Meli Park

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title: "Meli Park" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["defunct-amusement-parks", "1935-establishments-in-belgium", "1999-disestablishments-in-belgium", "amusement-parks-opened-in-1935", "amusement-parks-closed-in-1999", "amusement-parks-in-belgium", "buildings-and-structures-in-west-flanders", "tourist-attractions-in-west-flanders", "de-panne"] topic_path: "general/defunct-amusement-parks" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meli_Park" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox amusement park"]

Field	Value
name	Meli Park
image	Abeille Apirama exposition Meli Park.jpg
caption	The Meli bee, from the Apirama dark ride
location	Adinkerke
location2	West Flanders
location3	Belgium
coordinates
theme	Beekeeping
homepage
owner	Family Florizoone
opening_date
closing_date
season	April – October
visitors	630,000 in 1994
area	75 acres ( 30 ha)
rides	31
coasters	2
water_rides	3
status	Closed
::

| name = Meli Park | image = Abeille Apirama exposition Meli Park.jpg | caption = The Meli bee, from the Apirama dark ride | resort = | location = Adinkerke | location2 = West Flanders | location3 = Belgium | coordinates = | theme = Beekeeping | homepage = | owner = Family Florizoone | general_manager = | operator = | opening_date = | closing_date = | previous_names = | season = April – October | visitors = 630,000 in 1994 | area = 75 acres ( 30 ha) | rides = 31 | coasters = 2 | water_rides = 3 | slogan = | status = Closed | footnotes = Meli Park was a theme park which was opened in 1935 in Adinkerke in the municipality of De Panne on the Belgian coast.

History

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The bee-themed amusement park was initiated by Alberic-Joseph Florizoone, owner of a honey company. Its mascot was a bee. It was one of the first Belgian theme parks. Over the years some new attractions were added. The first ones were the labyrinth and the zoo. In the 1950s, a miniature golf course, french formal gardens, a fairytale forest, water organ were introduced. Over the years, it became one of the biggest attractions in Belgium as Antwerp Zoo and Caves of Han-sur-Lesse.

Into the 1970s and the 1980s, with a growing variety of rides, Meli Park's visitor numbers reached 700,000 per annum. Its iconic attraction was the Apirama dark ride, opened in 1979, featuring hundreds of animated bees.

The park closed in 1999. It was sold to the Flemish children's television company Studio 100 and rethemed as Plopsaland. In 1999 Alberic-Joseph Florizoone was inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for amusement industry innovators and pioneers.

Attractions

Roller coasters

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Ride	Year opened	Year closed	Description	Picture
Jubilé	1995	2000	The Zyklon (roller coaster) was relocated to Selva Mágica, MX in 2000	[[File:Jubilé mélipark.jpg
Jumbo 5	1984	late 80s	It is the only Schwarzkopf Jumbo V in the world, as it was the only one manufactured. In 1995 it was relocated to Pleasurewood Hills under the name Cannonball Express. Previously named Enigma from 2005 to 2016 when it was renamed Cannonball Express.
Marienkaferbahn	1976	1999	It reopened in Plopsaland as Dongo's Race. From 2013 until 2021, the ride's name was changed to Viktor's Race. Since 2022, the ride is called #LikeMe Coaster.	[[File:Viktor'sRace4.JPG
Rollerskater	1990	1999	The first Vekoma Junior Coaster. It reopened in Plopsaland as Rollerskater. Since 2019, the ride is called K3 Roller Skater, and is themed to Belgian girl group K3.	[[File:RollerSkater10.JPG
Racing	1988 or earlier	early 90s	A Flitzer model, similar to Flitzer at Morey's Piers.
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Thrill rides

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Ride	Year opened	Year closed	Description	Picture
Calypso	1988 or earlier	1992	A Mack Rides spinning ride, similar to Tiki Twirl at Cedar Point. It spins riders in two degrees of motion.
Piratenboot	1981	1999	HUSS Park Attractions Pirate ship. It reopened in Plopsaland as Piratenboot.	[[File:De Piratenboot3.JPG
Splash	1989	1999	Manufactured by Mack Rides, the ride was inaugurated in 1989 by the Prime Minister of Belgium of the time, Wilfried Martens. Highest and fastest log flume of Europe of the time. It reopened in Plopsaland as Het Kasteel van Koning Samson. In 2007 the ride's name changed for Boomstammetjes. In 2019, the ride was rethemed and is now called DinoSplash.	[[File:Plopsaland splash.jpg
Vliegend Tapijt Djinn	1984	1999	Weber 1001 Nachts ride.	[[File:Herne - Cranger Kirmes 2012 021 ies.jpg
Wienerwals	late 80s	1999	Zierer Chair-O-Planes ride. It reopened in Plopsaland as Wienerwalz. In 2015, the original ride was replaced by a new construction with a different design.	[[File:Swings of the Century Canada's Wonderland.jpg
::

References

References

1. "L'abeille est toujours reine à Adinkerke".
2. "Expo: Er was eens... Meli Park".
3. (22 April 2009). "Reportage over Meli Park (nu Plopsaland)".
4. (2 January 2015). "Meli Park - Reportage - 1998".
5. "Meli Park reste à l'image de Florizoone son créateur".
6. "IAAPA Hall of Fame Award -- Inductee Video Clips".
7. "Junior Coaster".
8. "A Meli, on fait Splash".

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