Hansa Park is a unique theme park in northern Germany.
This park has always been revered by locals for its appearance, but it rose to prominence
among coaster enthusiasts over the past decade for a dynamic duo Gerstlauers.
The ride mix and thematic choices make it one of the country’s weirdest parks, but
is it one of the best theme parks in Germany?
Find out in this review of Hansa Park.
This park interestingly opened back in 1973 as Legoland Sierksdorf.
It was the second Legoland park.
However, Lego sold the park after just 3 years and they wouldn’t build another park until
the 1990s.
In 1977, Legoland Sierksdorf reopened as Hansaland.
And in 1987, it received the current Hansa Park name that it goes by today.
Unless you know this park’s history, you would have no idea this was a Legoland park.
It doesn’t have the usual ride lineup or architecture.
Hansa Park feels like a traditional German theme park.
You have lushly landscaped gardens, plenty of trees, charming buildings, and some nice
theming.
This is one of the most underrated parks in Europe when it comes to appearance.
I love how this park looks.
And the park has improved significantly in this area over the past 1.5 decades.
Their newest rides have been extremely well-themed.
This is best exemplified by their newest 3 coasters, all from Gerstlauer.
Flucht von Novgorod and Schwur des Karnan are two of the most highly themed thrill coasters
out there.
These are the two rides that gained the park notoriety with coaster enthusiasts.
Then you also have Schlange von Midgard for families.
All 3 rides feature extensive stories, elaborate theming in the queue, and dark ride elements.
And they feature custom soundtracks too to complete the overall experience.
It’s stunning how much detail this park puts into their rides.
Then the park has also gone back and rethemed some older attractions.
The best example of this is Nessie.
This coaster once had a bare station.
Now it’s housed in a castle with atmospheric lighting and custom music.
The theming goes beyond just rides.
Hansa Park advertises that they have 11 themed areas.
All sections look great, but some areas have stronger and more cohesive themes such as
the wild west area and the Viking section.
And all this beauty and theming is made even better by this park’s setting.
Hansa Park is located in northern Germany.
The park is situated atop a hill overlooking the Baltic Sea.
The tallest rides offer a stunning vista overlooking the water.
You can easily access this park by both car and train.
I have done both.
If you arrive by car, you park across the street for 5 Euros.
Then you use an elevated footbridge to reach the park.
If you arrive by train, you arrive at Sierksdorf station.
You then have a 1 mile walk to the park.
The trains are plentiful and it was quite easy to get here from downtown Hamburg.
The main entry plaza looks fantastic.
You have these old-fashioned German buildings, highlighted by the brick castle you enter
through.
Hansa Park also has a back entrance for guests staying at the park’s onsite resort.
I haven’t personally stayed here, but I have walked through it.
The buildings look fresh and the placement is incredible.
Not only are you just an elevator ride away from the park, but you’re mere feet from
the Baltic Sea.
This is a pay-one-price park.
As of 2022, adults pay just short of 50 Euros to enter.
And I think that’s fair given the deep ride lineup for all and all the investments this
park has made both in terms of attractions and theming.
The park spans 113 acres, but it’s very easy to navigate.
You have a main loop around the perimeter plus a series of paths cutting through the
center.
This allows you to get between rides quite quickly despite the park’s size.
There are just two cons with the layout.
One, there’s a pathway in the Viking area that consists of a series of slippery stones.
One bad step and you’re falling in the water…like I did.
Other parks in Europe offer comparable paths, but usually there’s a standard path adjacent
to it.
There wasn’t here.
Two, it can be a bit tricky to locate the main entrance for a few of the coasters.
You’ll see the track flying above your head, but you may need to circle around the attraction
to actually enter the queue.
Now let’s talk about the operations.
Hansa Park is a mixed bag in this area.
There are things they do extremely well and then there are other things that can cause
headaches.
Hansa Park’s staff members pride themselves in efficiency.
They know how to load vehicles and check restraints very quickly.
This sometimes comes at the expense of friendliness.
Many of the rides will still garner noticeable waits here.
Many of the coasters either run one train and/or have really short vehicles.
For example, their two signature coasters have very low throughputs.
Karnan has just 16 passenger trains and Novgorod has 8 passenger trains.
These two rides routinely have 45-60 minute waits and there are wait time boards out front
that are fairly accurate, which help.
Then several supporting coasters and non-coasters can get half hour waits as well.
This can make it tricky to do everything in a day, especially since the park isn’t open
late.
This park is typically open from 9 am to 6 pm daily.
But there are two complications.
One, rides don’t open until 10 am.
So while you can usually make a quick lap of rides at other parks before crowds reach
attractions, rides will already open with sizable waits.
Two, rides can close early.
I have been able to hop in the Karnan line near close in both my visits, but I have heard
from others and staff members that they can close lines early so the last train goes out
close to official closing time.
So plan accordingly.
And this is one of those parks where there is not a skip-the-line pass.
So how should you tackle this park?
I think you need a full-day here.
If you need all the credits, I would advise starting with Schlange von Midgard.
This is the slowest moving line in the park.
If Karnan’s wait is still manageable, I would hit that next.
I would then make a loop of the coasters and save time at the end of the day for rerides
on Karnan.
Two other notes on the coaster queues.
One, Flucht von Novgorod features a single rider line.
However, it is not accessible until midway through the indoor queue.
At that point, the standby line only has another 15 or so minutes to go, but it can still save
some time.
Two, Nessie is the most efficient coaster by far.
That ride has been a near walk-on in all my visits.
Now let’s move onto the ride lineup.
Hansa Park advertises that they have nearly 100 attractions, but it’s worth noting they
consider themed buildings and structures as attractions.
They have roughly 3 dozen mechanical rides.
The park features 7 different roller coasters and I think it’s a balanced collection.
You have two major thrill coasters, an intermediate thrill coaster, three decent family coasters,
and a kiddie coaster.
Schwur des Karnan is the clear star.
This is the largest coaster Gerstlauer has ever built.
The ride stands 240 feet or 73 meters tall and the main drop is housed in a giant castle.
And this ride is a powerhouse.
It has a case as the most intense ride in Europe.
It has some powerful ejector airtime, wicked laterals, and powerful positive Gs.
And the sense of speed is incredible since much of the layout hugs the ground.
Then there are some incredible tricks inside the tower that really add to the experience.
I won’t spoil them here, so check out my review if you want to know all the details.
The one downside with this coaster is that it is pretty shaky.
Combined with the raw intensity, it’s easy to come off this ride with a headache.
Then along with the ride itself, you have a wonderful story.
I still can’t believe how much detail Hansa Park put into this attraction.
Flucht von Novgorod is my favorite Gerstlauer Eurofighter.
This ride, like Karnan, has nice theming.
You have details in the queue line and multiple dark ride sequences.
Then the coaster has some of the best elements on any Eurofighter.
There are two standout elements indoors that I don’t want to spoil in case you’re unaware
what they are.
Then the outdoor bit has two more strong elements between the ejector airtime filled camelback
and hangtime filled barrel roll.
Just make sure to watch your head on some of the transitions.
This ride is fairly smooth overall, but the over-the-shoulder harnesses can hit your head
in a few spots, as I noted in my review.
Nessie is a good Schwarzkopf.
This classic looper has just one inversion, but it makes it count with a forceful vertical
loop.
But where this coaster really shines is in the airtime department.
If you ride in the back car, there are 3 great drops.
The second drop is the standout moment.
It has some shocking ejector airtime and I think it’s one of the best airtime moments
in all of Germany, which I noted in my review.
Intertwined with Nessie is Royal Scotsman.
This is a Vekoma family coaster.
It uses the same ride system as their roller skaters, but this ride has a larger and more
elaborate layout.
Not only do you have the nice visuals going over and through Nessie, but the turns also
have some mild force to them.
Crazy Mine is a Maurer wild mouse and it’s a pretty good one too.
The first half runs unbraked with some great laterals.
The second half has some braking, but you’ll still get a few pops of airtime.
And the ride is plussed by some theming.
And this includes a giant observation tower that offers some of the best views of Karnan
if you’re into photography.
Schlange von Midgard is a Gerstlauer junior coaster.
Like Karnan and Novgorod, you have some theming in both the queue and ride section.
Then the layout, while small, induces some solid laterals.
And you get two laps as well.
The final coaster is Kleine Zar.
This is a Preston & Barbieri kiddie coaster.
It’s a basic layout, but it’s smooth and adults are permitted to ride even without
a child.
On that note, it’s worth noting how strong this park’s lineup of kiddie attractions
is.
Unlike some parks that have a lone dedicated kiddie area, almost every section of the park
has something for the young ones.
You have small clusters of kiddie rides.
Alternatively, you also have playgrounds and themed houses for them to explore.
I liked how balanced this lineup was in terms of offerings and placement.
There’s something for everyone as you make your way through the park.
I also found it interesting this park had not one, but two junior log flumes.
In general, this park is stacked in the water ride department.
Which is surprising considering the average temperature doesn’t usually go above 70
degrees Fahrenheit, even in summer.
But people will still queue up for these rides even on cooler days.
Super Splash is the most notable one.
This is a short Intamin flume in terms of length, but it has a sizable double down nearly
7 stories in height.
The second part of that double down gives some floater air.
Just lean forwards because it can jackhammer.
And if you want to stay dry, know this ride offers barely more than a sprinkle.
Wildwasserfahrt is an Arrow log flume.
The drops are just ok, but the layout has some nice landscaping and if you want to get
wet, that second drop can soak you.
Stortebekers Kaperfahrt is a WhiteWater West spinning raft ride.
Honestly, it feels more like a spinning ride since the boat spins like a top the whole
way down.
Just know there are free water guns by the ride, so you can easily come off wet if kids
find them.
Barracuda is a racing wet/dry water slide consisting of a tripe down.
Not only can you race, but the second hump will lift your raft off the slide in a scary
moment.
Then you also have a slower scenic boat ride that you commonly find in Europe.
For flat rides, Hansa Park has a nice mix.
You have a handful of spinning rides peppered throughout the park.
Then you have 4 notable ones that should not be missed.
Highlander is the tallest drop tower in Europe.
This Funtime creation stands 39 stories tall.
And remember, Hansa Park is atop a hill, so you are much higher above sea level.
So you can see for miles.
It’s a stunning view.
Then the drop itself is terrifying too.
The seats tilt at the top.
Then you’re released with no warning.
You get a quick stomach dropping feeling at the start and then you float the whole way
down.
And that drop feels like an eternity.
If you’d prefer to take in the views at a more leisurely rate, you can try the Holsteinturm
observation tower since it’s just a smidge shorter than Highlander.
Karnapulten is a Gerstlauer sky fly.
This user-controlled ride can offer dozens of flips if you patiently and rhythmically
throw your weight around to get that first flip.
You can then hold the fins to rapidly rotate for the remainder of the ride.
It’s shocking how fast you invert.
Then Space Scooter is a bizarre set of bumper cars.
The cars have good speed and power, but that’s not what makes this ride special.
Rather it’s the fact the cars are fit with laser guns.
The goal is to ride around the arena shooting at 9 different targets.
Whoever hits all 9 first is victorious.
I’ve never seen this feature on any other ride and it adds an extra element of chaos.
You can either try to win the race or pummel those who are.
One flat that unfortunately has been removed is Glocke.
This was a unique frisbee from Funtime where riders were seated inside a giant bell.
While it looked undeniably cool, it had terrible capacity.
When I rode it in 2019, I got a good cycle with plenty of floater airtime, but I heard
it has running much weaker in its final year.
One ride type this park sadly lacks is a dark ride.
While their newer coasters have dark ride elements, it would be neat to see what this
park could do with an entire ride full of themed sets.
I hope that’s something they’re considering in the future.
You do still have a tracked shooting ride.
You know those rides meant for kids where you mount a horse and ride along a track?
The one at Hansa Park gives riders guns to fire at targets, making it an enjoyable ride
for all ages.
Definitely look into trying Pony Post for that reason.
Beyond the rides, you have some active attractions.
You have plenty of playgrounds and giant trampolines.
Then you even have a ropes course that’s included with admission.
You also have some themed buildings, but none brings a bigger smile to my face than the
saloon that tells cowboys to scrape poop from their shoes…except they use a word more
vulgar than that.
They also have a handful of shows, but I can’t speak to their quality.
Due to the wait times, I have decided to prioritize the rides in my visits.
I can comment on the food since I’ve had a few meals here.
Food is very fairly priced at this park.
I love the pretzels sold near the front of the park.
Then I’ve had some good fish and chips over by the wave swinger.
One final note.
Not all the employees know English.
Some speak it.
But compare that to some of the country’s larger parks where most employees speak English.
That makes sense since Hansa Park is less of a tourist destination.
Just something to keep in mind if you’re coming from abroad.
So do I recommend Hansa Park?
I sure do!
This is a unique park that has a lot to offer.
The landscaping and theming are very impressive for a regional park.
This place is beautiful.
Then you have a strong ride lineup.
Karnan is an incredible coaster that should be on every enthusiast’s bucket list.
Then you have a diverse mix of supporting rides covering a wide range of categories
and thrill levels.
There truly is something for everyone here.
I suggest a full day here.
That’s enough time to hit the major rides and get a reride or two, but know you won’t
have time to experience everything between the hours and wait times.
The park really could use another high capacity coaster here to help with crowds.
So those are my thoughts on Hansa Park.
What are your thoughts on this weird German park?
Do you like the park?
Let me know down in the comments.
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