Amusement Park Plohn

The weather in April (probably thanks to climate change) was already quite warm, so we planned a visit to Plohn Amusement Park for a Sunday. With around 18 degrees, it wasn’t too hot, and thanks to light cloud cover, the sun didn’t scorch us. Nathalie and I had already been there once in 2017 (and I a few times in my childhood), but the park is, of course, in a constant state of change, so there’s always something new to see.

The amusement park is located in Saxony, about 25 minutes’ drive south of Greiz, my hometown. We’ve often passed by it when traveling towards the Ore Mountains. This time, we invited René and Dominik along. We took the train from Weimar to Greiz and then drove to Plohn in my mother’s car. It felt almost nostalgic, like our past trip to the Polish Baltic Sea. On the way, I convinced the group to do a “choreography” for the log flume ride. On the internet, you can find many funny photos of people playing chess or building a card house during various amusement park rides (of course, staged). I knew we couldn’t take such things into the log of the flume ride, but we could come up with specific poses. More on that later…

Upon arriving at the amusement park, it wasn’t very crowded yet, and most of the parking spaces were still empty. We went to the entrance and got in right away with our online tickets. Right behind the entrance, you can already see the water ride “Fluch des Teutates” on the left. I initially thought it was the log flume, but since we planned to explore the park counterclockwise, we quickly turned right towards Dinoland. Along the way, we passed the goat castle “Sieben Geißlein” and the magic fountain. Nathalie showed off her talent as a virtuoso here.

Upon arriving in Dinoland, we first boarded a raft for a round trip to admire the friendly dinosaurs. After that, we headed to the prehistoric village in the middle of Dinoland, where there’s a freefall tower. Nathalie did a good job convincing me, despite my fear of heights, to go on it. In fact, the tower was only about 10 meters high and was quickly braked during the fall… still, I always felt uneasy when it went up, spun around, and there was no railing or anything in front of me. After that, we could have theoretically gone paddle boating, but since we had just been on the raft, we decided to return to that attraction later.

Next, we headed towards the center of the park, passing by the dragon and the fairy tale forest (probably the oldest attractions in the park). We even listened to a few of the stories. In the middle of the park stands a large Wild West town. This used to have cowboy riding shows with carriages (when I visited there as a child), but for several years now, it has been home to the indoor roller coaster “Das Geheimnis von Gold Creek City.” I personally find it a bit of a shame (because the show used to be quite cool), but the roller coaster was also pretty cool, especially since I could handle it despite my fear of heights, as it’s inside a building and doesn’t involve plunging into depths or doing other “dangerous” things—though it is still fast. It just took a while to find the indoor roller coaster, as it was hidden in a side passage within the building to “Miniwah.”

Afterwards, we headed to the upper part of the park. Here, you’ll find the “Holzmichl-Villa” and the “Crazy House,” where you can climb around and take on small challenges. Nathalie, of course, rushed in first, while we followed and managed to overcome all the obstacles as well.

Behind that, along the park’s walkway, is Germany’s largest treehouse (at least that’s what it’s called) and the slide “Wilde Sau.” In fact, I was the first one to go up with Nathalie and a rug in hand, as I remembered the slide from my childhood. However, sliding down didn’t feel as positive as I had hoped. Since I was much taller and heavier than the others, the bumps in the slide actually made me feel a bit airborne, which was somewhat uncomfortable. (Note from Nathalie: Then it was even funnier for you!)

Next was the wooden roller coaster “El Toro,” but only Nathalie rode it because the rest of our group was too scared. The roller coaster has been around for a long time and impresses not only with its speed but also with its height—definitely not for everyone. We agreed to meet at the bottom of the ride, where the exit was. There, Nathalie, of course, raved about how great the ride was. The wooden roller coaster runs right behind the log flume, but since we knew the flume would get us quite “wet,” we decided to save it for last. The complex also houses the “Geistermühle,” which we visited. The haunted house wasn’t really frightening… but with suddenly appearing giant rats, spiders, and shaking ceilings, it was atmospheric.

Next, we headed to the left side of the park, where we passed a few animal enclosures. At the area with the many restaurants, Nathalie managed to convince me to ride the family roller coaster “Plohseidon.” Since it wasn’t very high and you could see its tracks and curves from the outside, I agreed to go on it. Afterwards, the four of us went on “Plohnis Tauchfahrt,” which turned out to be a small indoor ride with an underwater theme.

Throughout our walk around the park, we had been wondering where the “bull riding” was. When we headed back towards the center, we found it in a barn. Nathalie went on first (as always) and, thanks to her experience from horseback riding school, managed to stay on for quite a while. I went on next and, admittedly, didn’t manage to stay on as long. When René went up as the third rider, another person operating the bull came and quickly increased the difficulty levels. I would have liked to record René as well, but he didn’t want a video, so only a few (very cool) photos were taken. Finally, it was Dominik’s turn. Despite the difficulty being at its highest level, he actually stayed on the bull the longest compared to the others. So, he was the theoretical winner, even though the “bull rides” couldn’t be directly compared.

After we had more or less made a loop around the park, we wanted to head back to Dinoland to catch the paddle boat ride. On the way, we passed by “Jet Ski Dazzling Dan’s Fuselschleuder,” which we had seen earlier and looked quite cool. However, a line had already formed there, and we would have had to wait at least one round… but now the line had grown even longer. Park guests were spread out across the entire bridge, so we would have had to wait at least 30 minutes or more. So, we decided to skip this attraction. We also passed by “Big Dipper Coaster Dynamite” – one of the newest, largest, and most “dangerous” roller coasters. It plunges headfirst into a chasm and includes loops. Nathalie’s eyes were shining, but since this roller coaster was an absolute no-go for the rest of the group, this attraction was also skipped.

Nonetheless, Nathalie got her way when we arrived at Plohnis Pilzflieger, a classic chain carousel. It wasn’t anything earth-shattering, but I still had to overcome my fear of heights here as well.

Back in Dinoland, we rented a pedal boat. Dominik and I sat in the back while René and Nathalie pedaled and steered at the front. The lake is connected to the one from the raft ride, but you don’t end up on the same side. However, you still have to be careful not to hit the riverbank or other pedal boaters. René and Nathalie seemed to have so much fun that we made several laps around the different islands. Dominik and I, on the other hand, sat in the back and played on our smartphones.

Finally, it was time: we were ready to tackle the log flume. My suggestion for a choreography was that each of us should do the “Dab” pose (famous from Thaddäus) and ideally alternate between left and right. The others didn’t like that idea much. Another suggestion was the “Titanic” pose. So, I would be at the front playing Rose with a T-pose while Nathalie hugged and held me from behind. Nathalie was particularly supportive of this because she knew how wet you get on the ride. About 5 years ago, we had been to Plohn just the two of us, and I had used Nathalie as a shield — now she wanted to get her revenge. The only question was: what would René and Dominik do? They decided to form a heart with their hands to complement the romantic Titanic scene.
Once everything was planned, we boarded and had to leave our backpacks behind (as mentioned, you couldn’t smuggle in a glued-together chess set or similar). The log was quite cramped — especially for me, as I was supposed to sit at the front. Nathalie was almost squeezed behind me, while René and Dominik had a bit more space behind them. You could tell that the log was designed so that smaller people sit at the front and larger ones at the back (to ensure everyone gets equally wet). As the ride started, and we encountered a small drop halfway through for a test, we were able to practice our choreography, and it seemed to work. As I had suspected, I was already completely soaked after the first drop because I caught almost all the water at the front.
But it didn’t matter… shortly after, we faced the really big climb, where the photo is taken during the descent. We all got ready and struck our pose… and… and… failed! Because after about 1 meter, the slide dropped so steeply that everyone except Nathalie (who was already holding onto me) had to cling to the edge of the log. The resulting photo was hilariously funny. Of course, we bought the photo afterward and were pleasantly surprised that it only cost 4€ and came with a download link for the digital version. In comparable attractions at other parks, it would have been significantly more expensive.

We were supposed to head home after that, but Nathalie managed the impossible and convinced me to ride the wooden roller coaster “El Toro” with her one more time. Having already braved the family roller coaster “Plohseidon,” the indoor roller coaster “Das Geheimnis von Gold Creek City,” “Plohnis Pilzflieger,” and the freefall tower in Dinoland, I was ready to take on this one as well. At least the wooden roller coaster looked very similar to the indoor one and didn’t have any inversions or loops (unlike the “Big Dipper Coaster Dynamite”).
René and Dominik stayed behind, where we had previously waited as a group of three. When we arrived at the top, many other park guests were already waiting. It was amusing to see a young girl (under 10 years old?) being turned away because she was too small for the roller coaster seats, and then starting to cry in front of the ride entrance. What a shame it must be for René and Dominik, seeing even a small girl ride the coaster while they didn’t. Nathalie told me she would have reacted the same way as a little girl.
At the very start of the roller coaster, you’re pulled up very high and then immediately plunge down at top speed into the tunnels. After that come various tight curves and hills that would throw you out of the ride if you weren’t securely strapped in (unlike how I was nearly thrown from the slide “Wilde Sau”). During the whole ride, I held on tightly to the safety bar while Nathalie just had her arms raised. You can see that on the photo, which we, of course, took home as well.

The day was slowly winding down, and we walked the last few meters on the left side of the park. There, behind a fence, we could see a new attraction being set up that wasn’t yet on the park map. It looked like a scrapyard with an apocalyptic vibe (like Mad Max). I could imagine that in the future, a similar show might be presented here as in “Ein verrückter Drehtag” at Filmpark Babelsberg — featuring stunts and car chases in front of an audience. We also passed by some strange signs with odd and outdated sayings. Nathalie found them so absurd and out of touch that she took a few photos of them. After that, we only had the fallow deer enclosure left, where we saw some deer and a llama.

Back at the beginning of the park, we also saw the “Fluch des Teutates” — the log flume that I had confused with the wild water ride earlier. This one is relatively new to the park as well. The ride has a “Village of the Gauls” theme, and you can recognize various characters that are presumably from “Asterix,” though they can’t be named that due to licensing reasons. Since it was practically the last attraction, we decided to try it out.

The boats are circular and have 4 wide seats, accommodating ideally 4 to 8 people. At the start, like a roller coaster, the boat is lifted up high — 20 meters according to the signage — allowing a good view of the rest of the park. Instead of a steep and fast drop, there’s just a gentle descent, and you float down a 360-meter-long trough in circles. Compared to the other roller coasters, it was a joke, but it was a pleasant “calm” way to end our visit to the park (or start, if you had begun with it).

After about 4 hours, we were out of the park and quite hungry. Of course, we could have eaten in the park (there were plenty of restaurants and snack bars), but the urge to move on to the next attraction was stronger. So, we drove to the “Grillhaus Lengenfeld” in the late afternoon. This was ideal because it was just a few minutes’ drive from the park and is known for having some of the best sausages (in Saxony). In the past, on our way to the Erzgebirge, we often stopped here. Nathalie, being vegan, had planned ahead and packed her own food. Afterward, we drove back to Greiz and then took the train back to Weimar.

The day was really packed but so much fun. Nathalie, René, and Dominik all agreed. None of them had known the amusement park before, and they were all pleasantly surprised by it (Nathalie included, from our first visit five years ago). I also find it interesting that the park is not just designed for families with children, but also offers some larger attractions for everyone. I’m always amazed at how the “small” fairy-tale forest that the park apparently started out as has grown into such a large facility. While some attractions do seem a bit outdated here and there, the charm of the park and its new additions make up for it. Even during our visit, we saw at least three construction sites where new attractions were being built. It’s definitely worth checking out the park every few years.