Rotterdam theme park that never opened sold for €6.5 million

The incomplete Rivoli amusement park in Rotterdam was sold on Tuesday in an online auction, with the highest bid reaching 6.5 million euros. Entrepreneur Hennie van der Most had been developing the site on Doklaan for more than a decade, on the location of a former waste incineration plant. However, the city council recently ruled that the property must be sold, with plans calling for affordable housing on the site.

A majority of Rotterdam’s city council is not pleased with the plans put forward by the new owner, it was revealed on Thursday. Wim Beelen took control of the unfinished park and now intends to dock a 120-meter vessel called Noah’s Ark and move ahead with finishing and opening the theme park.

In the adopted motion, the city council stated it no longer sees a future for an amusement park at the site. Instead, it aims to develop the area into a socially focused project, including affordable housing, job opportunities, and amenities intended to benefit residents of Rotterdam-Zuid.

Construction alderman Chantal Zeegers of D66 has granted Beelen permission to run the park until 2030. After that, the land will return to the municipality because it is held under leasehold. She also backs a proposal to redevelop the site into a residential district. “It could become a very attractive part of Rotterdam, with great views over the Maas, high-quality housing, and a strong events venue that reconnects residents with the river,” Zeegers said.

The park says a number of attractions were already operational, including a pirate ship ride, bumper cars, a haunted house, and two restaurants. The site also features a roller coaster and a karting track. With extra costs included, Rivoli Rotterdam fetched just over 6.6 million euros at auction, with 15 bids submitted within roughly half an hour.

Since 2012, Van der Most had been trying to build an amusement park on the Doklaan site. The council further stated that the project “did not result in a fully functioning amusement park.” As a result, nearby residents have spent years staring at the unfinished remains of attractions such as a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster.

Van der Most said in 2022 to the AD that the park was 80 percent complete, but that it involved “much more work” than expected. The costs also turned out to be significantly higher. As a result, nearby residents have spent years staring at the unfinished remains of attractions such as a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster. He also told the newspaper that he had faced setbacks, including a major fire.