Mystery Park Interlaken: Yes, After All… for One Summer

We recall: Mystery Park, inspired and initiated by Erich von Däniken in Interlaken, Switzerland, had closed its doors in mid-November 2006 due to massive payment difficulties. In December 2007, Stefan Lindner’s and Peter Stähli’s company “New Inspiration” purchased the facility for 14 million Swiss francs with the goal of starting it up again with a new (and thoroughly interesting) concept called “Two Lake City”. About six months later, Linder and Stähli then pulled out of the Mystery Park project entirely. And now in May 2009, Mystery Park opened for one more summer season after all! With the re-opening, everything remains unaffected for the time being – the existing offers are being supplemented by a range of outdoor attractions especially geared to children and families: an electric go-cart racing track, bungee trampoline, Segway course, slides, bouncy castles, a trampoline, petting zoo, gold panning… And the whole summer long, a number of presentations given by Erich von Däniken will be added to the programme. On the opening weekend in mid-May, Managing Director Marcel Meier said that 850 and 1,500 visitors respectively had come – many more than the operators had expected at the end of the day. An average of 500 visitors a day are ultimately hoped for. According to reports, a new decision should be made on the future of Mystery Park after the close of this season in autumn. In summary, it all looks a bit mysterious… (eap)