Join in Celebrating the 175th Anniversary Year of Tivoli Gardens

I’m in Copenhagen, Denmark celebrating the 175th anniversary of the second oldest amusement park in the world, which opened August 15, 1843.That of course begs the question, what is the oldest amusement park in continuous operation? But, that’s another story – see the answer in my previous post.

History

In 1843, Tivoli Gardens only had a few attractions. At first, mechanical amusement rides, theaters and stages, restaurants, a lake, and the surrounding flower gardens made up Tivoli. Fireworks would illuminate the lake on certain festive occasions. Some say the park was one of the main inspirations for Disneyland in the US.

Tivoli Gardens, originally known as Tivoli & Vauxhall, was created by Georg Carstensen. The park has gone through many changes over the years. Nevertheless, it remained in continuous operations even during World War II when many of the buildings were destroyed by Nazi sympathizers. Tivoli even hosted ethnological exhibitions (or human zoos) in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Moreover, these exhibitions displayed people/artifacts from various cultures for visitors to see the differences/similarities between the ethnological groups.

Attractions

Tivoli currently has about a dozen attractions, other than the rides. Chiefly, these attractions include: The Pantomime Theater, Tivoli Aquarium, Concert Hall, Open Air Stage, etc. In addition, the Tivoli Youth Guard performs regularly at the park. The organization chooses to maintain 100 boys and girls between 8-16 years old for the Guard. The Youth Guard was formed in 1844 as the world’s first youth guard, called a “Lilliputian Military.” Henceforth, their organization has performed continuously since they were established.

One remarkable feature of the park is still operating today. Built in 1914, the Rutschebanen is one of the world’s oldest operating roller coasters. In addition, a brand new roller coaster opened in 2004 called The Demon, which has every kind of loop you could want in the 1:46 minute ride. It has an Immelmann loop (a half-loop followed by a half-twist), a vertical loop (basic inversion resulting in a 360 degree circle), and a zero-G roll (inversion where the track twists 360 degrees as it rises and falls in elevation at the crest of a hill causing a weightless effect). In total, there are 4 roller coasters.

A dozen other adult rides occupy the park. This includes the Star Flyer, which for 4 years (2006 – 2010) was the world’s tallest swing ride. It reaches 260 feet in the air and giving widespread views of Copenhagen’s historical center. The first Condor 2GH (second generation hybrid) opened at Tivoli Gardens in 2016. Called the Fatamorgana, it can accommodate around 1700 riders per hour. Riders sit in 28 steel-framed gondolas that sling them around at high speed in the air. There are another 16 children’s rides to keep the little ones happy for the day.

Park Entrance

Tickets to the park vary, depending on age and duration. You must purchase a ride ticket separately from the park entrance ticket. However, the Copenhagen Card includes the park entrance fee if you have purchased one during your visit to the city.