HarzVenture to Develop New Media Attraction in Bad Harzburg, Germany
The story of the new media ride will focus on the escape of King Henry IV from the Harzburg. Photo: Courtesy of Attraktion! GmbH
(eap) In the Lower Saxon spa town of Bad Harzburg (Goslar district), a new media attraction for visitors and tourists is scheduled to open near the HarzWaldHaus museum in spring 2024. Behind the project is HarzVenture GmbH headed by Holger Kolb and his wife Eva-Christin Ronkainen-Kolb, who already operate other tourist destinations on the Burgberg, such as the Baumwipfelpfad Harz (Harz treetop trail), the BaumSchwebeBahn Harz (Harz treetop flyline) and the SKYROPE high ropes course (see EAP 4/2022). The Kur-, Tourismus- und Wirtschaftsbetriebe (KTW) of the city of Bad Harzburg and the company Bocksberg-Invest are also involved in the project.
Right next to the valley station of the Burgberg cable car, a new building is currently under construction that will house the new media attraction in the future. This is being realized in collaboration with the Austrian company Attraktion!, which is implementing its Circulum 360 Mini Darkride model here (based on the Circulum 360 product). The theme of the attraction’s animated film will be the story surrounding the comic strip “Hickhack um die Harzburg” by historian and author Dr Thomas Dahms, which deals with the escape of King Henry IV from the Harzburg. The CGI film content is also produced by Attraktion! in its own studio. The principle of the attraction is based on the rotation of a platform placed in the center of the facility and equipped with seats around its own axis, during which the view of various scenes is released. The 360-degree rotation is combined with a 360-degree projection and 3-DOF motion. Both on- and off-board special effects such as vibration, airblast, water spray and wind can add to the experience.
In the EU-funded project in Bad Harzburg, which has a total investment volume of two million euros, the seats will be oriented in one direction, with side walls obscuring the view of the other scenes that are not currently being approached (see photo). In total, there will be three scenes in this installation. In addition to projections, theming elements and backdrops will also be used (supplied by the Bielefeld company Playlife). The dark ride experience, consisting of a preshow and the main show, will last a total of 15 minutes. The attraction will be complemented by a ticket store and an F&B offer. ■
