To my surprise, ‘A subtropical ruin on the Dutch isle of Ameland’ about Tropica Ambla is one of the most-read articles on my website. Recently, Edwin Boelens, one of the original staff members, responded to my findings. He pointed out a few inaccuracies. Rather than amend the original blog post, I have decided to write a new piece which, I hope, contains the correct information.
You will find more audio and video footage on my video channel:
‘From our holiday accommodation, an apartment at the Noordsee Hotel in Nes, Ameland, we look out over what must once have been a subtropical water park. An impressively long tube structure winds its way around one of the two dome-shaped buildings. You can imagine how a minute-long whizzing ride ends in a spectacular plunge into the warm water of the indoor swimming pool.
I am not the only one intrigued by this striking example of faded glory. Late in the evening, I spot a young man scuttling across one of the rounded roofs like a crab. He vanishes just as quickly as he appeared, and for a moment it seems as though I have imagined it. Activities can also be observed on the grounds at night. Whispering youths make their way in the dark towards a hidden entrance. The next morning, as the sun rises behind the complex, two young roe deer frolic across the fenced-off area.
On the other side of the hotel is a watchtower. From there, you can look down on the Tropicana-like ruin, which passers-by compare to the dismantled Chernobyl nuclear reactor. On the roof, someone has written ‘Geldwolf’ (Money wolf) in large letters. It can only be read from above, but the message is clear: this must be the work of an owner who has an entire island community in a stranglehold and who, it seems, is determined to sell his skin dearly.
Tropica Ambla’s intention has been to open in May 1988, but due to an unspecified ‘technical fault’, the date has been postponed. The Leeuwarder Courant paper reports optimistically that, in fine weather, the domes of the wave pool can be seen from the mainland. That is just the right spirit to encourage people to make the crossing to the island. The newspaper describes the 120-metre-long slide as the highlight of a visit to the swimming pool. Tropica Ambla also features a white-water creek, whirlpools, saunas and a Turkish bath.
On June 16, 1988, the swimming pool actually opens. The Leeuwarder Courant now reports, somewhat more critically, that the admission prices are on the steep side: for two hours of swimming fun, visitors have to fork out no less than nine guilders, ‘a considerable sum for an average family’, according to the Frisian newspaper. These high costs are, however, understandable. The construction of the water park cost 8.7 million guilders. Two million of that has been coughed up by central government, whilst the municipality of Ameland also invested two million in this tourist attraction. The ‘Nieuwsblad van het Noorden’ newspaper also complains that Tropica Ambla is far too expensive for ‘the man in the street’. In July, visitor numbers are favourable, partly thanks to the mediocre weather. In August, they fall again as the weather improves.
Eleven months after its opening, in May 1989, the 100,000th visitor is welcomed, according to the Leeuwarder Courant newspaper. During the winter season, however, Tropica Ambla loses more money than it has earned in the summer. The manager says he is disappointed by the lack of cooperation from the business community on Ameland, which has made it difficult to ensure the venue’s financial viability.
In May 1991, the Leeuwarder Courant reports that Tropica Ambla will remain closed for the time being. The few Ameland entrepreneurs who have invested in the swimming pool want their money back. Jan Voskamp Beleggingen from Almelo takes over the swimming pool for one million guilders from Quattro Beheer in Zwolle. Voskamp states that he expects the doors to reopen within fourteen days. The local council is being accommodating and is seeking only 800,000 guilders back from the previous owner. In July 1991, the main financier, Rabobank, reports that the transfer of the swimming pool has stalled due to ‘practical problems’.
Meanwhile, more companies come forward claiming they want money from Quattro Beheer. As a result, the subtropical water park on Ameland remains closed. In August 1991, the new owner, Voskamp, takes the municipality of Ameland to court. Voskamp wants to have two municipal regulations set aside: that the water park must be open eleven months a year, and that the pool can’t be used as a disco.
In April 1992, Antoon Schols of the ‘Eilander Initiatiefgroep’ buys the swimming pool. It is not known how much the group pays for it. That same month, the doors reopen to visitors. In October 1992, the Ameland Tourist Office temporarily takes over the running of Tropica Ambla because it expects a flood of tourists from Belgium and the southern Netherlands.
In 1994, Tropica Ambla is still open. Yet the management is far from happy. Due to the fine weather, there is a lot of competition from the beaches. Around 60,000 visitors come to the water park each year. To be profitable, that figure needs to at least double. This proves unsuccessful, and in 1995 the swimming closes. In 1996, Harrie Hutting takes over the pool and reopens it under the name Aqua Plaza. In 1999, he organises a test drilling operation during which thermal groundwater is discovered at depths of both 650 metres and 837 metres. Hutting is delighted: ‘By June, we’ll know for certain whether Nes can become the leading therapeutic spa centre in North-West Europe!’ the Leeuwarder Courant quotes him. However, the local council no longer wishes to subsidise Hutting because they have not yet recouped a single cent of their investments. The water park closes permanently in 2002.
Attempts to find an alternative use for the site have met with little success. In 2008, the empty swimming pool serves as a surreal backdrop during Ameland Art Month. The artwork ‘Boat’, a series of chairs sawn off at an angle by Saskia Boelsums and Peter Veen, is intended to ‘make the fear of the sea tangible’.
In 2010, the swimming pool is temporarily repurposed as a paintball centre. In 2012, Vlieland-based hospitality entrepreneur Harry Westers purchases the site with the intention of turning it into a wellness resort (in this case, ‘Well Nes’ would be a more fitting name, just as the nearby lake could be christened ‘Loch Nes’). The Ameland council puts a stop to his plans in 2017 because, according to the council, Westers wants to build a hotel on the site that is too large. Since then, the dilapidated buildings on Ameland have become a magnet for loitering youths and stray animals. The property developer (who doesn’t have to look at it himself) and the Ameland council are holding each other hostage.’
