Steam Carousel, Indoor carousel in Efteling, Netherlands
The Steam Carousel in Efteling is a wooden carousel featuring 22 hand-carved horses, 2 pigs, and 4 gondola coaches that rotate clockwise within the Carousel Palace building. The entire ride lasts approximately two minutes and operates continuously throughout the day.
This carousel was built in 1895 and traveled with the Janvier family through Dutch fairs for more than half a century before Efteling acquired it in 1956 for permanent display. Its arrival marked an early step in the park's journey to preserve vintage amusement attractions.
The carousel preserves one of five surviving Gavioli organs worldwide, which plays traditional Dutch fairground music throughout each two-minute cycle.
Children shorter than one meter tall must have adult supervision on the ride, and wheelchair users need to transfer from their mobility device to board. The structure is fully enclosed, so the experience is unaffected by weather conditions.
An original König steam engine from 1895 is displayed in the park, though the ride now runs on modern electric power. This contrast demonstrates how the historical machinery was preserved while updating the operation for reliability.
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