Legoland Billund Resort

Legoland Billund Resort

Location	Billund, Denmark
Coordinates	55°44′8″N9°7′34″E / 55.73556°N 9.12611°E / 55.73556; 9.12611
Opened	7 June 1968;56 years ago (7 June 1968)
Owner	Merlin Entertainments
Operating season	March – December
Attendance	1.95 million (2019)
Area	14 ha (35 acres)
Attractions
Total	50
Roller coasters	4
Water rides	3
Website	www.legoland.dk/en/

Legoland Billund Resort (also known as Legoland Denmark), the original Legoland park, opened on 7 June 1968 in Billund, Denmark. The park is located next to the original Lego factory and Billund Airport, Denmark's second-busiest airport. Over 1.9 million guests visited the park in 2011, and 50 million guests have visited the park since it opened. This makes Legoland the largest tourist attraction in Denmark outside Copenhagen. The Legoland parks that have since been built are modelled upon Legoland Billund, most noticeably the Miniland area, which is made up of millions of plastic Lego bricks.

History

Entrance gates (1968)

The Lego company, led by Ole Kirk Christiansen, introduced plastic toys alongside their existing wooden toy line in 1949 after purchasing one of the first injection moulding machines in 1947. ^{[1] : 10} One son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen (GKC), was named the managing director of the family business in 1957 shortly before his father died and just two years later he bought out his three brothers. ^{[1] : 20} In the 1960s, GKC decided to open a 14-acre (5.7 ha) Legoland Park adjacent to the Lego factory in Billund to promote his toy business; the factory itself was already drawing approximately 20,000 visitors per year by the mid-1960s, who came to view models produced for trade shows and shops. ^{[1] : 49   [2]} GKC hired Arnold Boutrop as the park's first general director and designer; after visiting Madurodam, the two men began finalizing plans for what would become Miniland, the main attraction of Legoland. ^{[1] : 49} Dagny Holm, a cousin of GKC trained as a sculptor who was hired as a model designer in 1961 ^[2] is credited with much of the original design and building of Miniland. ^{[1] : 50} The park became an instant success, with 625,000 visitors in its first abbreviated season after opening on 7 June 1968. ^{[1] : 56}

Over the years, Legoland Billund has added many original models and rides. The park, which has now been expanded to cover 45 acres (18 ha), is divided into nine themed areas, including Duplo Land, Imagination Zone, LEGOREDO Town, Adventure Land, Lego City, Knight's Kingdom, Mini Land, Pirate Land, and Polar Land.

Miniland in Legoland Billund (1968)

Today, Legoland Billund is the most visited tourist attraction in Jutland and the third-most visited attraction in Denmark, after Tivoli Gardens and Dyrehavsbakken. ^[3] Several other Legolands have since been built in other parts of the world:

• Legoland Windsor Resort (1996)
• Legoland California (1999)
• Legoland Deutschland Resort (2002)
• Legoland Florida (2011)
• Legoland Malaysia Resort (2012)
• Legoland Dubai (2016)
• Legoland Japan Resort (2017)
• Legoland New York (2021)
• Legoland Korea Resort (2022)

The Blackstone Group, an investment firm, bought a 70% controlling stake in Legoland in 2005, with the remaining 30% still owned by Lego. The parks are operated by Merlin Entertainments. ^[4]

On 29 May 2024, a fire suspected to have been caused by a short circuit inside an electric rail car that was being charged overnight erupted at the park's Miniland attraction, destroying several replicas of famous buildings and a model of a traditional Danish port. ^[5]

Themed Lego Lands

100m
110yds

Hotel Legoland

Ninjago World

Polar
Land

Miniland

Knight's Kingdom

Adventure Land

Pirate Land

LEGOREDO Town

Imagination Zone

DUPLO Land

Entrance

  

Themed areas and key locations within Legoland Billund Resort


Aerial photograph (2015)

As of 2024 ^[update] , the park has 11 themed areas. ^[6]

Adventure Land

This area contains some of the park's more exciting rides such as the wild mouse roller coaster, X-treme Racers. Jungle Racers jet ski ride has a jungle theme and spins the riders quite fast. In 2010, The Temple was introduced, an indoor ride where riders board Explorer SUVs and are equipped with laser guns to shoot at moving targets in 11 scenes themed to ancient Egypt. The Temple also has a game area with an Egyptian theme, containing ring-toss, water-shooting, balloon-popping and a mummy game. The area contains two gift shops (Temple Gifts and Adventure Shop) and two restaurants. Falck Fire Brigade is a ride where you take your assigned vehicle to the scene of a fire where you and your fellow firefighters have to put out a fire in a building, and the fastest team wins.

Duplo Land

Duplo Land (formerly known as Fabuland) contains rides and attractions for young children, with the Lego Duplo brand name. The Duplo Playhouse is a play area for children ages 2–6, which is themed like a city in which children can play. They can build using Lego, or play on planes and cars. There are also slides, stairs, interactive elements and a role-play area. The Duplo Train, a train ride that looks like a train made of Duplo bricks, takes two minutes to complete its loop. Duplo Planes is a plane ride similar to Disney's Dumbo ride, but with a Lego theme. The land also used to feature Duplo Driving School. This was a car ride for children ages 2–6, who are not yet ready for the Traffic School ride.

Duplo Peppa Pig Playground

For 2024, a new play area themed to the Peppa Pig television series was opened behind Lego studies. This is part of a joint partnership between Lego, Hasbro and Merlin Entertainments. ^[7]

Imagination Zone

This zone contains the Lego Studios , a purpose-built 600-seat 4-D theater, complete with special effects and a giant screen.

Lego Atlantis by Sea Life was added in 2007. The attraction starts off with an animated movie, featuring Lego figures and a submarine that travels down to the submerged city of Atlantis. There is also a Sea Life aquarium featuring a walk-through underwater tunnel and other hands-on activities with more than 800 sea creatures. Numerous Lego figures and models are in and around the aquarium. ^[8]

Knight's Kingdom

Knight's Kingdom contains The Dragon coaster, located inside a medieval castle. The ride starts with a slow-moving dark ride scene with Lego figures themed to medieval times, including a mighty dragon. Vikings River Splash was a Viking theme river rapids ride that was added in 2006 and had plenty of wet surprises. Riders' photos are taken at the end of the ride. Knight's Kingdom also has Granny's Apple Farms Restaurant, Knight's Barbecue Grill and Castle Burgers.

LEGO Movie World

It features the Masters of Flight and Unikitty's Disco Drop found in the California and Florida versions with its exclusive ride being a Technical Park Aerobat.

LEGOREDO Town

LEGOREDO Town is a Western-themed land that contains the rides Lego Canoe, LEGOLDMINE, Westernride' and ghost The hunted House. LEGOREDO also has its own band called "The Rattlesnakes" and they play country music all day long. The mountain terrain of Lego Canoe offers a scenic background.

Mini Land

Mini Land is the heart of any Legoland park. The 1:20 scale Lego brick models feature landscapes, sights and buildings from all over Denmark, as well as famous landmarks from other parts of the world. These include, in addition to the models listed below, the Acropolis of Athens and scenes from Star Wars . The LEGOTop observation tower offers a nice view of the entire park. The models and structures in Mini Land were made using more than 25 million Lego bricks.

Country	Added	Closed	Image	Description
Denmark	1968	–		Featuring models of Billund Airport, Copenhagen (Amalienborg Palace, Nyhavn), Dybbøl Mill, Klampenborg Station, Lilleby (a fictional village), Møgeltønder, Ribe, and Skagen.
Egypt	?	–		Featuring model of Abu Simbel temples.
Germany	?	–		Featuring models of Düsseldorf (promenade along the Rhine), Neuschwanstein Castle, and Tegernsee
The Netherlands	?	–		Featuring models of Amsterdam and the surrounding landscape.
Norway	?	–		Featuring models of Bergen and its harbor.
Scotland	?	–		Featuring models of Crail and Eilean Donan.
Star Wars	2011	2019		Models removed shortly after Disney purchased the Star Wars franchise.
Sweden	?	–		Featuring models of the Gota Canal.
Thailand	?	–		Featuring model of The Grand Palace.
United States	?	–		Featuring models of Hollywood, Kennedy Space Center, and the United States Capitol Building.

Ninjago World

Ninjago World, which opened in 2016, features NINJAGO: The Ride, an interactive dark ride using gesture controls. The technology was developed by Triotech, ^[9] who had previously developed the interactive Voyage to the Iron Reef dark ride at Knott's Berry Farm. ^[10]

Annual attendance at Legoland Billund

Year	Attendance	Ref
2005	1,490,000	[11]
2006	1,460,000	[12]
2007	1,610,000	[13]
2008	1,650,000	[14]
2009	1,650,000	[15]
2010	1,650,000	[16]
2011	1,600,000	[17]
2012	1,650,000	[18]
2013	1,800,000	[19]
2014	1,925,000	[20]
2015	2,050,000	[11]
2016	2,091,000	[21]
2017	2,120,000	[22]

Pirate Land

Pirate Land is a pirate-themed area. It features the Pirate Splash Battle where participants get wet. Other rides include Pirate Wave Breaker and Pirate Boats.

Polar Land

Polar Land is a North Pole and South Pole theme area that opened in 2012. ^[23] This themed area was partially created from part of the Lego City themed area and the Event Center. It features the Polar X-plorer roller coaster, Builde a boat, arctic basecamp and Ice Pilots School. ^[24]

Ice Pilots School was previously named Power Builders and carried a Bionicle theme when it was part of the Lego City themed area.

Attractions

Roller coasters

Ride name	Manufacturer	Type	Year opened	Themed land	Image	Additional information
Dragen The Dragon	Mack Rides	steel sit down	1997	Knight's Kingdom		Starts inside the medieval castle with a large dragon intimidating the riders; height limit 100 cm.
Flyvende Ørn Flying Eagle	Zierer	steel sit down	2018	LEGOREDO Town		A family coaster where you plunge from Eagle Rock 11 m (36 ft) above the ground [25]
Polar X-plorer	Zierer	steel sit down	2012	Polar Land		A Polar-themed family coaster that reaches a speed of 65 km/h with a 5-meter freefall drop section; height limit 120 cm.
X-Treme Racers	Mack Rides	steel sit down wild mouse	2002	Adventure Land		A wild mouse coaster that reaches a speed of 56 km/h (35 mph) on a 400 meter long track (1312 ft) and a height of 16 m (52 ft); height limit 120 cm.

Water rides

Ride name	Type	Year opened	Themed land	Image	Additional information
Jungle Racers	Carousel (dual)	2000	Adventure Land		Water jet ski ride
Lego Canoe	Log flume	1992	LEGOREDO Town
Pirate Boats	Dark ride	1991	Pirate Land
Pirate Splash Battle	Rail-based	2008	Pirate Land		Splash battle water shootout on a 150 m long course

Other rides

Ride name	Type	Year opened	Themed land	Image	Additional information
Caterpillar	Himalaya	1971	Miniland		Rider height minimum 90 cm. Moved to its new position in 1983
Falck Fire Brigade	Fire fighting	2007	Adventureland		douse the fire yourself
Ghost-The Haunted House	Walkthrough dark ride/drop tower	2014	LEGOREDO Town		a walkthrough attraction with a drop tower at the end
Ice Pilots School	RoboCoaster G1	2003	Polar Land		height limit 120 cm.
Lego Atlantis	Aquarium	2007	Imagination Zone		a sea life aquarium
Lego Studios	4D film theater	2001	Imagination Zone		a 4D theater in Imagination Zone that as of 2019 [update] shows 2 movies — Lego Ninjago 4D and LEGO® City 4D - Officer in Pursuit
Lego Top	Observation tower	1984	Miniland		36 m high
Lego Train	Train ride	1968	Miniland		a themed 2-minute train ride
Lloyd's Lazer Maze	Maze	2016	Ninjago World		a laser maze ride
Monorail	Monorail	1985	Miniland
NINJAGO The Ride	Interactive dark ride	2016	Ninjago World		a dark ride where riders use their hands to shoot
Nintendo Game Show	Play area		Miniland		play Nintendo games
Pirate Carousel	Teacups		Pirate Land		spinning cups
The Temple	Interactive dark ride	2010	Adventureland		dark ride laser shoot-out

Kiddie rides

Ride name	Type	Year opened	Themed land	Image	Additional information
Adventure Path	Play area	2000	Adventureland		play area in Adventureland
Duplo Planes	Carousel	1984	Duplo Land		airplanes, built where caterpillar was
Duplo Playhouses	Play area	2001	Miniland		play area
Duplo Express	Train ride	1994	Duplo Land		a 2-minute train ride
Frog Hopper	Drop tower	2009	Miniland		mini drop tower
Lego Safari	On-track driving	1972	Miniland		on track cars on a Safari. Renovated 2017
Lego Duplo Peppa Pig	Children's Play Area	2024	Duplo Peppa Pig Playground		Themed to the children's show of the same name, part of a three-way partnership between Lego, Hasbro and Merlin Entertainments. [26]
LEGONDOL	Ferris wheel	1984	Duplo Land		mini Ferris wheel
Mini Boats	Boat ride	1971	Miniland		where children can sail their own boats. Renovated 2022
Music Fountain	Play area	2001	Imagination Zone		water play area
Pirate Wave Breaker	Rocking tug	2009	Pirate Land		90+ cm
SEAT Traffic School	Driving simulator	1968	Miniland		electric cars for 7 – 13 years old
Western Ride	Carousel	1988	LEGOREDO Town		merry go round

Building experiences

Attraction	Year opened	Location	Image	Additional information
Lego Gallery	2022	At the entrance		Display MOCs from all over the world
Ferrari build and drive	2023	Brick Street		Build a ferrari and test it
Duplo Fun	2022	Brick Street		World full of Duplo bricks
Creative Workshop	2022	Brick Street		A master builder guides you through building a model
The Great Lego Reef	2022	Brick Street		Water themed
Monster Wall	2021	Brick Street		'Scary' monsters for everybody
Build a Boat - Polar	2022	Polar land		Build a fast boat and race against others
Build a Boat - Legoredo	2022	Legoredo		Build a fast boat and race against others
Arctic basecamp	2024	Polar land		Build arctic Explorer vehicles and Explorer the ICE cave

Shows

Attraction	Type	Year opened	Themed land	Image	Additional information
The Rattlesnakes	Country & western band		LEGOREDO Town
King's Castle Show	Live action		Knight's Kingdom		action and stunt show at Mini Castle
Legoland Garden	Marching Band		throughout		the park's marching band
Battle of the brick	Live action	2019 but closed in 2020 and reopent in 2023	Behind Polar land		action and stunt show

Extras

These attractions and activities all require an extra charge in addition to regular admission fees.

Attraction	Type	Year opened	Themed land	Image	Additional information
Legoldmine	Gold panning	1973	LEGOREDO Town		Renovated 2021
Pirate Games	Skill games		Pirate Land		test your skill games
Temple Games	Arcade		Adventureland

Special events

The park hosts many special events throughout the season, including a Halloween celebration and firework shows.

Retired rides and attractions

Ride name	Type	Years	Themed land	Image	Additional information
Mine Train	Dark ride	1978–19 Aug 2013	LEGOREDO Town		a train ride journey through a dark mine where miners are hard at work. Replaced by Ghost-The Haunted House
Pirate Mini Water Falls	Play area	2008-2019	Pirate Land		water play area for the youngest children, has closed
Pirate Water Falls	Play area	2008-2019	Pirate Land		water play area for children, has closed
Pony Riding	Horse Ride	?-1991	LEGOREDO Town		replaced by Lego Canoe
FABULAND CARS	Driving simulator	?-1982	Fabuland		For kids under 8, replaced by FABULAND MERRY-GO-AROUND
FABULAND MERRY-GO-AROUND	Carousel	1983-?	Fabuland		Like the LEGO sets 3668
LEGOCOPTER		?-2007	Miniland		replaced by RC Monter Trucks
RC Monter Truck	RC Car Track	2008	Miniland		replaced by Frog Hopper
Timber Ride	Steel roller coaster	1978-19 Aug 2013	LEGOREDO Town		replaced by Ghost-The Haunted House
Duplo Driving School	Driving simulator		Duplo Land		electric cars for 2–6-year-olds, has closed
Chief Longears	Meet & greet	1985-2021	LEGOREDO Town		meet and greet the Indian Chief
the light house	pull Youself up drop tower	1999-2023	pirat land		pull youself up to and drop Down
Vikings River Splash	River rapids	2006-Oct 2024	Knight's Kingdom		a 438-meter-long river rapids ride that features a Viking theme and has an 8 m drop at the end

Accident

See also: Incidents at European amusement parks

On 29 April 2007, a 21-year-old female employee was killed by a roller coaster when she climbed over a security fence to retrieve a guest's wallet. ^[27]

Gallery

• 
  View from the observation tower (click to enlarge)
• 
  A Norwegian fishing village
• 
  Observation tower
• 
  KUKA Robocoaster programmable robotic arm
• 
  View from the Lego Top (tower), May 2012

See also

• Denmark portal

• Incidents at European amusement parks

References

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2. "The first LEGOLAND® park". LEGO System A/S. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
3. "Exploring Denmark: The Most Visited Tourist Attractions In The Country". World Atlas. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
4. Marriner, Cosima (13 July 2005). "US swoop takes Legoland under Merlin's wand". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
5. "Fire destroys part of Legoland theme park in western Denmark, melting replicas of famed buildings". Associated Press. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
6. "Legoland Park Guide" (PDF). Merlin Entertainments Group. 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
7. "LEGO DUPLO PEPPA PIG - About Us". 23 January 2024.
8. "Atlantis Submarine Voyage". Park World. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
9. "LEGOLAND California Resort and TRIOTECH Present Maestro Hand Gesture Technology at IAAPA Expo in Orlando for the New LEGO NINJAGO The Ride, Opening 2016!" (Press release). Merlin Entertainments Group. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
10. Niles, Robert (17 November 2015). "First Look at the New Hand-Motion Technology Behind Legoland's Ninjago Ride". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
11. TEA/AECOM (2016). 2015 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
12. TEA/ERA (2007). 2006 Theme Park Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
13. TEA/ERA (2008). 2007 Attraction Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
14. TEA/ERA/AECOM (2009). 2008 Attraction Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
15. TEA/AECOM (2010). 2009 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
16. TEA/AECOM (2011). 2010 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
17. TEA/AECOM (2012). 2011 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
18. TEA/AECOM (2013). 2012 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
19. TEA/AECOM (2014). 2013 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
20. TEA/AECOM (2015). 2014 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
21. TEA/AECOM (2017). 2016 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
22. TEA/AECOM (2018). 2017 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
23. "Polar Land at Legoland Billund". Park World. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
24. LegoLand Billund (11 October 2011). "Get ready for Polar Land – this year's big news in LEGOLAND®". LegoLand Billund. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
25. "Flying Eagle roller coaster at LEGOLAND Billund in 2018". Theme Parks EU. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
26. "LEGO DUPLO PEPPA PIG - About Us". 23 January 2024.
27. "Legoland Employee Dies After Being Hit by Roller Coaster". AP. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2008.

External links

• www.legoland.dk/en/  — Legoland Billund English language site
• Video of Legoland Billund in 1968