LEIPZIG, Germany — Belantis, the family theme park south of Leipzig, held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday for a new themed area slated to open in 2027, marking the latest step in a years-long transformation of the park under its French owner, Compagnie des Alpes.
The symbolic first shovels of dirt were turned by Saxony’s state minister for economic affairs, Dirk Panter, alongside costumed characters Asterix and Obelix, Belantis managing director Filip De Witte, and park director Martin Endruhn.
The centerpiece of the new area will be a family launch coaster built by German manufacturer Gerstlauer. Designed as a gentler, family-oriented ride, the coaster is intended to let children get an early introduction to coasters alongside their parents, rather than targeting thrill-seekers. The new zone will replace the park’s existing “Strand der Götter” (“Beach of the Gods”) area, which will be substantially redesigned.
“With every new attraction, our vision for Belantis becomes a little more tangible,” De Witte said. “This new themed area is an important signal for the future of the site and underscores our commitment to offering families new adventures and high-quality experiences in the years ahead.”
Panter framed the project in regional terms, noting that the nearby Leipziger Neuseeland lake district has become increasingly popular with tourists as Leipzig and its surrounding communities continue to grow. He described the park’s redevelopment, built on the site of a former lignite strip mine, as a symbol of the region’s modernization.
Part of a broader overhaul
Compagnie des Alpes, a French leisure and ski-resort group, acquired Belantis in 2025 and has since pursued a long-term redevelopment strategy for the park. The first phase, a themed area called “Idefix’s Adventure Land” built around the Asterix comic series’ canine sidekick, opened in May 2026. Monday’s groundbreaking follows just two months later, underscoring the pace at which the new owner is investing in the site.
Compagnie des Alpes reported roughly €1.4 billion in revenue in 2025, and industry reporting has put its planned investment in Belantis at around €100 million through the end of the decade. The company has also set an ambitious attendance target, aiming to roughly triple annual visitor numbers from about 300,000 to between 900,000 and one million.
That investment is tied to a larger ambition: turning Belantis into the first Asterix-branded park outside France. Compagnie des Alpes and license holder Les Éditions Albert René — the publisher behind the Asterix comics — plan to gradually convert the park into a full Asterix and Obelix theme park by 2030 or 2031. De Witte has said the company intends to formally rename the park “Asterix Park Deutschland” by 2030, or 2031 at the latest.
Belantis opened in 2003 on a former open-pit coal mining site south of Leipzig and has long been considered one of eastern Germany’s better-known family theme parks, though it had lagged behind its potential for much of its history prior to the ownership change. The Gerstlauer coaster’s exact specifications have not yet been disclosed.
Cover image: © 2026 – EVENT PARK GmbH
