Plohn. The sun is shining. Frost and snow have transformed Freizeitpark Plohn into a frozen winter wonderland. The builders of VSTR Rodewisch can not be put off by this. They are about to build a tunnel underneath the western town and the foundations for the new Big Dipper "Dynamite" rollercoaster, which will be making its rounds here from 2019 with breathtaking screws, loops and overhead passages.
The spectacular ride from the manufacturer Mack Rides is the first of its kind in Germany. At 44 meters, it will also be the tallest roller coaster in East Germany and travel at speeds up to 100 kilometres per hour.
To make room for "Dynamite", the "Silver Mine" was removed, which was the park's first roller coaster. Also, the tracks of the Westerneisenbahn had to give way for the construction. Massive masses of earth were moved for the planned tunnel. After the floor slab, the tunnel walls have now been poured. In total, more than 200 tons of steel, including the foundations, have been installed.
"The foundations have to be built down to the existing rock, sometimes seven meters deep, each foundation has to be measured and planned individually," says Park Managing Director Lutz Müller. Twice, according to the VSTR developers, it was necessary to blow them up because the rock was too close to the surface. (haha actual Dynamite was used to build Dynamite!) All this makes the project more expensive. "We had expected 400,000 euros, now there are over a million," clarifies Park founder and co-CEO Arnfried Völkel. As a result, this new themed coaster will cost the theme park more than six million euros. Quality has its price.
This also applies to an audio animatronic that will tell the story of a gold find at the entrance of "Dynamite". "With all the extras, the figure costs around 33,000 euros," explains Arnfried Völkel, who with a lot of imagination and a dedicated team, has made the Freizeitpark Plohn since 1996 a Mecca for family excursionists.
