News about The Tower of Edifis

By May 2024, La Tour de Numérobis had become the new landmark of Parc Astérix. The 50-metre swing ride expanded the Egyptian zone and stands between OzIris and Toutatis, visible from the A1 motorway. Looopings described it as a Zamperla vertical swing, sending riders through the air at a height of 40 metres. The minimum height requirement is 1.20 metres.

The ride stands out because not only the seats or gondolas rotate; the tower itself moves as well. That gives it more motion than a standard swing ride and turns it into a panoramic high point in the park.

The theming also received attention. In the queue, Numérobis appears with a model of his own creation: a crane with several arms for lifting and stacking stones. Parc Astérix also added jokes to the scenery, including a design for a never-built Egyptian suspended top spin, dryly marked as cancelled. The addition celebrated the park’s 35th anniversary and came alongside P’Oz Kebab and a new Halloween walkthrough attraction.

By January 2024, La Tour de Numérobis was literally standing. Parc Astérix shared construction photos showing the brown tower in the Egyptian area rising step by step. The full structure had now been installed, including an Egyptian-style pointed roof with golden decorations.

The details made clear what visitors could expect that season. La Tour de Numérobis would be a 50-metre Zamperla vertical swing, near OzIris and next to the A1 motorway. Not only the gondola would rotate; the tower itself would move as well. The gondola reaches a maximum height of 45 metres, while riders swing at around 40 metres.

For fans, the article marked the transition from plan to reality. The opening was announced for Saturday 30 March 2024. The backstory also took shape: visitors would enter a construction site in ancient Egypt, where architect Numérobis’ work is not going entirely as planned. That made the tall tower not only a viewpoint, but also a themed expansion of the Egyptian zone.

In September 2023, Parc Astérix made the plans official. The new landmark in the Egyptian themed area was named La Tour de Numérobis and announced as a Zamperla vertical swing, right next to the inverted coaster OzIris. A first design immediately appeared on the construction fence at the future site.

The ride was presented as an anniversary attraction for the 35th birthday of Parc Astérix. The exact specifications were not yet known, but the positioning was clear: a tall tower on the edge of the park, close to the A1 motorway, intended to make the Egyptian zone larger and more visible.

The story also mattered from the start. Numérobis is the French name of the Egyptian architect from the Asterix comics who has to build a palace for Cleopatra. The character already had a place in the park through the nearby family coaster SOS Numérobis. That gave the new tower not only a technical role as a swing ride, but also a clear place in the existing themed area.

In June 2023, the future La tour de Numérobis first came into focus. A document leaked through a French forum showed that Parc Astérix was preparing a tall Zamperla vertical swing for the Egyptian area, next to OzIris. The project had not yet been officially confirmed, although park director Delphine Pons had already said that the Egyptian zone would receive a new attraction in 2024.

The concept immediately made clear why this was meant to be more than another swing ride. Guests would sit in suspended two-person gondolas that rise while the carousel rotates, turning the ride into a viewing tower as well. The exact height was still uncertain: Looopings noted that Zamperla supplied this type in 30, 41 or 52-metre versions.

For Parc Astérix, the addition fitted a broader growth strategy. After a record year, the park wanted to move toward three million annual visitors and chose to expand the existing park rather than build a separate water park. The future tower was also set to become a new landmark for drivers passing on the A1 motorway.