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Pirates in Batavia are back at Europa Park
Tuesday 28th July 2020
Just like the original, only even better! The Pirates in Batavia set sail once more.

The sun slowly sets behind the wooden gables of the port city of Batavia and bathes the houses in a golden light. But this picturesque image is deceptive… as the pirates are in town! Bartholomeus van Robbemond and Diablo Cortez are on a spectacular chase through Indonesia. The magical object of their desire is a dagger that renders its owner invulnerable – the Fire Tiger!

Key facts about Pirates in Batavia:

Opened: 28th July 2020

Construction time: 24 months

Area of reconstruction: 14,319 square metres

Water volume: 2,000 cubic metres (1,800,000 litres)

Theming: Netherlands, pirates, Indonesia

Animatronics: Over 100, of which 8 are from the original attraction

Length of track: Approx. 500 metres 

Duration: Approx. 8 minutes 

Vehicles: 18 boats with 16 seats each

Capacity: 1,800 people per hour

Manufacturer: Mack Rides GmbH & Co. KG

Smoke extraction system: 32 detectors with 300 smoke extraction points

The journey begins very quietly in the Netherlands – in a Dutch bar. Pirates and nasty drunkards were raging around here just hours earlier. Half-empty and overturned beer mugs stand on the dark wooden tables, a chandelier hangs from the ceiling. It smells of schnapps, grog and sweat. Empty beer barrels, overturned tables and chairs testify to a wild binge which saw the pirates knocking quite a few back. A quaint brewery sits right behind the bar. This is where the pack stocks up with supplies. The beer barrels tower up to the roof. 

The journey then continues into a mystical space, where the walls are covered with countless land and sea maps from all over the world and exotic props can be found everywhere – a real collection of souvenirs.

Bartholomeus van Robbemond suddenly stands in front of the illustrious tour group. He tells of his mysterious search, where he uses a magic treasure map to find the Fire Tiger, a magical dagger, and invites all to accompany him on his adventure.

Boats are already waiting in front of the water lock for the daring passengers who wish to follow the pirate. The anchors are raised. Aye, aye captain! An exciting journey begins. Will it be a dangerous undertaking?

The ship is heading for a violent storm after a short journey. The waves whip up, flashes of lightning illuminate the pitch-black sky, and a threatening rumble can be heard. Heavy rain hits the planks. The rigging creaks ominously under the weight of the wind. Suddenly the boat approaches a meter-thick wall of fog and plunges into the depths. Shiver me timbers! That was nerve-wracking. The storm has led the adventurers into an Indonesian gorge. Van Robbemond's boat has not weathered the storm, however, as the wreck now lies splintered on its side.

Breathtaking waterfalls splash down on both sides. The jungle intoxicates with its variety of smells and noises. Monkeys and birds can be heard. Huge ships can be seen in the background, including the ship of Cortez. Van Robbemond is looking for the magic map that shows him the way to the Fire Tiger. The pirate friend, with his comrade Jopie the cheeky otter, hopes to find them in the nearby village.

It starts to get dark. The residents of the stilt city are preparing for tomorrow's market. The streets are busy. The village elder tells exciting stories by flickering candlelight, surrounded by the young and inexperienced children who listen quietly. Bartholomeus van Robbemond takes advantage of the moment and can navigates through with the remains of his treasures.

A wild expedition is ahead. The landlubbers are now approaching a pirate battle. Cannons thunder through the air, the masts of sunken ships line the way. Only the skull and crossbones flags still flutter in the wind. Many pirates are walking the planks here. Van Robbemond can also be seen again and should be careful - Diablo Cortez has sneaked on board his boat. After a wild duel, he and Jopie are pushed onto the plank. The ship of the adventurers watching the scene can barely navigate and circle the battlefield unscathed.

Yo-ho-ho! Saved! The residents of Batavia pull van Robbemond and his otter out of the water and save their lives. Behind the thick city walls, the safe, pulsating city attracts and invites visitors into joyous celebration. Indonesian sea shanties ring through the streets and pitchers full of the best rum make their way round. But Batavia is not a fun place for everyone: Many a pirate captain is behind bars. That is exactly where van Robbemond finds himself, and he can only hope for freedom.

No sooner have visitors left the settlement than the damp fog of the Indonesian jungle envelops the boat and inmates. The barge slowly sails through lush green thickets. A deep growl rumbles through the jungle. In the distance, you can see the familiar face of van Robbemond, who prevails in the final fight against opponent Cortez. Only a few metres separate him from what he seeks, the magical dagger that appears to hover in the middle of a temple. Its power is obvious. The room seems to vibrate with power. The pirate approaches quickly.

Arr! What an exhausting journey, but now he has done it. The Fire Tiger is in his hands. Bartholomeus van Robbemond quickly packs it into his treasure chest; the powers of the dagger are too dangerous to be given to someone else. He is now its guardian.

The boats slowly drift back into the harbour. While the Indonesian restaurant Bamboe Baai is waiting on the port with exotic delicacies and enchanting aromas, the finest spices in Asia that makes your stomach growl. To starboard awaits a horde of greedy monkeys, who have sneaked around Cortez again and again, and are now delighted with the stolen goods.

The wild adventure has passed! As they approach safe anchorage, the sailors happily take each other into their arms. The Fire Tiger is safe. Good has prevailed.

‘Pirates in Batavia’ is a spectacular 8-minute boat ride for the whole family. In each of the 17 boats, 16 passengers can go on an adventurous journey with Bartholomeus van Robbemond. Over 80 figures, with the latest technology and delicate movements, create the exciting life of the Indonesian colony full of countless pirates in the Dutch themed area of Germany's largest theme park.

On 28th July 2020, the popular and detailed themed ride will reopen with elaborately designed scenes. The Mack Rides boat trip celebrated its premiere in 1987 and is now even more beautiful and modern, all without losing the scenes that visitors love. The route corresponds exactly to the original ride. 

The Indonesian restaurant ‘Bamboe Baai’ also lures visitors in with its exotic dishes and the best view of the lovingly implemented family attraction. In the middle of the restaurant, artists once again impress with top class performances. Culinary delights, themed rides and shows merge to form an inimitable overall concept that is second to none.

Since the start of the season, there has been a preview centre in the queue area of the ‘Pirates in Batavia’ where visitors can immerse themselves in the story. The short film ‘Departure for Batavia’ is shown three times a day in the 4D Magic Cinema and visitors can follow the pirates through the Indonesian jungle in the ice arena. In addition, the first volume of the new novel series on the Adventure Club of Europe will be published in autumn by Coppenrath Verlag. The story of Batavia plays an important role in the first book.

Piraten in Batavia Sign Returns
Monday 27th April 2020
In the latest update shared by Michael Mack on twitter, the sign for Pirates in Batavia has returned. Restored to its former glory the sign for the ride remains the same, however, the facade for the ride's entrance has been changed slightly to fit in with the Adventure Club of Europe. A fictional organisation created for the backstory of Voletarium and future Europa Park attractions.

What a comeback of an iconic piece of history! The signboard of Piraten in Batavia just returned. Construction is progressing nicely! #Batavia2020

https://twitter.com/MichaelMack/status/1254788923827474432 

Europa Park Previews 2020 Theme Park Season
Wednesday 8th April 2020
Europa Park was due to open for the 2020 Theme Park Season on 28th March 2020. However, due to the global pandemic, Corona Virus, the park's opening has been postponed until at least 19th April. Rulantica also remains closed during this time. The event, Night Beat Angels, has also been sadly cancelled by the park. It is unclear if this event will be rescheduled for later this year or just return for the start of the 2021 season. 

However, in light of all of this sad news, Europa Park continues to keep guests entertained on social media with exclusive sneak peeks of changes around the park. Ranging from the small details like a section of Atlantica Supersplash track being repainted, to the rebranding of Blue Fire, now sponsored by Nord Stream 2 and the construction of Pirates in Batavia. 

In a series of videos on the parks Youtube Channel, the park is showing some of the changes around the park, publishing a video every Friday until the park reopens. In the first two videos on the parks Youtube channel, we can see a new animatronic has been installed in the Ghost Castle ride queue line. The old entrance for Blue Fire has been removed and a new one is currently being constructed. A section of gas pipe looks to be being installed at the entrance to the new Nord Stream 2 Dome Entrance. The rethemed dome looks to have a 21st centre look and feel. We would expect with everything going on this will be complete and finished in time for Summer. For the time being the entrance for Blue Fire can be found next to Wodan. New logos have also been fitted to each train and it appears that the rollercoaster could have been repainted during the closed season. 

In the second video published by the park on Friday 3rd April. The park gave guests a sneak peek at the work going on around Pirates In Batavia. Work on the ride has rapidly progressed since we last saw it in October at the parks Traumatica event. In the video, we got a glimpse at the entrance portal for the ride and the area around it. Themed around the country Holland, the area looks amazing and we cant wait to see it in person when the park reopens. We also get another small glimpse at what the queue line for the ride will look like. In the video, it seems that the first section of the queue line you enter will be themed to a bar/lobby as seen in the promo video. Other small bits of work around the park include a new Magnum ice cream shop, complete with an ice cream selfie station. 

Taken from Europa Park's website:

"Europa-Park is already prepared and ready to open any time: the shows are developed, the attractions are in the starting blocks and the gardens are beautiful as ever. We are looking forward to welcoming our guests as soon as possible.

Stay with us and more importantly, stay healthy.

Your Mack family"

Europa-Park Weekly - Folge 1 (28.03.2020)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSv51YLopz8

Europa-Park Weekly - Folge 2 (04.04.2020)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lfRXP49Rz0

Pirates in Batavia Exterior Complete
Friday 11th October 2019
Since our last visit to Europa Park, the construction for Pirates in Batavia has progressed rapidly. The building is now fully enclosed and the facade for the building has started to be built. Currently, the entrance portal for the ride can be seen with a large circle cut out and place holders for windows can be seen around the area. Due to the location and type of ride being built, we can see inside and see any progress. However, we expect the park will do a documentary series about the reconstruction of the area over the closed season. 

The ride is expected to reopen Summer 2020.  

Piece By Piece Pirates Comes Back To Life
Tuesday 23rd July 2019
Over the past few weeks, Europa Park has been rebuilding the facade to Pirates in Batviaia along with progressing with the main building for the attraction. However, with the construction of Scandivina soon to be opening and taking longer than expected to rebuild. It appears workers might have been taken from one project and put on another to get the project back on track and open as soon as possible. 

Nevertheless, construction has progressed rapidly since our last visit to the park. By the end of the season, we expect that the ride building will be complete and the facade will almost be ready for theming. We cant wait to see what it looks like when this is all done!

Pirates in Batavia Rises From The Ashes
Wednesday 3rd July 2019
Work on rebuilding the huge ride building for Pirates in Batavia is underway at Europa Park. Due to the size of the dark water ride, the building is never going to fly up over a few weeks. The old building contained offices, break rooms, servers and the old water ride. It would appear Europa Park is making use of this redesign to reinforce the building for future use. Hopefully, the park will be able to add more attractions in this space, similar to what they did to the Scandinavia. Scorri Tour is set to open later this year. 

Pirates in Batavia Construction Begins
Monday 15th April 2019
Work on rebuilding Pirates in Batavia at Europa Park is progressing well! Less than a year after the fire that gutted the ride and area around it Scandinavia part of the framework for the new ride building has already been installed. Along with what we believe is the start of some of the ride troof. It would also appear that some of the facades for the ride entrance and area around it is also being constructed at the same time. A new tower by the old entrance for the ride can be seen in one of the photos. 

Europa Park Pirates In Batavia Preview
Friday 12th April 2019
For the 2019 season, Europa Park have unveiled a preview in the Schatzkammer (The Treasury) for the return of Pirates of Batavia in 2020.

The original ride, that opened at the park in 1987 was unfortunately destroyed in a large fire in 2018 that also damaged the entire Scandinavia area of the park.

As part of the rebuild of the Scandinavian area, Europa-Park are also starting to rebuild the Pirates in Batavia attraction, however as they are constructing this ride from the foundations this means they can use the latest technology to make the attraction more cutting edge than it's charming, but slightly dated predecessor.

Within the preview itself, there is a large model of the proposed design of the attraction, which looks very similar to the previous iteration however, this seems a lot more detailed. 

The preview also features an animatronic that will be within the new attraction which, as expected, looks a vast improvement to the 1987 version of the swash buckling pirates.

The animatronic in question is active within the preview, demonstrating the fluidity of it's movement which, again, really shows how this technology has progressed in 30 years.

Around the walls of the preview are boards, showing designs and concept art of sets and well as the rides boats.

Overall this really increases the excitement for the opening of this attraction next year as it shows that Europa Park are set out on bringing back a fantastic attraction and story, albeit in a way that capitalises on modern technology.

 

Europa Park Rebuilds
Sunday 14th October 2018
Following the devastating fire that destroyed Pirates in Batavia, Europa Park has been hard at work to remove the damaged buildings and is preparing the area to be rebuilt. Roofs and buildings around the area that were partially affected are in the processes of still being repaired but we applaud Europa Park for there fast and effective response to getting the park back open and doing there best in these hard times. 

A large colourful trape with a silhouette of the old area has been installed around the area to hide the construction site. Featuring some of Europa Parks characters such as Snorri the new waterpark mascot. 

Fire Breaks Out At Europa Park
Saturday 26th May 2018
A large fire at one of Europe’s most popular amusement parks forced the evacuation of up to 25,000 visitors.

Seven firefighters were injured tackling the blaze at Europa-Park in the town of Rust in southwest Germany on Saturday night.

The fire started in a storage building before spreading through parts of the Dutch and Scandinavian-themed areas.

Other photographs showed the burning wreckage of buildings in the Scandinavian section.

Despite the damage, most of the park reopened at 9am on Sunday morning and police confirmed no members of the public or employees were injured in the blaze.