Edwin Bomers, initiator and owner of Marveld Recreatie, tells with enthusiasm and knowledge about the construction of 'Bommelwereld', the indoor recreation park that is slowly but surely approaching completion. The park will open in the fortified town of Groenlo in October 2025. The comic book characters Olie B. Bommel and Tom Poes will have a new future here.
“The iconic Bommelstein castle, together with the tower of the medieval Calixtus church from 1371, already forms the skyline of Groenlo. The church tower is just a little bit higher,” says Bomers with a smile. You need a special entrepreneurial spirit to start and complete a leisure project of this size. How do you turn your holiday park into a place of destination?
Anyone who enters the fortified town on the N18 will be amazed by the fairytale castle that can be seen from afar through the four towers. How do you realize an indoor recreation park with the quality of the Efteling and give the characters of Marten Toonder, Olivier B. Bommel and Tom Poes a new life? Many tourist walkers and cyclists wonder what on earth is being built when they pass the castle. However, signs at the construction site clearly indicate that Marveld Recreatie is building here.
family business
Marveld Recreatie is a family business that was founded in three generations. Edwin Bomers takes a book from the cupboard that was written by his uncle André Bomers. “De Lindenhoeve, een familie-epos”. “It describes the history of the family. It shows how a family, driven by ambition, transforms a farm on the old sandy soils into a recreation company. “The title is objective but of course refers to the origin of Marveld Recreatie”. Edwin Bomers himself mentions the year 1968 as the starting point. It commands respect when you see what has been achieved in those 50 years and what is now about to be realized again. The new indoor recreation park with Bommelstein Castle as its eye-catcher covers more than 9000 square meters and will provide a powerful impetus to make Marveld Recreatie a successful destination in the future as well. “ A place of destination, a combination of day recreation and residential recreation. It will also give new impulses to the fortified town of Groenlo. This is absolutely in keeping with the fact that the Achterhoek has the most castles in the Netherlands. There are eight in Vorden alone,” Edwin Bomers emphasises with a smile.
Adventure stories
The stories of Marten Toonder are thematically reflected in the 'attractions' of the indoor park. “Jora Vision, specialist in developing themed attractions, used Toonder’s 171 stories and drawings to flesh out the creative concept. The entrance is located at the castle, which is situated on a hill. The arriving guests/visitors have to walk a winding path to the castle gate. A new story awaits behind every bend. It is measured storytelling that slowly leads visitors into the world of Olivier, B. Bommel and Tom Poes. Joost, the house servant, then welcomes the guests and takes them to Rommeldam where the adventures begin. Something new awaits at every house and behind every corner. They continually meet the residents of Rommeldam, such as Marquis de Cantecleer, the rooster, mayor Dickerdack who has the appearance of a hippopotamus, the magician Hocus. P. Pas, Bul Super & Hiep Hieper and inventor professor Przewalski. They arrive at the harbour at Captain Walrus. There is a climbing course and an escape room. There are also musicals, film and theatre.”
In short, visitors will soon experience a multimedia and interactive event full of action and wonder”. Guests of Marveld Recreatie have been able to get a foretaste of Bommelwereld in their holiday home for some time now. Bommelfilms are shown on channel 22 of their TV and they get an impression of the indoor amusement park in the making. Edwin Bomers explains that he obtained the screening rights of Tom Poes and Olivier B. Bommel via IP-Property. “We are certainly not going to rush into things. Coen Bertens, former director of the Efteling, is supporting us in the development of Bommelwereld.”
The brand-new National Museum of the Eighty Years' War (NMTO) has recently opened in the historic fortified town of Groenlo . The museum is housed in the recently restored 15th- century Calixtus Church. It opens its doors to the public this coming April 15. Multimedia presentations bring the history of the Eighty Years' War to life.
More information: www.bommelwereld.nl
With thanks to (author of this article): Frits van Wolveren, freelance editor in recreation and tourism