Tivoli theme park inspired Walt Disney’s Disneyland – and it’s just 2 hours from the UK
Before Walt opened his first park in California, he paid several visits to Tivoli in Copenhagen after becoming impressed with the family atmosphere and design
THERE’S an amusement park in the middle of Copenhagen that Walt Disney loved so much, it inspired much of his own Disneyland theme park.
Tivoli, which opened in 1843, is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the world – after another park in Denmark.
Before Walt opened his first park in California, he paid several visits to Tivoli after becoming impressed with the family atmosphere and design.
Radio and TV personality Art Linkletter accompanied Walt on a trip to the park in 1951 – four years before Disneyland opened.
At the time, the park featured mainly beautiful gardens, family-friendly rides, nice restaurants and nightly fireworks, as well as the original roller coaster.
He said that the movie mogul would spend his time walking around, writing down details about everything from the rides and the food, to the lights and the seats.
According to a biography on Walt by Pat Williams and Jim Denney, when Art asked what he was doing, Walt replied that he was making a “making notes of something I’ve always dreamed of – a great, great playground for the children and the families of America.”
Walt later described the park as “a spotless, brightly coloured, and priced within the reach of everyone
“The gaiety of the music, the excellence of the food and drink, the warm courtesy of the employees -everything combined for a pleasurable experience.”
Despite the fact that it is now 175 years old, Tivoli continues to be very popular with families.
It welcomed 4.6 million visitors last year and is the fifth most-visited theme park in Europe after Disneyland Park, Europa-Park, Walt Disney Studios Park and Efteling.
The park was designed by Georg Carstensen and opened in August 1843.
One of the first visitors was Hans Christian Andersen, who was so struck by the beautiful gardens that inspired his fairy tale The Nightingale.
Along with the rides and the gardens, there were also pantomimes laid on for guests.
While there was a 7-second long roller coaster-type ride at the park from its inception, in 1914 the original roller coaster opened - now called the Roller Coaster.
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The course is one of the world's oldest, wooden roller coasters, still in operation, and one of just seven attractions in the world, operated by a brake man on each train.
Click here to see a history of Disneyland in pictures – from 1955 to today.
Last month, a new book launched as a visual history of the park showing not just the rides and the crowds, but also Walt Disney himself as he launched the park in 1955.