Immersion in the magical water world of Rulantica

The incomparable fairy-tale Rulantica water world offers adventurous and extraordinary water fun for the whole family in unprecedented dimensions. Sprawling across an area of 40,000 square metres, the gigantic water park is located just a few metres away from Europapark Rust, Germany’s largest theme park in Baden-Württemberg.

Nestled in a terrain of 450,000 square metres, which also includes a hotel, the Nordic myth-inspired water world comprises nine elaborately themed areas populated by fantasy creatures such as mermaids, trolls and sea monsters. Attractions include 17 water slides, Germany’s largest wave pool, a waterway with an artificial current, and several water play areas for different ages with waterfalls.

The backdrop to Rulantica’s imaginative and mystical scenery is a complex, versatile tale based on a children’s book series of the same name by Michaela Hanauer. The story centres around an orphan named Mats and mermaid Aquina from the mysterious island of Rulantica in the Norwegian Sea.

The indoor area of the park is housed in a 20-metre high hall across 32,000 square metres, shaped like a shell. It is spanned by one of the Europe’s largest wooden roofs, made of natural wooden trusses (spanning up to 50 metres) and supported by five circular concrete pillars with a diameter of 1.20 m. A complex ventilation concept, installed in specially designed wooden truss boxes, assures the inflow of air from above and aspiration of the air in the lower section of the hall to optimally transport pollutants from the water surfaces. Towers segment the main façade into five 33-metre-wide elements, which, with their filigree steel-glass construc-tions, allow a striking amount of natural light to flood into the hall.

The surprisingly low noise level in the imposing bathing landscape is due in part to the many rocks and decorative elements, and partly to the Troldtekt acoustic panels installed in the ceiling. The panels, which are suitable for wet room use and made entirely of the natural building materials wood and cement, are characterised by excellent sound-absorbing properties. The acoustic panels were also installed in the busy foyer and in the changing rooms.