Boudewijn Seapark, Marine mammal park and theme park in Sint-Michiels, Bruges, Belgium
Boudewijn Seapark is a theme and animal park in Sint-Michiels, Bruges, named after King Baudouin. It contains a dolphinarium, an animal park, an ice rink and an exhibition hall. The entrance building has a steep dark grey shingled roof, dark timber framing and a white sign reading "Boudewijn Seapark" above a central open passage.
The site opened in 1963 as Boudewijnpark, named after King Baudouin, on a former pond called the Cloedtse put. A tower at the entrance, the Halletoren, was built for the local archers' guild. Belgium's first dolphinarium opened across the street in 1971; a fire in 1988 destroyed it and three dolphins, and a new dolphinarium reopened in 1990. The Spanish Aspro Ocio group took over in 2003.
The park's name honours King Baudouin, who reigned when it opened in 1963. Its dolphinarium, opened in 1971 across the Alfons de Baeckestraat, was the first in Belgium and held three dolphins; visitors crossed between park and pools with a hand stamp. Today the dolphin shows remain the park's best-known draw, and animal welfare groups have criticised the dolphinarium for decades.
The entrance building sits on Alfons de Baeckestraat, with the dolphinarium across the street; visitors get a hand stamp to move between the two. The park lies in Sint-Michiels, south of central Bruges. The dolphin shows run daily, and the 1969 covered ice rink and the animal park fill the rest of a visit.
The facility runs one of Belgium's few dolphin training programs, demonstrating how trainers work with these intelligent marine mammals. This specialized focus sets it apart from typical amusement parks in the area.
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