The 138-year-old Swedish theme park Gröna Lund plans to open its brand-new roller coaster, titled “Monster – King of Roller Coasters”, on April 24, 2021. The ride will be an inverted roller coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, a company that has created countless popular roller coasters such as Fury 325 at Carowinds and Batman: The Ride at various Six Flags theme parks.
The announcement of an opening date comes after three years of waiting for construction to be completed. The building of Monster, as well as an expansive refurbishment of one-third of the park, began in late 2017. Gröna Lund intended to complete the expansion in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted construction and pushed the opening date back to 2021.
Once the new roller coaster opens in April, it will be the largest ride Gröna Lund has ever built. Magnus Widell, CEO of Gröna Lund, shared some thoughts on the subject:
“This is by far the biggest and greatest ride in the history of Gröna Lund. The whole construction process was so extensive it started three years ago in the fall of 2017, long before the pandemic. With an entire year lost to Corona, it’s even more important to start the season of 2021 in the strongest possible way. And that’s exactly what we will do with a ride like Monster.”
The ride will indeed be a “monster” for the park. It stands 111 feet tall, is 2,296 feet long, reaches speeds of almost 56 mph, and features 3 inversions. That might not sound very impressive compared to other B&M inverted roller coasters, but its unique layout is sure to be a draw for park guests and coaster enthusiasts alike. It is the first B&M invert to not feature a vertical loop, and will instead focus on tight, low-to-the-ground turns and rolls.
Gröna Lund also unveiled a “story” behind the roller coaster. According to the park, the ride is based on an urban legend about construction on a subway station at the Stockholm waterfront. For unknown reasons, the construction workers abandoned the site and the station was never completed. Legend has it that some sort of creature–or “monster”–lives inside, and while Gröna Lund was building the roller coaster they re-discovered the abandoned station. Apparently, guests will enter the old station while boarding the roller coaster (spooky).
Monster — King of Roller Coasters opens April 24, 2021.
. . . . .
Andrew Krivsky’s Instagram (Editor): @krivsky.ac
Limitless Park 