Pirates in Batavia

Pirates in Batavia
Piraten in Batavia
The attraction entrance at Europa-Park
Europa-Park
Area Netherlands
Coordinates 48°15′49″N 7°43′11″E / 48.26361°N 7.71972°E / 48.26361; 7.71972
Status Closed
Opening date 1987
Closing date 26 May, 2018
General statistics
Manufacturer Mack Rides
Model Dark ride
Theme Pirate raid on Jakarta
Drop 5 m (16 ft)
Length 400 m (1,300 ft)
Speed 2.9 km/h (1.8 mph)
Site area 3,800 m2 (41,000 sq ft)
Capacity max. 2000 riders per hour
Vehicle type Boat
Vehicles 22
Riders per vehicle 16
Rows 4
Riders per row 4
Duration 7:30 mins
Handicapped persons Not suitable for handicapped persons, according to TÜV-restricitions[1]

Pirates in Batavia (German Piraten in Batavia[2]) was a water-dark ride at Europa-Park. The ride was built by Mack Rides in 1987 and was situated in a large hall at the Dutch themed area, which was designed as a typical Dutch clinker brick building from the outside.

In some aspects the attraction was reminiscent of the different Pirates of the Caribbean-Rides at the Walt Disney parks.

Story

The story is set during a pirate raid on Jakarta (known as Batavia until 1942) in the 17th century at the beginning of the Dutch colonization of Indonesia.

Ride

The building of the ride is characterized with a banner labeled with "Piraten in Batavia" in golden letters and a Jolly Roger. The station is situated on the first floor. On their way to the station, visitors are introduced to the backstory, while learning about the history of the Dutch colonisation of Indonesia, shown in different animated scenes. Mural paintings show the Java Sea region, including the maps of Sumatra, Borneo and Java.

At the station the visitors get on one of the boats, each with a capacity of 16 riders. The first scene shows a cave in the Indonesian jungle, which is inhabited by different animals and humans. After a wide bend, the boat goes down a waterfall and passes through a battle scene, in which a pirate ship attacks a nearby fort. The scene is dominated by screaming pirates and gunfire. Through a break in the fortification wall, the boat arrives Batavia, which is full of marauding pirates. In the following scenes the visitor experiences how the pirates win over the native women, staving off their hunger by eating exotic animals and getting drunk. The ride carries on passing a hidden temple in the jungle, a burning fort, a fishermen's village and a jail.

Just before the end of the ride, the boats pass a show venue on the right, which is embedded into the setting, and the themed restaurant Bamboe Baai.

Fire

On 26 May 2018, Pirates in Batavia burned to the ground in a colossal fire that destroyed the main themed area of the Scandinavia portion of the park. The cause of the fire is unknown, but a fireball erupted in a storage hall and spread towards the ride building resulting in high flames and a smoke plume stretching for miles. At first, the area was evacuated, but this was later revised to include the whole park. The park re-opened on Sunday, albeit with the Scandinavia and Norwegian sections of the ride closed. Two attractions, the 'Fjord-Rafting' and the 'Dschungel-Floßfahrt' remained closed, as firefighters had used water from those attractions to battle the fire.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.europapark.de/en/park/attractions-shows/pirates-batavia
  2. ↑ http://www.europapark.de/en/park/attractions-shows/pirates-batavia
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