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Eröffnung des Voletarium mit großem Feuerwerk

Development of the Voletarium

From Project V to a World First

To assure that the real name and the story of the Voletarium is kept a secret until the opening, the project is only referred to as 'Project V'. Crew jackets for the production team show the Project V logo on the back.

For Project V, a fictional institution, a place where hundreds of years ago the most genius and bizarre aircrafts were invented, was created. Voletarium, the true name of the institution was announced with the start of the season 2017.

The Voletarium lets the dream of flying come true! Learn more about the history of this unique attraction, from the development of the architecture to the storytelling and the production of the film.

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The art of architecture

Voletarium Inspiration

Building inspiration

At the beginning there is inspiration and a lot of research. A whole range of different artistic impressions grow into ideas and we are allowed to dream. The beautiful buildings and surroundings create a special atmosphere. The details on the buildings are telling a story. When the creative visionaries at MACK Solutions, Europa-Park’s design department, begin a project they first study and research massive amounts of references. Such can be architectural drawings, photos, films and even location scouts.

The design of the attraction building aimed to be modelled on a large, historic and European city building, which would also have an imposing effect and shape the overall image. Buildings like the town halls in Manchester and Bremen or the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam were a significant inspiration.
The general aim of the research is to obtain as many impressions as possible and to develop new ideas. It also serves to create a database of references, which later helps to communicate ideas better.

Voletarium Entwurf

Dreaming in bricks

After all the research is done our design team members begin dreaming up their own buildings. In this phase there are no limits. The goal is to get many different ideas on paper, to find the best ideas and to shape them into a clear and focused design intention that everybody can agree to.

Many existing styles are mixed and matched to create a new yet recognisable architectural style.

Voletarium Skizze

Creating atmosphere

Not only the design, but also the atmosphere, the living space that the buildings create, is visualised by MACK Solutions. Specially created mood drawings, so-called 'moods', help to develop a feel for the project.

Early design illustrations depict a town hall for the main building, an idea that was later abandoned in favor of the Voletarium institut. Close-up sketches are rendered for getting a better feeling of the environments. Specific questions such as “where can you purchase tickets?” or general questions as “will the idea hold up in detail?” are answered. No matter how outrageous an idea, in this phase everything is allowed. Sketching a blueprint and planning the layout is also essential to this phase. This creates an overview of the space and helps identify all the different areas for designing.

Voletarium Skizze

Turnin ideas into reality

Now that a design has been agreed upon, the designers at MACK Solutions furnish final detailed drawings with accurate measurements that serve as templates for construction.

The building for the flying theater is not only beautiful but also one of Europa-Parks largest show buildings. At 15 meters height and 62 meters length it elegantly houses the attractions two giant, dome-shaped cinemas.

Voletarium Lageplan

Constructing the building

Now engineers come into the process, calculate weight, wind resistance, material durability, how many tons of concrete are needed, how long it will take to build, how much it will cost.

When all the requirements are implemented a blue print for the builders is created and construction can begin.

Buildings are rendered from every direction, construction and safety codes are applied. In this phase all final design choices are made, every detail is illustrated. Floor plans show the layouts and floor designs.

In addition to looking beautiful an attraction building must fulfil countless requirements. Things such as exits, toilets, air conditioning, heating, lighting, power, fire department codes, safety codes and acoustics must be considered and planned.

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The art of storytelling

Die Brüder Eulenstein in ihrer Werkstatt

A world full of stories

The Voletarium is part of a much larger story world that can be experienced across several attractions. It is the story world of the 'Adventure Club of Europe'. The ACE is a European secret society that was founded in 1716 and has made it its mission to explore and explain the unknown and mysterious.

For centuries, people have dreamed of flying. Numerous attempts were launched by intrepid engineers and aviation pioneers to make this dream come true.

Die Brüder Eulenstein in der Eingangshalle

The story comes to life

In order to be able to tell the dream of flying, two brothers were developed as the main characters who pursued this dream together: the Eulenstein brothers. From 1817 to 1825 they were members of the Adventure Club of Europe.

First concept sketches of the interior of the institute were rendered.
The goal was to create a warm and aristocratic feel for the room.

Artwork der Voletarium Eingangshalle

Dreaming up a story

One of the first story concepts revolved around seven old and wise men and women who had invented a mysterious flying machine at the time. The stork was to be their emblem. However, this idea was dropped because it was not possible to tell the stories of seven characters in the queueing area of the attraction.

The theme of flying was decided, as was the idea of a mysterious flying machine.
The story now needed a place where the dream of flying could come true.

Originally, the attraction was called 'Flying Over Europe', which is now the title of the first film. It was decided not to limit the attraction to one theme, so that other films could also be shown in the future. Because of this, a wide-ranging concept and a suitable story were needed.

Das Design der Wände im Voletarium

Final designs

Every detail is important to make the story of the brothers credible.
The Institute's queuing area is as entertaining as the attraction itself.
Countless hours and numerous revisions were needed until the designs of the respective rooms were perfect. The 'winged V' can be found throughout the institute: on tiles, windows, emblems and coats of arms.

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The first flight theory

The Adventure Club of Europe commissioned Professor Andrej Nikolajew to prove definitively whether or not the reclusive Eulenstein brothers in 1825 had already carried out the first manned flight. Did they really fly before the Wright brothers?

Watch all the episodes of the story now on VEEJOY:

To the videos

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The art of movie making

Onride-Aufnahme des Voletarium im Themenbereich Deutschland

Location, location, location

The famous quote not only applies to real estate but also to the making of a “fly-over” film. Many different locations from all across Europe were considered for filming until 14 destinations were decided upon. The final selection was based on accessibility, safety and variance.

Previs des Films "Fly over Europe"

Previs – making the movie before the movie

Previs means pre-visualization, a process used to digitally make a demo of the film to see what works and what doesn’t.
The entire film “Flying over Europe” was first created digitally and tested until every shot was agreed upon.

Filmdreh für das Flying Theatre

Lights, camera, action

Shooting a “Fly-over” film is technically very challenging. Several cameras must be mounted together to create an image large enough for projection.

During filming, drones were the preferred method when the camera had to fly close to objects or close above the ground.

Voletarium

See final attraction

The dream of flying becomes reality

Im Flying Theatre Voletarium entdeckt man Europa

The Voletarium - The attraction

Would you like to experience the Voletarium at Europa Park for yourself? The feeling of flying is experienced in two gigantic cinema halls with nine freely moving gondolas. Find out more about the attraction now!

To the attraction

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The fun mobile game
Voletarium: Sky Explorers

Don't just dream of flying... become a Sky Explorer and explore the skies

App Voletarium: Sky Explorers
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