Merlin’s New Attraction Highlights Berlin History
Merlin Entertainments premiered its newest family entertainment brand, Little Big City, in the heart of Berlin, Germany. Located beneath Berlin’s landmark TV Tower, it is a new twist on a miniature city and presents historical events and the people who shaped Berlin from medieval to modern times.
The attraction showcases the capital’s iconic architecture, from the Brandenburg Gate to the Berlin Wall. The largest exhibit is the Reichstag, which is “set alight” with projections simulating the fire that burned down the building in 1933.
Visitors also have the opportunity to see through Berliners’ eyes. The Merlin Magic Making team populated the city with more than 5,000 individuals, each of whom has real-life stories to tell. The diminutive residents include royalty, celebrities, infamous bank-robbing brothers, a pioneering aviator, and inhabitants who tried to escape over the Berlin Wall.
“We are delighted to bring this amazing new interactive attraction to Berlin,” says Anja Nitsch, Little Big City Berlin’s general manager. “We are bringing guests closer than ever before to this great city by incorporating incredible technology and state-of-the-art effects in a way that will surely delight, educate, and, more importantly, entertain.”
This is Merlin’s fifth attraction in Berlin, following Madame Tussauds, Legoland Discovery Centre, Sea Life, and The Dungeon.
Poland’s Legendia to Open Dark Ride
Polish theme park Legendia is hoping for a monster hit when its new interactive dark ride, “Bazyliszek” (“Basilisk”), debuts in spring 2018.
Alterface and Jora Vision are combining their respective interactive ride technology and design and production skills to create the attraction for the park in Silesia. Ben Cornet, founder and CEO of Alterface, says they were “enjoying crafting this new ride experience.” It blends folklore-inspired theming with technologies including video mapping, show control, shooting devices, and animatronics.
Visitors will become part of the Monster Hunters Guild, fending off fearsome creatures during a four-minute ride through ancient villages, caves, forests, and ruins. The quest culminates in an encounter with the beastly Basilisk, based on Polish legends.
The dark ride will beef up Legendia’s rides lineup and follows the launch of the “Lech Coaster” this year. Both fit into Legendia’s upgrading strategy, based on a masterplan for the park (formerly known as Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko) created by Jora Vision in 2015.