In Germany, it is illegal to display Nazi iconography anywhere except in art. A ride in an amusement park definitely doesn’t fit into the “art” category, so it has been shut down following complaints it resembles 2 giant, spinning swastikas.
The ride, called Alderflug, Eagle’s Flight, was actually inaugurated last month in the Tatzmania park in Löffingen near Freiburg, Germany, and functioned without issue until a video of it in motion popped up on reddit, EuroNews points out. The video went viral, earning new nicknames for the ride, like Holocoaster and 2fast 2Führerious – you have to hand it to the reddit community when it comes to smart but not exactly subtle puns.
A video of it in action is available at the bottom of the page. The ride comprised 8 eagle-shaped carts grouped in 4s. Once they start spinning, the resemblance to a swastika is undeniable and, according to the Internet, impardonable.
Consequently, the ride has been temporarily shut down and will open again once it is redesigned. Rüdiger Braun, the director of the amusement park, says the ride was designed in Italy and he personally didn’t see the resemblance to the swastika in the sketches. Now that he has, he is sorry about it and will make everything right again.
“We didn’t notice the gondolas are in the form of a swastika. It wasn’t obvious from the manufacturer’s sketches,” Braun says in an interview cited by abc.net. He adds that the ride will be redesigned to include only 3 spinning eagles instead of 4, which should solve the problem.
“I would like to emphasize that I would like to apologize with all form to all persons who feel disturbed and insulted by our design,” Braun also tells DW.
As of the time of writing, is is unknown if the park will be facing legal repercussions for what they say is an accidental resemblance to a well-known Nazi symbol.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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