30 Years of FANTASIANA Erlebnispark Straßwalchen

(eap) For 30 years now, “dreams have come true” at FANTASIANA Erlebnispark Straßwalchen. Today, the Austrian family park in the Salzburger Land region is officially celebrating its 30^th anniversary. Under the slogan “Where Dreams Come True”, visitors can explore an imaginatively designed world now featuring more than 50 attractions across eight themed areas.

With Fantasiana, the founders, KmzlR Erich Wagner (†) and Karl Heinz Grabler (right), may well have fulfilled a personal childhood dream.

The park was founded on 4 May 1996 by Kommerzialrat Erich Wagner († 2023) and Karl Heinz Grabler, who originally came from very different professional backgrounds. While Wagner had previously worked in the food industry, Grabler had made a name for himself in the advertising and decoration sector. What united them was their entrepreneurial courage, their family-oriented approach and their desire to delight people with memorable experiences.

This attitude continues to shape Fantasiana to this day. Operated by Fantasy Factory Betriebsgesellschaft, the park remains family-owned, with Sieglinde Wagner-Haigerer and Sarah Grabler serving as managing directors and each holding a 50 per cent share. Over the past three decades, the park has grown continuously. Having started on a site covering around 50,000 square metres, it now extends across more than 88,000 square metres. Through regular investment, the park has developed into one of Austria’s most popular tourist attractions. With more than 200 employees, it is also one of the most important employers in the region.

The BigDipper Coaster “Helios”, opened in 2025, is one of the amusement park’s most recent additions. © EAP Last year, the leisure park opened its major new attraction, “Helios – Reise mit der Sonne” (Helios – Journey with the Sun) – a BigDipper coaster supplied by renowned roller coaster manufacturer Mack Rides (cf. EAP 3/2025). A few years earlier, the offering had already been expanded with the new themed area “Das magische Dorf” (The Magical Village), featuring the Family Launch Coaster “Fridolins verrückter Zauber-Express” (Fridolin’s Crazy Magic Express) by ART Engineering (cf. EAP 5/2021).

What began as the shared idea of two friends and entrepreneurs has grown over three decades into a family park known well beyond the region. With continued investment and new visitor experiences, the foundations have also been laid for the years ahead. ■