Bobbejaanland

Bobbejaanland is a theme park in Lichtaart, Belgium. The park was founded by Bobbejaan Schoepen, a Flemish singer, guitarist, and entertainer who enjoyed international success in the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1959, he bought a 30-hectare marsh, had it drained and built a 1,000-capacity venue that opened in December 1961 as Bobbejaanland. This developed into an amusement park and remained in his possession until he sold it in 2004. History 1961-2004: Independent amusement park For its first decade after opening the park centered on water attractions and performance spaces. Numerous variety artists from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany appeared there. Following the advice of Phantasialand owner Gottlieb Löffelhard, Bobbejaanland evolved from 1975 onwards into a theme park, with rides becoming more important than music shows. It grew to fifty attractions with four hundred employees and received visitors from the Benelux countries, France, and Germany. As an independent family concern, it also supported educational and cultural projects. By the end of the seventies, Schoepen's wife Josée (a former opera singer and model) opened a museum with works of art from the Hopi and Navajo cultures, forming an extensive private collection of Native American art. In 1979, Bobbejaanland opened the Looping Star roller coaster (Schwarzkopf GmbH). Although the ride had a security bar placed over the hip, it was more the centrifugal force which held the passengers in the vehicle when it looped the loop. The coaster was dismantled in 2003. In 1989, the park opened Revolution, an enclosed tubular steel roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma, featuring the world's largest train with 30 cars. From the 1990s, three of Bobbejaan's five children worked for the park. A 70 metres (230 ft) high wind turbine was added which provided the region with energy, as well as an adjoining museum of alternative energy generation. The windmill was removed in 2017 and moved to Ukraine. In 1995, the Kinderland (English: Children's Land) was opened as an area for young children. In the winter of 2003, the park invested 12 million dollars (almost 11 million euros) in three new rides, the Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter Typhoon, the Vekoma Junior Coaster Oki Doki and the frisbee Sledge Hammer. In a 2004 survey of 13 European amusement parks by Belgian consumer organisation Test-Aankoop Bobbejaanland was rated second after Phantasialand. Since 2004: Parques Reunidos In the early 2000s, Schoepen was diagnosed with cancer and he sold Bobbejaanland to the Spanish Parques Reunidos group in April 2004. Bobbejaan Schoepen died in May 2010, his widow continued to live near the park until her death in 2013. In 2016, Revolution was equipped with Samsung Gear VR and renamed Mount Mara. In the morning, the original ride was active. In the afternoon, passengers had the option to wear the virtual glasses. The VR feature was removed in 2023. In 2024, the park invested 1 million euros for a huge refurbishment to commemorate the coaster's 35th anniversary. Attractions Present attractions Roller coasters Water rides Dark rides Other attractions Past attractions Roller coasters Other attractions References Sources Bobbejaan Schoepen (Johan Roggen, Publisher Het Volk, 1980 - D/1980/2345/10). De Vlaamse kleinkunstbeweging na de Tweede Wereldoorlog - Een historisch overzicht (Peter Notte, Universiteit Gent 1992). 'The Flemish Variety Movement after World War II - An Historical Overview'. Peter Notte, Ghent University, 1992) Bobbejaan Schoepen — "Histories" documentary, 4 January 2001 (Canvas/VRT) Bobbejaan Schoepen — The Belgian Pop & Rock Archive (Dirk Houbrechts and the Flanders Music Center, 2001). "Brel Le flamand" — Histories documentary, 2003 (Canvas/VRT). rides.nl Bobbejaan Schoepen Archive — Bobbejaan Records bvba Official Biography Bobbejaan Schoepen — by Tom Schoepen - "Volkskundige Kroniek" van de Federatie voor Volkskunde in Vlaanderen (i.e. “Folklife Chronicles”, magazine of the Folklife Federation Flanders)- yr. 14 - nr. 2 April-may-juin 2006). Bobbejaanland Nostalgie External links Bobbejaanland Website (English) Official site Bobbejaan Schoepen Official myspace Bobbejaan Schoepen The Yodeling Whistler Bobbejaanland Timeline Bobbejaanland Fansite (Dutch) Bobbejaan-Online (Dutch) BJL Nostalgia (Dutch)