May 16, 1932 - Opening
Rutschebanen, the old wooden lady that changed Bakken
Opened in 1932, the large wooden coaster tells the story of Bakken’s 1930s renewal, brakeman tradition and the way a ride can stay alive by being rebuilt over time.
Rutschebanen is not just one of Bakken’s most visible rides. It carries nearly a century of history: a major opening in 1932, long operation with brakemen, Scandinavian influence and a modernisation that changed the experience without erasing its heritage role.
Back to timeline
An icon born in an already old park
When Rutschebanen arrived at Bakken on 16 May 1932, the park already carried a long memory of springs, walks, cabarets, stands and popular outings. The large timber structure did not appear in a new setting: it gave a spectacular shape to a place that wanted to renew itself without losing its fairground soul.
A large wooden silhouette
The ride marks the landscape through its material before any figures are mentioned. Wood, walkways, the cable lift and the sequence of drops give Rutschebanen a presence that can be noticed from far along the paths. Specialist sources link it with Valdemar Lebech, a wooden structure and the side-friction coaster family, which explains why it feels so different from modern steel coasters.
The brakeman years
For decades, Rutschebanen’s personality also came from a human presence on board. On a side-friction coaster, speed control was not just a mechanical abstraction: the brakeman belonged to the ride, its safety and its memory. That dimension gave the run an almost craft-like character, between major ride and fairground skill.
2010, a modernisation that changed the gesture
The 2010 modernisation marked a clear break. KumbaK trains replaced the old brakeman trains and the track received modern braking. For visitors, the silhouette still belongs to a large wooden coaster; for the ride’s history, the relationship between human operation, heritage and contemporary running changed deeply.
An influence beyond Klampenborg
Rutschebanen’s story also reaches beyond Bakken. In Helsinki, Vuoristorata opened in 1951 with a layout directly inspired by the Danish coaster. This link gives the Klampenborg ride an unusual reach: it is not only a local memory, but also a model in Scandinavian wooden coaster history.
An old lady constantly rebuilt
The nickname “old lady” works because it embraces a paradox: Rutschebanen is old, but it is not frozen in time. Bakken notes that much of the wood is regularly replaced, so the ride keeps its identity through maintenance as much as through memory. That is probably why it matters so much to the park page: it shows history still in motion.
Share this article
Send this article to someone interested in Rutschebanen, the old wooden lady that changed Bakken.