*** Welcome to piglix ***

Dolfinarium Harderwijk

Dolfinarium Harderwijk
Day at Dolfinarium, experience the magic of dolphins
Dagje Dolfinarium, beleef de magie van dolfijnen (English:Day at Dolfinarium, experience the magic of dolphins)
Entrance to the Dolfinarium Harderwijk.JPG
Entrance to the Dolfinarium
Slogan Dagje Dolfinarium, beleef de magie van dolfijnen. Day at Dolfinarium, experience the magic of dolphins.
Date opened 1965
Location Harderwijk, the Netherlands
Coordinates 52°21′15″N 5°37′01″E / 52.35410°N 5.61695°E / 52.35410; 5.61695
Volume of largest tank 15 million liters
Annual visitors 586,300 (2016)
Memberships

"Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums". ammpa.org. AMMPA. 
"Dutch Zoo Federation". nvdzoos.nl. NVD. 

"European Association of Zoos and Aquaria". eaza.net. EAZA. 
Owner Compagnie des Alpes
Website www.dolfinarium.nl/en

"Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums". ammpa.org. AMMPA. 
"Dutch Zoo Federation". nvdzoos.nl. NVD. 

Dolfinarium Harderwijk, better known as the Dolfinarium, is a marine mammal park in Harderwijk, the Netherlands. It is the largest marine mammal park in Europe. Visitor numbers were steady from 2005 to 2011, numbering between 700,000 and 800,000, with only the opening of new attractions responsible for a surge in numbers. In 2012 the Dolfinarium made €12 million in sales, which was around €2,4 million lower than the year before. This was mainly due to a decline in visitor numbers because of orca Morgan leaving the park, and the park temporarily closing down due to the start of construction at the end of the year.

In 1955 businessman Frits den Herder together with his brother Coen, the owner of a local shipping company and playground, started collecting sea mammals. They started by building a dolphinarium (in Dutch: dolfinarium). In 1965 the park was opened to the general public. The goal of the park according to Frits was to "make the Dutch population show respect for these most special and mythical sea mammals". In 1969 the characteristic dome was built, and in the year after opening the Dolfinarium welcomed one million visitors.

In the seventies the Dolfinarium expanded its collection of animals and built more enclosures. In 1976 the Icelandic orca Gudrun was added to the collection. At the end of the decade the Dolfinarium started setting up dependencies abroad. As these dependencies did not have financial success, the Dolfinarium went bankrupt in 1982. At the insistence of the mayor of Harderwijk a new foundation was set up to continue the Dolfinarium and in 1984 the shares of the company were sold to a new owner. In 1987 Gudrun was sent to SeaWorld Orlando. In 1989 the Dolfinarium once again changed hands and the new owner invested money in the building of new attractions. The largest of the constructions was the building of a lagoon in 1997, which cost around 12 million euro.


...
Wikipedia

...