Rivoli Rotterdam: New Owner for Never Fully Opened Amusement Park
The “UFO Restaurant” was the very first and one of the only attractions to open.
© Photo: Joke Schot
(eap) The Rivoli Rotterdam amusement park (also known as Speelstad Rotterdam / Attractiepark Rotterdam), which has been in development for years, has a new owner. The project by Dutch entrepreneur Hennie van der Most, who also created Wunderland Kalkar on the Lower Rhine in Germany, had been developed over a period of fourteen years, but has so far never fully opened. In total, around 50 million euros – largely from van der Most’s own funds – are said to have been invested in the project, which was accompanied by delays and difficulties from the very beginning.
As Dutch media report, entrepreneur Wim Beelen is said to have acquired the amusement park last week as part of a forced auction initiated by creditor Pearl Capital with a bid of 6.5 million euros. Van der Most and Beelen had reportedly already negotiated a possible sale beforehand but had not reached an agreement on the purchase price. Relevant in this context: the land itself belongs to the Municipality of Rotterdam. Van der Most held a leasehold right that runs until 2030. Despite this time limitation, new owner Beelen now reportedly wants to put the park into operation as quickly as possible. In addition, he is said to be planning to also find a place there for his “Noah’s Ark” – a large wooden ship that was recreated based on the biblical story and served as a visitor attraction at different locations for years.
The amusement park area, located on the Nieuwe Maas, is situated on a former port site where a waste incineration plant was once operated. Similar to Wunderland Kalkar, van der Most wanted to transform an unusual industrial site into a leisure facility for families. Rivoli Rotterdam was intended to combine both attractions and gastronomy as well as conference facilities and a theater. Both indoor and outdoor attractions have already been built, including a roller coaster, a go-kart track and a swing boat. In the information provided by the online auction platform Vastgoed Veiling, it is stated that some of the attractions as well as various gastronomy facilities are ready for operation. Only the “UFO Tower” (see photo) has been temporarily approved.
However, in a motion adopted on 16 April 2026, the Rotterdam City Council had declared that the further development of the former waste incineration site must take place in the interest of the city. According to the council, it no longer sees a future for the site as an amusement park. Instead, the aim should be to create a “socially beneficial use with affordable housing, employment and facilities that benefit the residents of Rotterdam-Zuid.” At this point, it therefore remains open whether Rivoli Rotterdam still has a future as an amusement park at this location. ■
