Children were in charge there and Kloontje ate ice cream at a pink castle. The Land of Once has many memories, but the amusement park has been closed for sixteen years. Historian Bert Meijs lives around the corner from the former park. He delved into the history of the estate and wrote a book about it.
For Bert Meijs it was not only a search for the history of the castle, but also for his own family. “My grandmother was born on the estate. Her father was caretaker of castle d’Oultremont. The estate belonged to a count who often stayed in Brussels.”
When the count was in Belgium, Meijs’ great-grandfather also had to look after the count’s hunting dog. “That hunting dog was called Madame, so that at least one madam in his life listened to him. The count was not an easy man. My great-grandfather received a few guilders a year to look after the dog. When the dog died a few days before the new year, a few guilders were deducted from the wages.”
Due to the construction of the A59, it was no longer interesting for the count to hunt in the area. The maintenance of the estate also became increasingly expensive and that is why he decided to sell it. “Two other people lived there afterwards, but they also sold it.”
“Even though it was forbidden, he painted the castle pink.”
In 1989, the estate was transformed into the Land van Ooit amusement park. “Marc Taminiau was director at Efteling, but he was put aside there. He came up with a concept himself and founded the Land of Ever.”
The amusement park was best known for its pink castle. “That is a monumental building. Even though it was forbidden, he painted the castle pink.” Taminiau appeared to flout the rules more often. “After the Land van Ooit closed, he was convicted again because he had committed quite a bit of fraud.”
In the book, Meijs also writes about a fatal accident. “Knight tournaments were held in the amusement park. Polish actors were hired for that. Such a knight’s fight went wrong once. An actor was hit and died in hospital.” The amusement park, on the other hand, remained successful, partly because of Clone the Giant Child, who got his own television show on SBS6.
“Today’s youth prefer roller coasters.”
In 2007, the park ‘where children are in charge’ came to an end. The amusement park was declared bankrupt. “The target group of the park was limited: children from about six to eleven years old. Moreover, the amusement park focused a lot on theater, while today’s youth prefer roller coasters.” The estate was purchased by the municipality of Heusden. The name was changed to Poort van Heusden and in 2019 the pink castle was painted in the original colors.
“Half of the estate is now closed off because construction is underway. On the south side there are luxury villas and on the other side courtyard houses. There will also be 220 apartments and a diagnostic center,” says Meijs. The historian thinks it is a shame that the estate is being built up. “There is nothing left of nature.”
Watch the video for a journey back in time through the eyes of former employee René Valk and amusement park expert Stan van den Boom.