The Oath of Kärnan
| Kärnan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hansa Park | |
| Location | Hansa Park |
| Coordinates | 54°04′37″N 10°46′48″E / 54.0769°N 10.78°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | July 1, 2015 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Gerstlauer |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Hypercoaster |
| Track layout | Terrain |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 239.5 ft (73.0 m) |
| Drop | 219.8 ft (67.0 m) |
| Length | 4,051.8 ft (1,235.0 m) |
| Inversions | 1 |
| Max vertical angle | 90° |
| Height restriction | 51 in (130 cm) |
| Trains | 4 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 16 riders per train. |
| Kärnan at RCDB | |
Kärnan (also known as Oath of Kärnan ("Schwur des Kärnan")) is a steel roller coaster at Hansa Park, located in Sierksdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, the roller coaster is both the only full-circuit hypercoaster with inversions in Europe, as well as the second tallest roller coaster in Europe.[1] It is also the first roller coaster ever to have a "reverse freefall" drop on the lift hill.
History
Kärnan was first announced by Hansa Park in November 2013, following an extensive planning and development stage. Gerstlauer were chosen to manufacture the coaster, Kärnan being their first installation over 200-foot (61 m) in height. It will also be the third consecutive Gerstlauer coaster to feature in the park, following Fluch von Novgorod and Die Schlange von Midgard.[2]
Construction began on the tower element that will house the vertical lift hill in April 2014, with the tower itself being topped off in September 2014. Hansa Park confirmed that the coaster will feature a dark ride section with an inversion. Kärnan also has a 30-meter vertical reverse freefall drop during the vertical lift, a world first on a full-circuit roller coaster.
Karnan officially opened to the public on 1 July 2015, pending further addition of theming which will be completed by 2016.[3]
Characteristics
Trains
Kärnan operates with 16 seat trains, laid out in 4 rows of 4, with lapbar restraints. These are the same trains and restraints as found on Gerstlauer's Infinity Coasters, such as Karacho at Tripsdrill.[1]
Theme
Kärnan's theme is based around the real life medieval tower, Kärnan, found in Helsingborg, Sweden.
References
- ^ a b "Kärnan Hansa Park minisite". Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ "Hansa Park Opening Hypercoaster in 2015". Coaster101. Coaster 101. November 22, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- ^ "Pure thrills: In Sierksdorf is Germany's highest roller coaster". Sat.1 Regional. Sat.1 Regional. July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.