Walygator Grand-Est is an amusement park located in Maizières-les-Metz,

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Since its opening in 1989, the park has had a succession of different names: Big Bang Schtroumpf (

Smurf ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and int ...

), Walibi Schtroumpf, Walibi Lorraine and now Walygator Parc.

History

First designed within the extant halls of Sacilor's Laminoir by the Leisure division HHCP Architects in Maitland, Florida, the theme park was named ''The New World of the Smurfs'', or Le Nouveau Monde des Schtroumpfs. After a decision was made to abandon the mill, the park was re-designed by Grady Larkins and eventually opened up on May 9, 1989, as ''Big Bang Schtroumpf''. Built on the site of the former steel mills of Sacilor, the park was then managed by Sorépark, a company headed by Pierre Jullien. Construction costs topped . * In 1991, the park, on the verge of bankruptcy, is taken over by

Walibi Compagnie des Alpes () is a French company created in 1989 to operate many ski resorts in Europe. Compagnie des Alpes is a part of Caisse des dépôts et consignations. History Compagnie des Alpes was first established in 1989 as a ski resort ...

Group. Walibi's orange kangaroo mascot is brought alongside

Peyo Pierre Culliford (; 25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo (). His best-known works are the comic book series ''The Smurfs'' and '' Johan and Peewit'', the latter in wh ...

's little blue men: ''Walibi Schtroumpf'' was born. * In 1998, parent

Group is bought out by Premier Parks. At this point, the land on which Walibi Schtroumpf sits, totals 162 hectares of which only 42 are in use. * In 2003, Walibi Schtroumpf becomes ''Walibi Lorraine'' and the

Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and int ...

characters are removed from the park. * In 2004

Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any amu ...

(Premier Parks' successor), which had ownership of the park since 1998, divests itself of its European operations (apart from Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid, which was sold back to

Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

and renamed Parque Warner Madrid in 2006). The park changes hands to Star Parks, of London-based Palamon Partners. * In 2006 Star Parks, in turn, sells the park to brothers Claude and Didier Le Douarin. Around the same time, the

brand is sold to French leisure giant

Compagnie des Alpes Compagnie des Alpes () is a French company created in 1989 to operate many ski resorts in Europe. Compagnie des Alpes is a part of Caisse des dépôts et consignations. History Compagnie des Alpes was first established in 1989 as a ski resort ...

. The new management team is left with no option but to adopt a new name. * In 2007, the park opens its doors under a new name: ''Walygator Parc''. * In 2010, the park opens a new roller coaster, " The Monster", an

inverted roller coaster An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the tr ...

by Swiss manufacturer

Bolliger & Mabillard Bolliger & Mabillard, officially Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, Inc. and often abbreviated B&M, is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabil ...

. The ride had previously anchored

Expoland Expoland, located in Suita, Japan was opened as the amusement zone at the International Exposition in 1970 (Expo '70) in Osaka and thrived for over 30 years as an amusement park. There were more than 40 rides and attractions (including 8 roller ...

in Japan, and is a clone of

Raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on v ...

Cedar Point Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Opened in 1870, it is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point is owned and op ...

. *In 2013, the park, once again on the verge of bankruptcy, is sold to a group of investors made of Jacqueline Lejeune, Franck Déglin and Francois-Jérôme Parent. * In 2016, Jacqueline Lejeune and Franck Déglin sell Walygator Parc to

Aspro Parks Aspro Parks (''Aspro Ocio Group'') is a Spanish leisure corporation that operates many water parks, amusement parks, aquariums as well as zoos, botanicals and dolphinariums across Europe. The company was founded in October 1991 in Spain, and is h ...

. * In 2020, the park was renamed Walygator Grand-Est following the purchase of Walibi Sud-Ouest and renaming as Walygator Sud-Ouest.

Coasters

Other attractions

File:Accrobranche jeux.jpeg, ''Accrobranche'' File:Caribbean_Boat_Walygator.jpg, ''Caribbean Boat'' File:Pony trekking.jpg, ''Longchamps'' File:MistralWalygator.jpg, ''Mistral'' File:Dark tower2013.JPG, ''Space Shoot'' File:Südseewellen.jpg, ''Südseewellen''

Water rides

File:Rapid River Schlumpf-Park Frankreich.gif, Dino-Raft File:La_Riviere_Sauvage_Walygator.jpg, Rivière Sauvage File:Splash Kids.jpg, Splash Kids File:Walyboat.jpg, Waly Boat

Location

The park is located 15 km north of Metz, a
47.15984 N,2.988281 E
Gare waly

It is served by the eponymous

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...

station.

External links

*
official website of Walygator Park
*
official website of Walygator Park in English
{{Six Flags Amusement parks in France Aspro Parks attractions Buildings and structures in Moselle (department) Tourist attractions in Moselle (department) 1989 establishments in France Former Six Flags theme parks Amusement parks opened in 1989 The Smurfs in amusement parks