Loop 034 printable

Volume 2, No. 10. June 14, 2002

New Arrivals

It’s a theme park!
LEGO announces the arrival of LEGOLAND Deutschland in Günzburg, Germany, May 17, 2002. Measurements: 60 hectares (120 acres), six themed areas, 30 rides and attractions, three shows, seven eateries, three retail outlets, 50 million LEGO blocks. Delivered by ETF, Forrec, Heege, Intamin, Mack, Metallbau Emmelm, Wieland Schwarzkopf and Zierer.

Kids will be kids. And adults will be, too. For the media preview the day before the Saturday grand opening of LEGO’s newest theme park, LEGOLAND Deutschland treated about 300 journalists and more than 2,000 special guests to the “graduating class of LEGO school,” said Marion Moormann, press and public relations manager for the park. This mythical class comprised 15 pre-teens, three of them actors and the rest from a nearby school, who sat at desks while park officials and local politicians gave their speeches. At the conclusion of his speech, each dignitary took a seat among the kids.

Soon, one student was tossing a paper airplane. Soon after, one of the statesmen was, too.

It was all part of the fun unveiling the LEGO company’s fourth park that, like the Denmark, England and California lands, pursues the mission of providing hands-on attractions for kids 3 to 13 (and, invariably, 21 and older). Using its themed areas—Land of Adventure, Land of Chivalry, LEGO City, Lego X-Treme and Imagination—the park designers took care to pair smaller-kid rides with bigger-kid rides, like the Metalbau Emmelm-built Tournament (jousting horses on a rail, a kiddie steeplechase) neighboring Dragon Ride, a Zierer coaster.

LEGOLAND Deutschland’s contribution to the LEGO chain of parks is an Intamin flume ride floating through a Joe Black jungle adventure past such fearsome things as man-eating plants made of LEGO blocks. In the X-Treme area LEGOLAND Deutschland introduced Lego Racers Drome Racing, a Schwarzkopf go-kart track. Miniland—in the tradition of the other parks’ replicating their nations’ landmarks in LEGO miniature—depicts famous German cityscapes, as well as scenes of Venice, Italy, The Netherlands and Lucerne, Switzerland. This Miniland has interactive elements for children, like a joystick that manipulates a window washer on a Frankfurt skyscraper.

After the initial speeches of the media preview the LEGO graduating class moved through the park and assessed their favorite portions in a film broadcast later that evening. Further festivities followed as a youth orchestra from Stuttgart performed while various parts of the park were illuminated leading up to a fireworks display.

The next morning under skies so brilliant Moormann said many of the journalists had to get LEGOLAND caps to protect their heads, the park officially opened. In lieu of a ribbon cutting, park CEO John Jakobsen and LEGO owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen teamed up with several young accomplices bashed down a wall of soft LEGO blocks opening up a path into the park.