Aug. 15, 1843: Tivoli Gardens opens in Copenhagen

On this day—Aug. 15, 1843—Tivoli Gardens opened in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park is the second-oldest and second-most-popular seasonal theme park in the world. It had over 4 million visitors in 2012. Tivoli’s founder, Georg Carstensen, was able to obtain permission and land to build the park from King Christian VIII by telling him that, “when the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics.” Tivoli features amusement park rides, gardens, a theater, restaurants and cafes—its best-known ride is the wooden rollercoaster Rutschebanen, built in 1914. In 1943, Nazi sympathizers burned many of Tivoli’s buildings to the ground. However, temporary buildings were soon constructed and the park was reopened after only a few weeks.

Walt Disney is said to have drawn inspiration for Disneyland from Tivoli, and after visiting the Danish park once with his wife Lilly he said he wanted to build a park that would emulate Tivoli’s "happy and unbuttoned air of relaxed fun."