.gif)
Steam Carousel (Efteling)
Encyclopedia
The Steam Carousel is an attraction of the Efteling
amusement park
in the Netherlands
. It is an indoor carousel
situated in what is now known as the "Carousel Palace" (in Dutch
"Carrouselpaleis"; formerly "De Efteling Stoomcarrousel" ("Efteling Steam Carousel") and originally "Janvier's Stoomcaroussel" ("Janvier's Steam Carousel").
s, and has been operating in the park since 11 May 1956. Hendrik Janvier (1868-1932), considered to be the founding father of the salon carousel, sold the Carousel because of the high costs and declining income. Building the ride up took 4 days and it had to be transported with 25 train carriages and trucks.
Rumour has it that Anton Pieck
, the most important creative designer of Efteling, pushed for the purchase, because he rode the carousel as a child in Haarlem
.
There also is a bar area within the salon carousel. The area surrounding these carousels was normally used for entertainment, eating and dancing in past times.
In 1956 the carousel was the only attraction in the building, but in 1966 the Water Organ
, in 1971 the Diorama
and in 1972 the Victorian Theater were also set up in the Carousel Palace.
organ (only 5 remaining worldwide). The steps for mounting the horses and entering the gondola are fixed to the ride platform. The ride moves on a rail track under the platform, with cams to rock the animals and swing the gondolas.
Ride length: 2 minutes
Ride capacity: 750 passengers/ hour
Efteling
Efteling is the largest theme park in the Netherlands, and as it opened in 1952, it is one of the oldest theme parks in the world. Efteling is located in the town of Kaatsheuvel, in the municipality of Loon op Zand, and has received over 100 million visitors....
amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It is an indoor carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
situated in what is now known as the "Carousel Palace" (in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
"Carrouselpaleis"; formerly "De Efteling Stoomcarrousel" ("Efteling Steam Carousel") and originally "Janvier's Stoomcaroussel" ("Janvier's Steam Carousel").
History
The carousel, dating from 1895, was bought by Efteling from Hendrik Janvier, who had toured with it to local funfairFunfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
s, and has been operating in the park since 11 May 1956. Hendrik Janvier (1868-1932), considered to be the founding father of the salon carousel, sold the Carousel because of the high costs and declining income. Building the ride up took 4 days and it had to be transported with 25 train carriages and trucks.
Rumour has it that Anton Pieck
Anton Pieck
Anton Franciscus Pieck , a Dutch painter, artist and graphic artist...
, the most important creative designer of Efteling, pushed for the purchase, because he rode the carousel as a child in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
.
There also is a bar area within the salon carousel. The area surrounding these carousels was normally used for entertainment, eating and dancing in past times.
In 1956 the carousel was the only attraction in the building, but in 1966 the Water Organ
Water organ
The water organ or hydraulic organ is a type of pipe organ blown by air, where the power source pushing the air is derived by water from a natural source or by a manual pump...
, in 1971 the Diorama
Diorama (Efteling)
The Diorama is a miniature world in Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands. The highly detailed mountainous world, or Diorama, was designed by Anton Pieck and opened its doors in 1971, in honour of the 20th birthday of Efteling ....
and in 1972 the Victorian Theater were also set up in the Carousel Palace.
The ride
Although the mechanics are still visible, the carousel was only powered by a König steam centre engine (under license from Savages) until the 1970s; nowadays it is powered by electricity. The seats of the carousel are in the form of animals, such as 22 Hübner horses and 2 Karl Müller carved pigs (with clown thumbing his nose at the riders behind), and 4 carved Moulina gondolas and coaches, all turning to the music of an original GavioliGavioli
Gavioli & Cie were a Franco–Italian organ builder company that manufactured fairground organs in both Italy and later France.Gavioli was founded in 1806 in Modena, Italy, by Giacomo Gavioli . Giacamo's hobby was the development of automatic playing musical instruments like bird organs and flute...
organ (only 5 remaining worldwide). The steps for mounting the horses and entering the gondola are fixed to the ride platform. The ride moves on a rail track under the platform, with cams to rock the animals and swing the gondolas.
Ride length: 2 minutes
Ride capacity: 750 passengers/ hour