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Europa-Park is the largest theme park in Germany and one of the most popular theme parks in Europe .^[1] Having over 4.2 million visitors in 2009, it is the most popular seasonal theme park in the world and is only behind Disneyland Paris (which opens year-round) in Europe.^{[citation needed]}. Europa-Park is located in Rust, in the south-west of Germany between Freiburg and Strasbourg. It is usually open from just before Easter until the beginning of November (summer season) and from the start of December to the second week in January (winter season).

The park is split into fifteen different areas, mostly named after European countries or regions. The park mascot is a grey mouse named "Euromaus" although there are over a dozen other characters that "live" at the park.

Europa-Park is run by the Mack family which have produced vehicles since 1780, circus wagons since 1880 and rollercoasters since 1921. The park was opened in 1975 to act as a showcase for many of their different ride models - for example, the Wild Mouse roller coaster. The amusement ride company is now called MACK Rides. This explains why the park has two of their water coaster models (one a Super Splash model) and is home to the one-of-a-kind Euro-Mir. One of the few rides that goes against this rule is the relatively new Silver Star hyper coaster, designed by B&M of Switzerland. This is presumably because Mack doesn't yet offer a hyper coaster model, although they are now developing taller and faster rollercoasters.

The park is home to ten roller coasters, the oldest being the Alpenexpress Mine Train, where a powered coaster speeds through a diamond mine, complete with fire and smoke - and the newest coaster being Blue Fire which sees the trains navigate a short dark ride inside an Energy Research complex before being launched at 100kph through various twists, loops, tunnels and hills. The theme park is well respected world wide by enthusiasts for its commitment to keeping queue's short by running rides efficiently and dispatching trains without delay.

Along with the park and rides, Europa-Park is also a major resort. It boasts four hotels, a guest house, Tipi Village and campsite. The largest hotel is called Colosseo which includes a re-creation of a Roman colosseum.

Across the park, there are many shows performed on a daily basis, such as an Ice Show, a Gladiator Show, an Acrobatics Show in an Italianate Theatre and a fully re-created Globe Theatre, based on that of William Shakespeare. The Magic 4D Cinema also opens during the evening and shows current blockbusters.

After a record breaking 2009 season with the introduction of Blue Fire, the park has opened several new attractions for the 2010 season with a more family focus. Within the Iceland area of the park, a Splash Battle from Mack rides has opened similar to Battle Galleons at Alton Towers in England. It takes on the theme of a fishing port and is called 'Whale Adventures: Splash Tours'. There is also a new Interactive Water Playground called 'Litill Island'. In addition, a new Gazprom sponsored Adventure Hall has opened in Iceland which houses interactive exhibitis, toilets, a café-bar and a new entrance for Blue Fire - which is now also sponsored by the Gas company. The park has also extended the smaller of the two Monorail attractions to the Icelandic area, complete with new themed station. Further developments for 2010 include the Europa-Park Historama which replaces the Time Travel Laser Theatre, a Tipi Village extension, new restaurants in the Portuguese themed area, changes to the Italian/French catering outlets and a line-up of all new shows across the many venues at the park. The Chocoland area has now vanished and forms part of the exisiting English themed area.

The park has now confirmed that it plans to open a new hotel in time for Spring 2012. This would be the second largest hotel at the resort, comprising of some 1,200 beds. Plans for 2011 are not known at this time, although rumours of some form of drop tower attraction and water park remain.

Essentially the area that comprises everything besides Europe.

Coordinates: 48°16′06″N 7°43′15″E / 48.26833°N 7.72083°E / 48.26833; 7.72083