The Veenpark declared bankrupt last month in Barger-Compascuum will remain open until 1 October. In consultation with the curator, the municipality of Emmen has guaranteed to keep the Open Air Museum open temporarily. Due to that support, a possible restart remains possible.
An advance of 10,000 euros has already been made available to secure energy supply. Agreements have also been made for personnel deployment and with a security company for any calamities. In the meantime, the curator is investigating the possibilities for a restart of the park and discussions are being held with interested parties.
In June this year, the province of Drenthe closed the subsidy tap, after it appeared that the goals associated with the subsidy were not achieved by the Veenpark. For example, the park had to achieve the museum status by 1 June and the visitor figures had to go up to 70,000 people. Both were not achieved.
The park was followed in August. According to director Harrie Keuter, that was the result of an untenable financial situation that would arise. The bankruptcy application applied to the two parts of the park: the museum and catering/events.