Europa-Park opens the Swiss-themed area in 1985. The highlight: the Swiss Bob Run. A track without a guiding track! However, there were some initial difficulties that had to be overcome here.

After three years of planning, the 'Pirates in Batavia' ride opened in 1987 in the Dutch themed area. Stage designer Ulrich Damrau helped develop the impressive story behind it. In the same year, Franz Mack's son Jürgen joins the family business and heads the entertainment division, which quickly becomes the flagship of Europa-Park.

Shortly afterwards, Europa-Park's new landmark follows: Eurosat in the France themed area. The dark rollercoaster was designed and conceptualised by Franz Mack himself. In a way that is hard to imagine today!

In the years that followed, the Panorama Café revolving theatre became another landmark, fjord rafting became very popular in 1991 and the Scandinavian themed area opened in 1992. This was followed by the Spanish themed area and the Valais Village, which was opened in the presence of Valais State Councillor Wilhelm Schnyder.

When it became clear that one day at Europa-Park was not enough to see everything, the planning of the first hotel began. Hotel 'El Andaluz' is the beginning of a success that the Mack family could not have imagined at the time.

Take a look at the past and the success story of the family business in the third instalment of the series 'The Europa-Park Story'.

Published on: 20.01.2022