With more than 6 million visitors annually, Europa-Park is one of the 20 most visited parks in the world. Its many rides are particularly popular, with the balloon ride being one of the most popular. After a renovation, the carousel, known as the "Liechtenstein Balloon Ride," reopened at a new location in the park in spring 2023. The flooring in this area was also replaced. Strong and Compact rides were laid in brown over a total area of 365 square meters. The robust and durable wood composite floorboards chosen by the amusement park operators will gradually replace all old wooden flooring in the outdoor area.

The Mack family's amusement park has existed since 1975. Located in the municipality of Rust, northwest of Freiburg, directly on the French border, they acquired the grounds of Balthasar Castle and the adjacent fairytale park. At that time, the site covered approximately 16 hectares. In its first year, 250,000 visitors were welcomed. Today, more than 6 million guests, both young and old, enjoy the 950,000 square meters (95 hectares) of amusement park annually.

Balloon ride enriches the Liechtenstein theme area

Over 40 years ago, in 1982 to be precise, Europa-Park began implementing a European themed concept. Italy was the first to be introduced. Europa-Park now encompasses 19 themed areas, including 16 European ones. One of these has now been dedicated to the Principality of Liechtenstein.

In this themed area, the "Liechtenstein Balloon Ride" attraction has been completely redesigned and features new balloons and an attractive and particularly stable floor made of WPC decking. First opened at a different location in 1996, the balloon ride has since become one of the park's most popular rides – especially among younger visitors. Since spring 2023, it has been shining in new splendor in the "Principality."

From the platform – newly covered with NaturinForm planks – guests board one of the colorful balloons and enjoy the fresh wind as they bob up and down. As part of this construction project, a walkway directly next to it was also equipped with Compact, a NaturinForm plank with the highest slip resistance class (R12/R13).

Robust WPC flooring ideal for heavily frequented areas

Since the park and all of its attractions are open almost year-round and thus exposed to significant weather fluctuations, WPC decking made from high-quality, slip-resistant wood composite material was the ideal flooring. "There are many wooden surfaces in the park that will now be gradually replaced with WPC decking," explains Christian Schätzle. The graduate engineer at MACK Solutions – this department is responsible for the turnkey overall design of the attractions and buildings at Europa-Park, from concept to implementation – continues: "The material is very robust and far more durable, yet less maintenance-intensive than wood. This is a particular advantage for heavily frequented rides." In the case of the "Liechtenstein Balloon Ride," for example, this means several thousand visitors per day.

However, long-term durability cannot be guaranteed for outdoor wooden surfaces due to extreme weather conditions such as sun, heat, or frost. Due to large temperature differences, the material will eventually begin to crack, and splinters may form. This is not the case with NaturinForm's high-quality WPC decking. Their material composition—a 70:30 ratio of wood fiber to polymer—significantly reduces moisture penetration. This makes WPC decking more slip-resistant than other wooden decking, which allows moisture to penetrate unhindered. This also prevents damage to the decking and ensures a particularly long service life. Both decking boards received the highest and second-highest slip resistance ratings (R13 and R12 according to DIN 51130) in a technical inspection by TÜV Rheinland. This is an invaluable advantage, especially for public spaces.

Another advantage of solid-colored wood composite floorboards is that they retain their color once they've fully matured. In contrast, natural wood continues to fade. This is unattractive over time and also requires significantly more maintenance.

High stability and complex installation for balloon flights

For the floor of the balloon ride, the brown Strong with its lightly brushed, wood-grained surface was chosen. Its advantages are both naturalness and stability. And with its 38-millimeter thickness, it is exceptionally load-bearing and versatile. This also offers a solution for spanning larger distances and particularly high loads, such as this heavily used area.

The hexagonal deck was fitted with custom-length planks of 4, 5, and 6 meters, without the complex construction of a load-bearing substructure. "The polygonal design with 16 identical, tapered surfaces was not exactly easy to implement," explains Christian Schätzle. "Our park's own installation team cut 16 x 57 boards of different lengths, precisely according to the design drawing. Each plank was then precisely mitered at the butt edges and then screwed to the existing substructure. The result looks fantastic and, in our opinion, was worth all the effort." A total of approximately 333 ^m²of planks were installed across the area.

Sure-footed boating fun

The Compactsolid plank in brown was used for the boat dock. It combines high functionality with a stylish wood plank look and offers the same advantages as the Strong plankfor heavy use. With an R12 slip resistance rating of its finely grooved, brushed surface, it provides a high level of surefootedness, which is particularly beneficial in wet conditions. The planks were installed in standard lengths of 4 meters, invisibly stapled, over an area of approximately 32 meters along the boat dock.

Easy-care and environmentally friendly in use and production

NaturinForm planks are not varnished or oiled; they are already factory-colored—a major advantage, especially in areas with high levels of use, such as the rides at Europa-Park. Dirt deposits can be removed with a high-pressure cleaner, as used there every morning before the rush of visitors. Unlike wooden planks treated with protective agents, NaturinForm products are also free from harmful substances. Unlike wood products, no environmentally harmful and health-damaging chemicals are required to maintain NaturinForm planks. No microplastics are washed out.

"After approximately one year of very intensive use of the decking for the "Liechtenstein Balloon Ride," we are very satisfied with the appearance and maintenance of the WPC decking from NaturinForm. This confirms that we made the right choice," says Christian Schätzle, drawing a positive conclusion after one year.

Fungicides and pesticides are also avoided in the production of the floorboards and facade profiles. Furthermore, all NaturinForm products are 100 percent recyclable. A dedicated return system takes them back after use and returns them to the manufacturing process. This ensures that the valuable raw materials can remain in the material cycle for more than 600 years.

NaturinForm offers products for DGNB-certified construction. All NaturinForm decking and facade profiles are subject to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) prepared in accordance with international standards. All products are subject to continuous quality controls and stress tests to ensure consistently flawless and first-class wood-based material quality. The company offers a five-year warranty on its products.