Photo TR: Andy's 2019 European Adventure with TPR

[The Great Zo]

Had a good time at the park, but it is weird.

 

While I wish it had been open for everyone else's sake, I was kind of glad that Zardoz wasn't ready yet, because I'm sure I would've ended up having to ride it once.

 

It is so, so weird.

 

And they have enough dragons at that park already, so a Zardoz-themed coaster would be kinda cool, except they'd have to use a knockoff Sean Connery.

 

If it weren't for seeing other coasters in the background you could have put photos from a bunch of parks together and it would have been as cohesive (especially with multiple of several ride types)

 

"Cohesive" is a great word ... for what Energylandia isn't.

 

That's called a diabolo!

 

Thank you! (and also Garet!)

 

"incoherent cacophany" is my new favorite catch phrase/band name.

 

Their autographed photo is probably already hanging up at the front gate.

[cfc]

Thanks for the quote and shout out, Andy--I love the detail in your report.

 

The three best things about Energylandia to me were:

 

1. Formula (great ride by Vekoma)

2. the napoleon cake

3. Hyperion (very good in the inside seats, not so good in the outside seats)

[Garet]

Sorry, I was so busy reading the report I completely missed there was another page of replies and the question had been answered.

[Canobie Coaster]

Great report! From the pictures, it looks like Zadra's area looks a bit better than the others, but I agree in general the theming looks like an incoherent mash-up.

[grsupercity]

Great report. Thanking for the taking the time and photos

[Blue Turbo]

^And Nathan, I watched part of the viking show and you and I are WAY more advanced than any of the aerialists they had!

I did recognize every trick in the photos as stuff I can do ! Also speaking of aerial I do get to go back into the air tomorrow for the first time in months!

[GreatAdventurer]

The ticket booths look like a crappy themed motor court out of pigeon forge or something

[DBru]

Pre-Zadra, Energylandia had one solid reason to return... The Viking show.

 

I laughed for 5 solid minutes recounting those half-naked, almost-talented non-vikings dancing to music that wasn’t rock. The most bizarre and unintentionally entertaining “performance” I’ve seen in my life.

 

In all seriousness, Hyperion is currently in my #5 spot. That second hill has to be the best sustained-ejector airtime moment currently in existence, and the dive-drop-loop-thing right after it is totally insane. Hopefully an upcoming train refurb can help with the rattle (which I personally found much less distracting than whatever the heck was going on with Helix at Liseberg).

 

Also, the drop tower sucks.

 

Besides that, Zadra looks exactly like what I’d want from an RMC and I have no doubt the new Vekoma launched coaster will be amazing. I’m glad we ended up staying as long as we did and I would totally go back with this awesome group!

[The Great Zo]

Thanks for the quote and shout out, Andy--I love the detail in your report.

 

Thanks Chuck. I agree, the Napoleon cake ranks pretty high on the best things about Energylandia (the pierogies, too!)

 

I did recognize every trick in the photos as stuff I can do

 

But can you do it while not being a viking?

 

I laughed for 5 solid minutes recounting those half-naked, almost-talented non-vikings dancing to music that wasn’t rock. The most bizarre and unintentionally entertaining “performance” I’ve seen in my life.

 

It was such a perfect cap on the day. Like, we'd seen so much "WTF" already, and then the Viking Show is cherry on top. It's kind of emblematic of the park as a whole, because it's such an incredible mishmash of theme and a failure to deliver on expectations.

 

And yet, not a single one of us could deny ... there was plenty to look at.

 

In all seriousness, Hyperion is currently in my #5 spot. That second hill has to be the best sustained-ejector airtime moment currently in existence, and the dive-drop-loop-thing right after it is totally insane. Hopefully an upcoming train refurb can help with the rattle (which I personally found much less distracting than whatever the heck was going on with Helix at Liseberg).

 

(ugh, Helix)

 

But yeah, on Hyperion ... you've got it ranked slightly higher than I do, but I agree with the assessment. Those first few elements are just that good.

[rubysparkles]

Love your writing style in this report, really enjoyable to read and it’s fun to remember the trip. Hyperion was a really good coaster probably my third favourite after Lech and Untamed, but that queue when we did the final ride... I think that might be my own version of hell doing that pointless walk was fine (if not annoying) but coming to that room with no-one directing traffic and looking like a huge blob of people with no discernible direction... yes hell. I do vaguely remember watching the flow of traffic and trying to get us in the quickest arm of the queue, lots of strategising.

 

I forgot about that dark ride, I really couldn’t believe it. No operator around, just get on a real wtf moment at a park with a few of them. The Viking show was another, erm, confusing experience. And thanks for the photo evidence of me on a kiddie coaster, I tried to be cool and not go on all of them but you got evidence of me on that one. I classed up the experience with the philosophy though, to my credit.

 

Can’t wait for the next section! You really captured this part well, I’d forgotten so many of the details.

[PKI Jizzman]

Just looking at Hyperion's queue makes me feel like I'm having an aneurysm. Looking up the ticket cost, it's $35. I would gladly pay that just to ride the new Vekomas, Hyperion, and Zadra as much as I could.

[robbalvey]

It is very rare that I will walk away from a park thinking "I hate this park" but I hate this park!

 

 

Outside of our filming session I think I only rode one, MAYBE two other coasters. At this point in my theme park traveling life, my patience is very thin for parks that have horrible operations and I just couldn't be bothered with some of their ridiculous policies to get on such mediocre rides. And these were even rides we were allowed to film on!

 

I even tried to give Hyperion another chance. I went back and rode it two more times which took me over an hour even though there was only a handful of riders in front of me on both times. Got stuck in one of those horrible shaky outside seats both rides and was given an instant headache that only worsened with each ride. I really wanted to like this coaster, but it goes on my list of as one of the worst "new" coasters I've ever been on.

 

I'm willing to give this park another chance at some point. Perhaps it's one of those places you can have a good time when it's not that crowded, however it actually wasn't even that crowded when we were there, but their horrible operations made it feel that way.

 

So I'm not even sure...

Edited July 21, 2020 by robbalvey

[A.J.]

As soon as they told us to put the goody bags that they had just given us ten minutes before into the paid lockers at Hyperion, I knew how the day was going to go.

[robbalvey]

As soon as they told us to put the goody bags that they had just given us ten minutes before into the paid fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo at Hyperion, I knew how the day was going to go.

Yeah, I'm always appreciative of the free stuff parks give us, but if you're going to give us a bag, and you know you have a locker policy on each one of your rides that you know we are going to have to PAY to put the stuff in when we have a limited amount of time to film before the park opens, why not give us the bags AFTER we having done our filming sessions?

 

Not to mention that each one of the rides we filmed on had an area to place bags on the ride platform! And I get having to use the lockers during the normal operating day, but when we're a small group and we are there with a purpose, how about just letting us use those bins to store our crap for 15 minutes? But I got the feeling they wanted that extra 20 Euros per ride from our group!

 

 

And it's not even the extra cost I'm worried about, it was the TIME it took for everyone to have to go to the kiosk, get the locker, put the stuff away, come back to the locker, get the stuff, go to the next ride, etc, etc...

 

This EXACTLY was an example of how the rest of the day would go. The same kind of nonsensical pointless policies followed us throughout the entire day.

[Taylor Finn]

Certainly bizarre park. Really bizarre assortment of coasters. Some day in the distant future, maybe I will visit to see if they've figured it out.

[The Great Zo]

This EXACTLY was an example of how the rest of the day would go. The same kind of nonsensical pointless policies followed us throughout the entire day.

 

It was just one thing after another, all day long, that didn't make sense.

 

And I hate to speculate too much ... but if that was true to me as a guest, and true to you in your role as someone working with the park professionally, then what other aspects of their operations are they doing in nonsensical ways?

 

Love your writing style in this report, really enjoyable to read and it’s fun to remember the trip. Hyperion was a really good coaster probably my third favourite after Lech and Untamed, but that queue when we did the final ride... I think that might be my own version of hell doing that pointless walk was fine (if not annoying) but coming to that room with no-one directing traffic and looking like a huge blob of people with no discernible direction... yes hell. I do vaguely remember watching the flow of traffic and trying to get us in the quickest arm of the queue, lots of strategising.

 

I forgot about that dark ride, I really couldn’t believe it. No operator around, just get on a real wtf moment at a park with a few of them. The Viking show was another, erm, confusing experience. And thanks for the photo evidence of me on a kiddie coaster, I tried to be cool and not go on all of them but you got evidence of me on that one. I classed up the experience with the philosophy though, to my credit.

 

Can’t wait for the next section! You really captured this part well, I’d forgotten so many of the details.

 

Thanks!

 

Yeah, if you're not a fan of lots of people in small enclosed spaces, that last room of the Hyperion queue is just not good. It's a concrete sardine tin. Your strategizing was great, and I was grateful for whatever advanced-degree calculus you were doing in your head to get us out of there a little quicker.

 

And hey, we all whored that wacky worm like champs, but you will note no pictures of you on the powered credit, and I thank you for joining me on the sidelines for that one.

[The Great Zo]

Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Day 13: Legendia

Our second and final full day in Poland began with a drive west out of Krakow -- this time in a vehicle that was a little less refrigerated than the day before. Our destination: Legendia, a small theme park in the city of Chorzów, part of the Silesian Metropolis (and close to the larger city of Katowice).

Legendia opened in 1959 under its original full name, Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko. The park was originally more of a small city park, with less of a focus on amusement rides, but that changed over time. The biggest change came in 2015, when Tatry Mountain Resorts became the operator of Legendia, beginning a significant period of investment into the park. The most important investment so far, at least for coaster enthusiasts, was the 2017 construction of Lech Coaster -- the ride that really put the park on the map for people in our hobby. However, the changes at Legendia go well beyond a new coaster -- and having visited in 2019, we were there at a time when the park's overall evolution was readily apparent. Some of the older elements remained, but were on their way to being removed or renovated. The new areas were all well-themed and well-constructed, nicely fitting in with the landscape. Perhaps most importantly, the small city park charm remains, with landscaped pathways, open grassy areas, and peaceful views over the lake that the rest of the park surrounds.

This is one of only two comparisons I'm going to make to Energylandia in this entire post, because I really don't want to talk about Energylandia. But here's the truth: Legendia still has some work to do, but they're on the right track, with a sensible plan, and they're doing outstanding at executing that plan in an intelligent manner and with copious attention to detail. Literally none of that is true about their larger neighbor to the southeast. For that and other reasons, it's safe to say that Legendia was the highlight of TPR's first visit to Poland.

Entering the park at 930 AM, we spent the morning with Joanna Ciesielska, Legendia's Operations Manager. She guided us around the park, gave us the run-down on Legendia's history, and set us up for our filming/ERT sessions on three rides -- Bazyliszek, Lech Coaster, and Diabelska Pętla. It's a shame I got this far into the post without mentioning Bazyliszek, a top-tier trackless shooting dark ride that opened in 2018. Diabelska Pętla's not a bad coaster either, and I hope it sticks around for a while, even as other older attractions are cycled out. We had some free time after filming was done, so we split up to tackle some of the other rides, before joining together again for a (very good) private lunch near Lech Coaster. We had another hour or two after that, before most of us headed out of the park at around 200 PM.

This is random and I have nowhere else to put it: one of my favorite quirks about Legendia is the "extremely specific noun" three-word ride names. Scary Toys Factory. Magical Lake Taxi. Giant Water Pump. Dream Flight Airlines. Dream Hunters Society. Magical Postal Service. Oh, and the dearly departed Dragon Wrestling Tournament. Maybe I'm overselling this a bit, but honestly, this is a million times better than just naming everything Goliath.

Thanks to Joanna at Legendia for the hospitality!

-- Ride Reviews --

Lech Coaster: The biggest problem with the amazing coasters of the Vekoma Renaissance™ is that there are just so damn few of them. If Lech Coaster is proof of what Vekoma is capable of in modern times, it's almost enough to apologize for all the Boomerans and SLCs they inflicted upon us over the past few decades. That's a really round-about way of saying it, but Lech Coaster is absolutely amazing. First off, Vekoma's got the mechanical logistics right: the track is smooth, the transitions are properly engineered, and the trains and restraints are very comfortable. Secondly, the coaster is just an amazing amount of fun. The way I described it on Twitter right after our visit was "imagine an intense mini-I305 with a GeForce drop and RMC inversions." Lech Coaster does a little bit of everything, and it does it all really well. Perhaps the most unique elements are the twisting first drop (like GeForce but maybe even steeper), and the inversion through the station. I've seen station fly-bys before, but this is the first station fly-by inversion that I'm aware of. Lech Coaster has positive Gs, negative Gs, snappy transitions, and it's comfortable from start to finish. It's an outstanding ride.

Is it the best coaster in Poland? It's between Lech Coaster and Hyperion, and I have both in my overall Top 20. I dislike so much about Energylandia that I really want to give the win to Lech, but speaking strictly as a coaster fan, I have always loved huge coasters that cover a lot of distance and do so with an exciting layout. I will give the win, very narrowly, to Hyperion.

But ignore what I just said, and visit this park first. Lech Coaster is worth your time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOpTon3Wa6g

Diabelska Pętla: This thing has been around a bit. It opened at Lightwater Valley in 1988, moved to American Adventure in 1995, and arrived at Legendia in 2007. Its name was changed from Tornado to Diabelska Pętla (Devil's Loop) in 2019. We were all a little nervous about this coaster -- it's made by French manufacturer Soquet, it looks like it's trying to be a Schwarzkopf, and it's on the older side of things. Surprisingly, it delivered a fairly good ride. Not a top-tier coaster or anything, but smooth and thrilling enough to stick around for a while. Probably a good stepping stone / first inverting coaster for families. Oh, and it's got the seats in the back car facing each other, but I guess I wasn't brave enough to ride backwards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fBbIO1pF94

Dream Hunters Society: This is one of two nearly-identical Zyklon Galaxi coasters at Legendia. Dream Hunters Society operated when we visited, but the other -- Scary Toys Factory -- did not. Both are still listed on the park's website, though RCDB indicates that Scary Toys Factory didn't operate in 2020. Nothing much to write about Dream Hunters Society -- if you've been on a Galaxi, you know what to expect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeXqkNn-e6I

Bazyliszek: This is really good -- one of the most enjoyable shooting dark rides I've been on. You get to help a kid save his village from the namesake Bazyliszek, a mythological bird/lizard creature. It's a nice mix of physical sets and screens, and it's never quite as manic and crazy as other rides of its type -- like Iron Reef or Justice League. I liked those two, but Bazyliszek is better.

Dream Flight Airlines: A very interesting old flat ride, made in-house, and dating back to the park's opening. Chuck said it reminded him of Captive Flying Machines at Blackpool. To me, my point of comparison is the Golden Zephyr at Disney's California Adventure. Guests sit in one of six long airplanes, suspended from a central tower, which rotates -- with the planes swinging further out over the park as the speed of the rotation increases. This ride takes a long time to speed up and slow down. I timed our ride cycle at just about an even 10 minutes. But when it's at top speed, it's actually a lot of fun, and the views are fantastic.

Others: I should note that we saw a few older attractions that appeared to be on their way out. Based on the park's website, Dragon Wrestling Tournament and Circus Hoppala have been removed since we visited in 2019. However, we also got to see some of the early stages of construction for Dolina Jagi -- a themed rapids ride near Lech Coaster at the back of the park. Dolina Jagi opened in 2020, and it looks like a fun family attraction.

Pictures coming up next.

[The Great Zo]

Pictures!

We have arrived at Legendia!

Wanted to show some scenes of the city outside the park. Bike path, train tracks.

The view the other direction.

The end of a rail line next to the park -- I think this line goes into the bigger Silesian Park that is adjacent to Legendia.

Legendia flags...

Legendia Coke machine...

And this little guy, who I think is required posting for every TPR trip report on Legendia.

Waiting at the front gate and just about to get into the park.

Hi, Lech Coaster!

Joanna welcomes us into Legendia! We're at the park's main entry area, sort of a "main street", which was updated in the past few years.

Joanna was a great host, and told us a lot about the park's history. I'm sure I'd have remembered more of it if I weren't writing this 17 months later.

We started at Jama Bazyliszka, the big indoor area that is home to the Bazylizsek dark ride.

Sign close-up! It's nice!

This indoor area has more than just the dark ride, though. There's also a restaurant and a kids play area, plus the requisite gift shop. It reminds me of a smaller version of the big Arthur indoor area at Europa Park.

The main ride sign and entrance for Bazyliszek.

The queue for Bazyliszek is really great. There are artifacts from research on mythological creatures...

...such as this thing!

We've also got werewolves...

...and dragons.

Seriously, "employees only" is boring. These signs are amazing.

The ride station for Bazyliszek.

Each trackless vehicle seats 6 guests.

The guns are really easy to use, with laser guides in the dark areas when you aren't looking at screens.

After you save the village, pick up a plush version of your new best frenemy from the ride!

Alright, we've got some Lech Coaster action coming up.

I love this sign. Simple, clean, and the natural drop shadow from the sunlight is just perfect.

Lech Coaster's station. It's sort of a castle thing.

Inside the station. Really nice, and a great compromise between the "indoor" castle feel and still keeping it open at the top.

The year of construction in the keystone of the arch. Nice touch.

A look at the beautiful new Vekoma trains. The vest restraints are much nicer than B&Ms, and let's not even mention Premier.

TPR is ready to ride.

They're all about to get wowed by a Vekoma!

The zero-car emblem is awesome, and that legendary bird will show up again later in this report.

Holy crap, even Kristen liked it!

Universal high praise for Lech Coaster.

Also, an inversion through the station!!!!! (this was a pretty tough picture to get!)

Lech is a rollercoaster! A very very good one.

In July 2019, the rapids ride was under construction.

Rapids ride construction photos!

Admittedly, it's kind of boring posting construction photos of a ride that's now complete.

Two interesting things in this shot.

First, you'll notice the station of a cable car / gondola ride. That's actually outside Legendia, and is part of Silesian Park. While we were there, we saw exactly one enclosed gondola on the circuit, moving very slowly. I did see a lot more activity (with regular chairlift vehicles) in a video I watched from 2020.

Second, you'll notice the sign in the foreground. I didn't know what it was at first, until I saw this picture from the park's original front gate. It appears to be the heavily-stylized "Miasteczko" from the park's original name.

Next up -- the Devil's Loop!

A Soquet coaster that used to be at two parks in the UK before finding a home in Poland.

The trains are nicely painted. Not sure who made them.

I only rode once or twice, since I liked but didn't absolutely love the ride, and I wanted to get some pictures anyway.

So, here's a train of TPR riders heading down the curved first drop.

Excitement!

Coming through one of the inversions.

These loops are very, very green.

More positive Gs on the back half of the ride.

A first look at the ride's infamous back car, where the second-to-last row faces backwards.

The final helix into the station was a little janky, but not too bad.

Overall, no big complaints about this coaster. (sorry for the overexposed photo)

Rector contemplates his doom as he prepares to ride backwards.

Kind of a mix of emotions here.

Again, not a bad ride.

Red hairtime.

Looks like Rector survived.

Ryan and Barry lead the way back into the station.

Thus ends our ERT/Filming.

Pictures to continue below.

[The Great Zo]

More pictures!

ERT was complete, but we still had one more coaster to ride. Welcome to the Dream Hunters Society!

It's ... a Galaxi. A very very pink Galaxi.

Also, there's a random dragon thing, for whatever reason.

As I recall, the run into the brakes was a little ... sudden.

Colin is having the time of his life!!!

So is Steve!!!

Dreamflight Airlines was up next, and it's a Legendia original!

These are the airplanes we'll be flying in today.

It's a pleasant swing out over the park.

A look at the loading platform just after our ride had gotten going. Chuck and Larry are waiting for the next cycle, and they'll be waiting a while.

A look at the station platform from full swing.

Flying over castles in the clouds!

Flying over kiddie play areas!

And a nice view of the Legendia Flower -- the park's Ferris wheel.

I have several pictures of the Legendia Flower. Here's one with some cloud porn.

The Wheel and the Dreamflight Airlines tower.

Proof that we're in the city -- the wheel and some high-rises nearby.

So, I made my way up to the Legendia Flower. To the best of my knowledge, I'm the only person from the group who got on the wheel, so I've got some views that haven't been shared yet.

It was about a 10-minute wait to get on board, and I was grouped with a small family -- one or two parents, plus a young girl.

So, there's just one other problem. This is one of those wheels where you can spin the gondolas.

The girl wanted to spin. I wanted to take pictures.

So, I took pictures ... while we were spinning.

It was an interesting time.

Looking down from the wheel. The park was not too busy during our visit, and this is one of the only rides I saw with much of a queue.

Inside the spokes!

Now, a view of the park from left to right -- roughly west-to-east. There's Dreamflight Airlines and Lech Coaster on the west side of the pond.

A view over the middle of the pond. Lots of open space at this park.

A view toward the south/east part of the park, including the main entry area.

This really gives you the idea that the park's right in the middle of a city.

The entrance to Basylizsek, not far from the wheel.

Cameo appearance by the Colonel.

Dreamflight Airlines and Dream Hunters Society make an appearance.

A look at the top. The hexagonal shape really reminds me of the Golden Zephyr at DCA.

There's a rainbow thing. It's called Dragon Temple, which is the best name for one of those ever.

A small kiddie flat called Fish 'n' Wish. Another great name

Off across the water, the cable car station, and Diabelska Pętla.

The best view I have of Diabelska Pętla from the wheel. Wasn't lucky enough to catch a cycle.

A sky slide and a Kamikaze type thing called Skyflyer.

A wider view of the far east end of the park, and the cityscape behind it.

The main entrance to the park is just above the big dome, with a bunch of flats scattered around nearby.

What's in the dome? Hawaii, actually.

Across the park, a few more flats, some nice landscaping, and...

...Scary Toys Factory, the one credit we missed out on.

Let's get to the fun part -- aerial views of Lech Coaster in action.

Look at that twisted mess of Vekoma track.

Dramatic top-of-lift shot!

This drop is good.

One big twist to the right!

Down you go, at what looks -- from this vantage point -- like some kind of impossible angle.

The first inversion, right after the drop. Love getting it framed with the station building behind it.

A bit of twisty airtime follows the first inversion.

Maybe even some hairtime.

The inversion through the station!

Another twisty bit -- and hey, there's that big white bird again.

Only got one batch of pictures of Lech from the wheel since it was running one train -- totally justifiable given the crowds, but tough for photography.

More of Lech still to come, but for now, a look around the city.

The cityscapes are so different in Europe, so I always like to get a few pictures of things outside the park as well.

Some older residential buildings in the area.

But also some newer office buildings, and I think I somehow get a church spire in every single segment of this TR.

A mix of older and newer construction in sort of an urban/suburban area. Downtown Katowice is just a few miles away.

This is part of a big upscale shopping mall, not far from Legendia.

Another view just east of the park.

I mean, I usually go to Europe to try to get away from Kentucky.

Alright, time to head down from the wheel.

More pictures to follow.

[The Great Zo]

More pics! Continuing with a loop through the park to check out some of the various flat rides.

I mentioned in the TR that Dragon Wrestling Tournament was no longer. That's a shame.

Mainly because it's one of the best names in a park full of awesome ride names.

But also because ... this.

This is amazing.

RIP, Dragon Wrestling Tournament.

(for those wondering, Dragon Wrestling Tournament was a Huss Flic Flac.)

Next up on the way through the park -- Giant Water Pump.

Giant Water Pump is an extremely small frisbee-type ride. I think it only seats 6 people. Like a smaller version of that bell ride at Hansa Park (that I actually somehow got on).

Music Box -- another kids flat.

A carousel!

Phoenix. It's not just a coaster at Knoebels.

This one is an Enterprise. Given that these are disappearing, it's good to note that Legendia still has one.

Magical Lake Expedition.

Yeah, that's some magic.

It's a pirate ship, with zero pirates in sight, but a gratuitous amount of mermaids.

Magical Lake Taxi is some kind of boat ride that goes out over the lake. Not sure it was operating on the day we were there. Would be good for some closer views of Lech Coaster on a day with a little more time at the park.

The Tea Cups are ... just called Tea Cups.

The Carousel is ... the Carousel of Love!

The Royal Ballroom is...

...a Trabant!

Wonder Garden is ... actually, I'm not sure what it is. Did anybody go through this? It looks like it's some kind of walkthrough in a spinning tunnel, maybe with weird effects of some kind? I really wanted to check it out, but as I recall, I was running short on time to either get to lunch or get out of the park.

They have inverting bicycles.

That's a hard pass from someone as clumsy as me.

Join the circus! This is what you always wanted! These are all your dreams come true!

Circus Hoppala, unfortunately, was down for the count (and has since been removed).

I believe it's a Moser Hoppla, and it basically just inverts a lot. Not sure I've seen one of these before.

This picture barely looks like it was taken in a theme park. A pleasant scene.

Open areas for people to just take it easy.

Play areas for kids. European parks are smart for building things like this. US parks should take note.

Finally -- what's in the dome?

Like I said -- it's Hawaii. Or Florida, or the Caribbean, or whatever. It's a beach party.

Also, there's a cow...

...and a robo-mower, which I was way too amused by.

Scary Toys Factory was inop.

I'll have to find my scary toys elsewhere.

Across the water, it's Dragon Temple.

Skyflyer is flying.

That brings us to lunch, in a nicely themed restaurant.

Seriously, in this one picture, there's more cohesive theming than in that entire other ... er, fine, I said I wasn't going to talk about them anymore.

Lunch is served!

It was great!

The Fanta Shokata (Elderberry-Lemon) I'm not as sure about,, but I'd never seen one of those before, let alone tried one.

Anyone up for some Polygamy?

Alright, Lunch is done, so let's get back to Lech.

Lech is visible from pretty much anywhere on the park's waterfront, so with a long enough lens, you can get a whole variety of different angles.

Here's one that shows off the steepness of the drop.

A big flip into the first inversion.

Airtime -- and that big white bird again.

Also, if you look closely, I'm pretty sure Steve is in about 70% of the Lech pictures in this part of the TR. Just look for the bald guy in the red shirt with his hands up!

More airtime!

Lots of crazy track on this view, and you can see the inversion heading into the ride station.

This is sort of the best "full view" of Lech from across the water.

Cresting the lift.

Lech Coaster is 131 feet tall.

It has three inversions.

Lech has a max speed of 59 MPH.

Lech is 2979 feet long.

I think that's all the pertinent stats.

Thankful that the sun came out for a bit so I could get a couple good cycles with nice lighting!

And now a few pictures from closer to the coaster.

That's a drop alright.

Going down?

Nowhere else to go.

The big white bird makes a nice prop for pictures like this one.

Plus I got really lucky on the timing here!

A closer view of the bird.

A big inversion from the back side of the station.

So many good photo angles of Lech Coaster, and I barely scratched the surface of them.

Another inversion shot!

(another appearance by Steve!)

Into the station!

(seriously, did Steve ever get off this ride all afternoon?)

The in-station inversion needs to find its way into more coaster designs. It's awesome.

So many emotions.

I have no idea what this award is, but whatever it is, Lech deserved it.

Barry and David agree!

And now here we are, in 2020, and we're actually advocating for parks to buy new Vekoma roller coasters. What a world.

One more ride I got a few pictures of -- Diamond River, the park's splash boat.

Diamond River is adjacent to Lech at the north end of the park.

It actually has two hills and two drops, but I only had time for pictures of this one.

The splash begins.

Skloosh.

Water everywhere.

Diamond River looked like it wasn't a complete soaker, but nearing the end of our time at the park, I wasn't going to risk it.

Extra credit for the nicely-themed boat, too.

Heading toward the exit, but one more place to stop on the way out.

This is Korona Ziemi. Literally, Korona Ziemi translates to "Crown of the Earth" ... but what it actually means in Polish is "seven summits."

As in, the highest points on the seven continents on Earth.

And Legendia has a museum for it.

Amazing.

Mountaineering artifacts and informational signs!

Boots and helmets and other mountaineering equipment!

The star of the show? Gigantic scale models of the seven summits themselves.

The grand-daddy of them all, Mount Everest.

North America's highest mountain peak -- Denali in Alaska.

The level of detail on each mountain model is pretty stunning. Somebody spent a lot of time on this, and I absolutely love it.

That brought me to the end of my day at Legendia, with the group about to head out.

I waited several minutes for a train to run on Lech Coaster for this closing shot, but no such luck.

This will have to do.

Such a cute little park, with a really bright future. Hope I get to visit again some time.

That's it for this TR segment. Will try not to wait 5 months between segments for the next one.

[cfc]

While I give the edge to Lech Coaster over Hyperion, your assessment of this park is right on the money. They're definitely going in the right direction. I missed the mountaineering museum.

[Hilltopper39]

I never realized that this park was located in such an urban area so close to the city, very cool aesthetic. I love how Europe has so many parks like this.

Great pictures as always, Lech looks fantastic, really hoping a park in America get one of these newer Vekomas sometime in near future. 

[grsupercity]

A few years ago I was blown away by rides like Maverick and Lightning Run. Tiny rides that pack a crazy punch. From everything I have read on Lech says the same. Watching videos it seems to hold its speed so well. You took some great photos. It was a great read as well. Thank you for taking the time to post the report. Lech looks incredible 

[SharkTums]

Such a great report!!! I really loved this park and can't wait to see how it evolves the next 10 years. Lech Coaster is amazing and we need Vekoma to get back out there and sell as many of those as they did SLC's and Boomerangs!!!

[bert425]

what a wonderful report - with fantastic pictures (as usual).

Thanks for sharing, Andy. . .love this!