Attractiepark Slagharen

Slagharen started in 1963 when Henk Bemboom, a shopkeeper, built holiday homes on farmland here and gave each one a Shetland pony and a small carriage; it grew steadily, took on an American Western theme in the 1970s that it has kept, and is now a full amusement park with a resort of log cabins and a water park attached. The theming is saloon fronts, a steam train, a Mississippi paddle wheeler and a stage show, and the rides are mid-scale rather than record-breaking - a wooden-style coaster, a spinning coaster, water rides and a large children's section - with the ponies still there, which is the founding detail nobody has dropped. It is aimed at families with children up to about twelve and sits in a quiet corner of Overijssel with little around it, so most visitors stay in the accommodation on site rather than travelling in and out.

History

In 1963 the shopkeeper Henk Bemboom built holiday homes on farmland around an old farmhouse in Slagharen and gave each one a Shetland pony and a small carriage, then a rare sight; the park opened at Pentecost with twenty-four homes as Ponypark Slagharen, and a flour mill of 1859, De Pionier, still stands in it (Wikipedia, Attractiepark Slagharen).

What's there

• A Western theme since the 1970s - saloon fronts, a steam train and a paddle wheeler.
• The founding ponies - still there, from the 1963 field that started it.
• Mid-scale rides - coasters and water rides rather than record-breaking machines.
• A resort of log cabins - accommodation and a water park on the site.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Practical notes

It is for families with younger children - thrill-seekers should go to Walibi or Efteling. Seasonal opening. Busy in school holidays. It is remote, and there is little else nearby.

Nearby

Hardenberg is west; the German border is east.

Key facts