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Dolfinarium Harderwijk. Author StevenLek .

Top 10 Best Facts About Dolfinarium Harderwijk

Dolfinarium Harderwijk, better known as the Dolfinarium, is a marine mammal park in Harderwijk, the Netherlands.

It is considered the largest marine mammal park in Europe. From 2005 to 2011, between 700,000 and 800,000 visitors were recorded.

In 2012 Dolfinarium made €12 million in sales, which was around €2,4 million lower than the year before. This was mainly due to a decline in visitor numbers because of orca Morgan leaving the park,

 1. It Was Established As A Sign Of Respect For The Most Special Sea Mammals

Picture of a dolphin. Photo by Pagie Page on

It was an effort of two brothers. In 1955 businessman Frits den Herder together with his brother Coen, the owner of a local shipping company and playground, started collecting sea mammals. They started by building a dolphinarium (in Dutch: dolphinarium). After ten years the park was opened to the general public.

The goal of the park according to Frits was to “make the Dutch population show respect for these most special and mythical sea mammals”. In 1969 the characteristic dome was built, and in the year after opening the Dolfinarium welcomed one million visitors.

2. After Rapid Expansion in the 70’s It Went Bankrupt And Had To Change Ownership

In the seventies, the Dolfinarium expanded its collection of animals and built more enclosures. In 1976 the Icelandic orca Gudrun was added to the collection. At the end of the decade, the Dolfinarium started expanding abroad with not much financial success, making it in 1982.

At the insistence of the mayor of Harderwijk, a new foundation was set up to continue the Dolfinarium and in 1984 the shares of the company were sold to a new owner. In 1987 Gudrun was sent to SeaWorld Orlando.

 In 1989 the Dolfinarium once again changed hands and the new owner invested money in the building of new attractions. The largest of the constructions was the building of a lagoon in 1997, which cost around 12 million euros.

3. It Was Bought By Compagnie des Alpes

In 2001 the Dolfinarium was bought by Compagnie des Alpes, which owns another amusement park in the Netherlands, Walibi Holland, and also owned Avonturenpark Hellendoorn.

In 2005 the park underwent a major renovation during its fiftieth anniversary. During the boreal winter of 2012–2013, further renovations, including refurbishment of the old dome, were made. On 17 December 2014, the ownership of the Dolfinarium was transferred from Compagnie des Alpes to Aspro Parks.

In 2016 the Dolfinarium announced to decrease in the number of dolphins at the park citing the large population as the reason. It also announced a new playground for children. The number of visitors decreased to 586,300 in 2016. In 2018 the Dolfinarium opened a new attraction and turned a profit for the first time in five years and the park temporarily closed down due to the start of construction at the end of the year.

4. The Park Is Divided Into Several Areas For Different Species

The park is open each year from spring to autumn, with winter being reserved for maintenance. The park is divided into several areas for different species or wider groups of animals. The animals in some areas perform in shows.

5. Most Dolphins Live In Dolfijnendelta

Dolfijnendelta is where most dolphins live. It was formerly known as the lagoon and is considered the living area for common bottlenose dolphins. The area can also be observed from underwater (at the Onderwater Odiezee), which provide60-meter-long glass wall, with the dolphins, often coming close due to their curious nature. The aquarium holds 15 million liters of water.

Some of the species include Krabbenkust: Crabs, lobsters, sea anemone, fish, Roggenrif: Rays, Sharks, European seabass, Thicklip grey mullet, other fish, crabs, lobsters, oysters, lugworms and sea anemone,  Stoere Stellerstek: Steller sea lion, Walrussenwal: Walrus, Walrus Igor lived here until he died in 2013, Zeeleeuwenzee: California sea lion, Zeehondenzand: Harbor seal and Grey seal,

6. The Park Offers Therapeutic Session With Dolphins For Children With Autism or Down Syndrome

Picture of Dolphin Jumping. Photo by Ranae Smith on

In cooperation with a foundation, the Dolfinarium offers therapeutic sessions with dolphins for children with autism or Down syndrome. Commercially it offers a program called “Sleeping with dolphins” for children aged 8–12.

7. There is A Foundation For Saving Stranded Porpoises, Dolphins, And Whales

SOS Dolfijn is an independent foundation based in the Dolfinarium dedicated to the saving of stranded porpoises, dolphins, and whales. Porpoises (85%) are the most common patients at the recovery facilities in the Dolfinarium.

The goal  is to let them recover and then release them into the wild again. If porpoises are deemed unfit to be released into the wild, they are sent to the Bruinvisbaai or facilities at Ecomare on the island of Texel.

In 2016 the cooperation between SOS Dolfijn and the Dolfinarium stopped, with SOS Dolfijn announcing it was looking for a new location.

8. One Of The Most Famous Dolphins Was Called Megan

 In 2010 the Dolfinarium attracted worldwide attention when young killer whale Morgan was found exhausted and emaciated in the North Sea. She was rescued and sent for recovery at the Dolfinarium.

However, after her recuperation opinions were split between those who wanted to return her to nature, and those who saw no chance of Morgan surviving in nature and thus wished her to go to Loro Parque, Tenerife, Spain, where she could be better-taken care of.

 Eventually, a Dutch judge decided that Morgan should be transported to Loro Parque. Morgan was moved to Loro Parque on 29 November 2011. The Dutch police provided an escort from the Dolfinarium to Schiphol Airport.

9. A Dolphin Named Spetter Was The First To Be Born By Artificial Insemination in the Dolfinarium

In 2006, a Dutch broadcaster Nickelodeon aired a show intended for children called Spetter. It was based around the dolphin called Spetter in the Dolfinarium. Spetter was the first dolphin born by artificial insemination in the Dolfinarium. While shooting the series, a plastic model of the dolphin was at times used to not exhaust the animal.

 A subsequent season called Spetter and the Romanov Mystery was aired by Jetix in 2007. Tess Gaerthé, the Dutch contestant in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005, provided the title song for the second season. Re-runs of the Spetter series have been shown by different RTL channels. The airing of the Spetter series led to a higher number of visitors to the Dolfinarium.

10. There Is Also An Opportunity For The Kids

Visit the Dolfinarium in Harderwijk to see dolphins, sharks, sea lions, seals, and walruses up close. If the kids get tired of animals, there’s also a fantastic playground to enjoy. A perfect place for a day out with your children!