co Mack KG. Back then, German magazine Parkerlebnis speculated that Rulantica could be an addition to
Europa-Park
Europa-Park is the largest theme park in Germany, and the second most popular theme park in Europe, after Disneyland Paris. Europa-Park is located in Rust, south-western Germany, between Freiburg im Breisgau and Strasbourg (in neighbouring Franc ...
, likely an entertainment show or a relax ride.
The Rulantica name was created by and is an
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
composed of ''Rust'' and ''Atlantic''.
On 8 July 2014, Europa-Park GmbH & Co Mack KG announced that Rulantica would be a
water park
A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
. Like Europa-Park, Rulantica was planned with differently themed areas, and the planned visitor capacity was up to 5000 indoors and 3000 outdoors. The total construction time was calculated with 18 to 25 months; the budget was EUR 140 million.
In October 2014 Parkerlebnis reported that Rulantica would be smaller than originally announced. The opening was expected for the first half of 2017.
Eventually, the Rulantica project was approved in March 2016, and construction of the ''Krønasår'' hotel bagan in May 2016.
The construction for the actual water park began on 14 September 2017.
According to
Badische Zeitung
The ''Badische Zeitung'' (''Baden Newspaper'') is a German newspaper based in Freiburg im Breisgau, covering the South Western part of Germany and the Black Forest region. It has a circulation of 145,825 and a readership of 409,000. The paper was ...
, the total construction cost was then said to be about EUR 150 million,
which made Rulantica the most expensive investment in the history of Europa-Park,
and the biggest privately financed construction site 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 ...
.
Construction was carried out by Rendler Bau GmbH and Wilhelm Füssler Bau GmbH.
The first construction phase included 25 attractions,
of which 17 were slides, in eight themed areas.
In March 2018 it was reported that the construction of Rulantica was going according to plan, with the opening scheduled for late 2019. The ''Krønasår'' hotel was topped out in mid-2018.
In August of 2018,
the roof construction for the main hall commenced.
By early December that year, it was almost completed.
The main hall was topped on 11 December 2018. The construction cost rose to EUR 160 million.
Construction was completed in October 2019, and Rulantica was opened for the public on 28 November 2019. Until then, the total cost had risen to EUR 180 million.
After closing due to 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 ...
, Rulantica was re-opened with a hygience concept on 10 June 2020.
Later that year, in October, the ''Hyggedal'' sauna and relax area was opened.
In June 2021, several new outdoor areas were opened, with a combined total size of 9,000 m².
In 2022, the Tønnevirvel attraction was added.
Slides and attractions
As of December 2022, Rulantica has 32,600+ m² of indoor water park area, a total of 2 pool bars, 3 saunas, and 31 slides in 14 themed areas. Most Rulantica attractions are indoors, with ''Svalgurok'' being Rulantica's largest outdoor themed area. It has a size of 9,000 m², consists of nine slides, and has a 2500 l outdoor bucket shower.
The themed areas of Rulantica are Rangnakor, Svalgurok, Frigg Tempel, Skip Strand, Vinterhal, Trolldal, Hyggedal, Skog Lagune, Snorri's Saga, Lumafals, Vildstrøm, Dynstrønd, Snorri Snorkling VR, Snorri Strand and Nordiskturn.
Rulantica has a water caroursel ride in its Frigg Tempel outdoor area called ''Tønnevirvel'', in which occupants can have a water hose fight.
Rulantica in fiction
In early 2018, the Rulantica musical was announced for summer that year.
It eventually premiered in May 2018, in the "Europa-Park-Teatro" in the Italian-themed area of the Europa-Park. The musical was composed by and has a playing time of 45 minutes. The musical's plot is set in the
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
in the year of 1557. The royal vessel ''Tre Kronor'' set sail for the island of Rulantica to rob Rulantica's natural spring water, which is said to be the source of life. The ship's boy ''Fin'' learns from the mermaid ''Kailani'' that taking the natural spring water from Rulantica would cause the island's demise. Fin, who eventually falls in love with Kailini, opposes the plan of robbing Rulantica's natural spring water, and a battle for love and justice ensues.
In corporation with
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
-based publisher ''Coppenrath Verlag'', Europa-Park GmbH & Co Mack KG published the Rulantica novel series. It includes three volumes, written by Michaela Hanauer. The novel tells the story of two orphans who are on an adventure trip to the nordic island of Rulantica. They begin their trip in the ''Krønasår'' museum of natural history.
The first volume "Die verborgene Insel" was originally published in 2019;
the English translation, "Hidden Island", edited by Marielle Sutherland, followed in 2021.
Rulantica novels
*
*
*
References
External links
Official website{{Authority control
Water parks in Germany
Tourist attractions in Baden-Württemberg
Indoor amusement parks
2019 establishments in Germany