The Arsenal was a museum and maritime attraction in Vlissingen. The theme of pirates was central in this museum.
The Arsenal included a Pirate Park and a sea aquarium with sharks and rays. From the 65 meter high observation tower there was a view over Vlissingen and the Western Scheldt. The Arsenal was part of the Arsenal complex, which in addition to the attraction consists of a theater, two restaurants, a snooker and a slot machine hall.
On August 3, 2021, it was announced that the attraction would close on October 1, 2021. The building will be transformed into a hotel with 50 rooms.
First a brief bit of history. The Arsenal was built in 1823 on the foundation of a never-completed hospital for Napoleon's soldiers, and was used to store weapons until 1870. At the end of the 1970s, the Ministry of Defense no longer had a purpose for it, so it was sold to the municipality of Vlissingen. After various ideas to turn it into a tourist attraction, the choice ultimately fell on a casino, theater, apartments, observation tower and museum-attraction combination in the Arsenal itself, which together would be known as the Arsenal complex.
The Arsenal is unfortunately closed. The pirate park and sea aquarium will be transformed into a 'smart' air-conditioned hotel.
The Arsenal was a museum and maritime attraction in Vlissingen. The theme of pirates was central in this museum.
The Arsenal included a Pirate Park and a sea aquarium with sharks and rays. From the 65 meter high observation tower there was a view over Vlissingen and the Western Scheldt.
Brief historical explanation of the imaginative building:
The building was built in 1823 on the foundations left behind by the French occupiers. At the initiative of Napoleon Bonaparte, who visited Vlissingen in 1811 after the bombardment in 1809, the plan was conceived to have a military hospital built in Vlissingen next to the fortifications. South of the English Harbor, the entire 'Oude Timmerwerf' district was demolished for this purpose. However, the French were defeated before the building was actually constructed. The Dutch armed forces decided to build an artillery warehouse on the foundations. In 1980, the Ministry of Defense decided to dispose of the warehouse and sites and make them available to Vlissingen in exchange for the establishment of the naval barracks at the Buitenhaven. The municipality has come up with various destinations. In 1988 and 1989 the annual Street Festival was held in and around the building. In 1989, part of the biennial Maritime Expo was held in the building. In 1990 the municipality sold the land and building. A games and snooker hall has been built between the original warehouse and the former Concertgebouw (which has been converted into a theater).
The Arsenal was opened to the public in 1993. In 2002, Reggeborgh Beheer sold the land to A. van Velzen from Middelburg. The operation of the Maritime Attraction Center was taken over by Sven van Rijswijk and Edgard Angelini, who previously took over Miniatuur Walcheren from Reggeborgh in Middelburg. The interior was spectacularly decorated, including a pirate show in which Bennie Jolink plays a leading role as Captain Blackbeard. In addition to the collection of the muZEEum (tools related to shipbuilding) and a terracotta statue by Michiel de Ruyter (from the former Zeemanshuis in Amsterdam), a native shell collection has been on display since 2012.
On August 3, 2021, it was announced that the attraction would close on October 1, 2021. The building will be transformed into a hotel with 50 rooms.
Translated by Google •
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