De Waarbeek

Hengelo, Overijssel, Netherlands

Small children's theme park, and home to the world's oldest surviving steel rollercoaster.

Opened	20 April 1924
Season	April to October
Website	www.waarbeek.nl
Nearby	Avonturenpark Hellendoorn (19 miles) Attractiepark Slagharen (28 miles) Movie Park Germany (44 miles) Toverland (68 miles) Amsterdam Dungeon (81 miles)

Ducks at De Waarbeek

De Waarbeek is a small amusement park primarily aimed at children near the Netherlands town of Hengelo.

The park was opened in 1924 as an English landscape garden with rowing boats, tennis and a tearoom.

One of De Waarbeek's first attractions was Rodelbaan, a toboggan run built in the 1930s which is regarded as possibly the oldest known steel rollercoaster in the world. Rodelbaan still operates at the park and is a good reason to visit De Waarbeek by itself.

Alongside Rodelbaan, the park boasts a number of other rides and attractions all set in a beautiful shady lightly wooded grove. Highlights include an increasingly rare Nautic Jet, peddle boats and dodgems, alongside several children's roundabouts.

De Waarbeek may be small and primarily a children's park, but its attractive setting and friendly staff create an atmosphere which encourages visitors to relax and linger. Unknown to many, the park is a hidden gem not least because of Rodelbaan which is still entertaining nearly a century after it was built.