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[2024] Geisterschloss Renovation

Wow, I can’t believe I missed the watchman, twice on my recent rides on Geisterschloss. Then again I remember there being an extra shadow maybe.

I first rode this in 2016 and remember being somewhat mesmerised by the attraction, given its spooky theme and similarities with the long gone Wicked Witches Haunt (formerly Phantom Phantasia) at Thorpe Park. An attraction as such began my obsession with dark rides.

Having watched numerous older POVs recentl, it seems the attraction had better character and ambience in earlier carnations (especially the 90’s). The happy family additions which must’ve been added around my first trip certainly appear to have done the most damage to the original attraction.

Geisterschloss just needs a full-on reimagining, somewhere between the likes of Piccolo Mondo and Pirates In Batavia. A Modernisation whilst upkeeping the spooky theme and character. The token add-ons and some Haunted Mansion stuff could go.

A significant update needs to be the next project (if not already) once Croatia and Re-imagined Austria are complete.
 
As everyone has been saying above, Geisterschloss has been a long-standing incoherent mess that finally ought to be resolved alongside any fire risk reduction. Even aside from the fact that EP have allowed years of putting any old rubbish into the ride though, it seems like a decision is now really needed on what it ought to be.

I'd argue that the ride should be separated from a showman's touring ghost train by more than just the ride system and being in a permanent location. Instead of housing a motley collection of vaguely macabre tat, the focus ought to be on building something atmospheric and tonally cohesive, and if it doesn't outright tell a story then it at least ought to indicate that there's some underlying narrative used as a basis to determine what riders see.

I've long thought that if the ride offered an experience and feel consistent with the spiral up round the ballroom scene, where for a brief moment a lid is put on the gruesome factor and you watch the characters quietly gliding round the piano to sombre but memorable music, it would be a dramatically better attraction. I'm certainly not going to claim the scene is anything amazing, particularly given how low tech the 'dancing' is, but nonetheless it's probably the only scene in the ride that stands a chance of making you think there perhaps ought to be a reason why what you're seeing is happening. I find it interesting that in the 1996 on-ride video Dan linked to when he started this topic, this scene still stands out with the same or similar music, and also seems to have been left alone fairly well compared to most of the ride (yes, I know the Spook Me cast are still in there). That makes me wonder if there is at least some recognition that this is one of the ride's strong points.

The way the park seems to give anything it can an Adventure Club of Europe tie-in story now makes me think there's a high likelihood of Geisterschloss receiving a new or updated narrative too. As they say though, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and there's no guarantee of there being any improvements inside the ride to go with that unless EP finally decides to let go of some of the ride's contents and starts filling a skip or two. If they don't? Well, there are still plenty of excellent puddings in the surrounding areas to spend my time on instead, both metaphorical and literal!
 
It’s definitely in need of gutting and rebuilding as well as sorting out any fire risk. Maybe if they hadn’t had the Diamond mine fire it would be imminent?

It’s a tired ride with obvious Disney plagerism done badly and a fire would be devastating based on its inter connectivity with so many other building's. Based on the quality of the recent dark rides I think they could make a really special experience to replace Geister.
 
Since the fire resistance works are confirmed to be taking place, and there’s been talk for a few years of a refurb for the ride itself, one would assume they’d be done together since said fire related works will surely be disruptive enough to require some moving/protection of the ride’s system and theming.
 
And if they are refurbing, they might as well upgrade the ride system. I imagine they'll just go for it.
 
Dave said:
Maybe if they hadn’t had the Diamond mine fire it would be imminent?
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Given they had previously been happy to hold off knowing the issues, and currently having Voltron, Austria and Valerian projects ongoing I imagine was it not for the Diamond mine fire bringing the risk to the fore we would actually be waiting longer as opposed to it happening now.
 
Spotted on epfriends.de, Geisterschloss will be closed until summer 2024:

index.php


Translation as follows: "Currently, the famous haunted castle in the Italian-themed area is undergoing a major renovation. The scenes will be renovated and the existing animatronics will be reworked. The reopening is planned for the summer of 2024".

So it sounds like they are doing more than just fire proofing work, which is good news. There is so much to look forward to at Europa-Park in 2024!
 
AstroDan said:
The investment currently is mind blowing.
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It really is crazy to think that on top of a new coaster + themed area, we are getting a complete Diamond Mine overhaul and a dark ride refurbishment. Granted their arm was twisted a little, but at other parks you would excuse them being down for at least a year!
 
Considering how sudden this is I suspect they have been pushed into accelerating any plans they already had because of the fire risk.

Not complaining though. Let’s face it if the same thing happened at a Merlin park they would just close the ride.
 
This is fantastic news for two reasons:

1. A product of its time acting as both Disney pastiche and fairground ghost train sans Pretzel, Geisterschloss doesn't stand out in the park's current line up (for me). It's a beloved attraction by many but, whilst it's all well and good adding in new scenes, adding/rehoming animatronics and Monster Family/Spook Me! IPs, Geisterschloss has required a major renovation for decades and it's awful it's taken two major fires to get to this point.

The park must ensure the fire risks are as low as possible and ensure its longevity for the next 50 years, so if that means reworking or removing a few scenes or tearing everything but the track out then so be it. l don't expect the ride to become narratively coherent via Medici family curse or something brand new and take out the IPs entirely. Nor do I expect the park's creative team to flex into all out silly weird spooky territory to make Geisterschloss truly unique beyond unrelated vignettes and nostalgic obligations. But it would be great fun if they did.

2. It's currently one of my least favourite dark rides on park, so I'm grateful to not ride it next visit.
 
yeah they certainly were not wanting to spend this much money this season - but with this forced on them, Alpenexpress' fire, and Voltron and Eurosat VR being delayed a year - this is certainly going to be a blockbuster season for the park unlike any other!
The Geisterschloss plans have existed for some years waiting which has likely helped them to turn it around as quickly as they can rather than have a season without the ride.

Very intrigued to see what they do. Hopefully its just as good as Freundenreich, CanCan and Batavia! Have high hopes.
 
This is certainly the news we’ve been waiting and hoping for.

Geisterschloss has been crying out for a major refurbishment for years, to remove the tacky shoehorned Easter eggs and fire proof this ageing attraction.

I’m not expecting an immaculate refresh, but something that can make it more cohesive and enhance the iconic station and ballroom scenes.

24 is looking to be one year for Europa.
 
Great news! It always looked kinda random and cheap in its later years, but it actually looked quite atmospheric during the 80s and 90s, let's hope this project gives them the chance to restore this classic back to its former glory. I think Europa have learnt after 2 major fires that they can't risk losing anymore of their classic attractions from them.
 
I expect there’s too much nostalgia for the family to change the ride beyond recognition, but I really hope for a significant refresh to make the ride much more coherent.

As others have said, at the moment it is a hotch-potch of different technologies from different eras, with different finishes, themes and narratives - all of which has been overlaid onto the original slightly misinterpreted facsimile of Haunted Mansion. I’m not sure how fixable that is without a significant alteration.

I’m intrigued to see the outcome.
 
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