Potts Park

Potts Park (stylized in lowercase as "potts park") is a family-oriented leisure and adventure park located in the Dützen district of Minden, in the eastern Westphalia region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It sits at the northern foot of the Wiehengebirge hills on a 15-hectare site that was formerly part of the old Porta iron-ore mine. Founded in 1969 by Karl Heinrich Pott, the park began as a pure transportation-themed attraction illustrating the main modes of movement of the 20th century, aimed primarily at adults. Because most visitors brought their children, a children's play world grew alongside the theme park and gradually expanded, partly replacing the transport exhibits. Today the park is operated by the family business Heinrich Pott GmbH & Co. KG, led by Henrik Pott, and employs up to 100 staff during the season. With roughly 260,000 visitors per year, it ranks among the smaller amusement parks in Germany. What distinguishes Potts Park from most amusement parks is that visitors propel many of the rides themselves using their own muscle power. The park offers more than 60 attractions for all age groups, and most are suitable for children from age three (sometimes with adult accompaniment), with additional offerings for younger children. The main target audience is families with children up to age 12 and school classes of the lower grades. Notable attractions include the Bananenflug (a swinging ship shaped like a giant banana, described as unique in Germany), the POTZI-Blick (a combination of Ferris wheel, tower and carousel reaching 14 meters), the potts Blitz family roller coaster (a 222-meter Zierer coaster installed in 1993), the Turbo-Drachen (a suspended powered dynamic swing glider prototype from Swiss firm ABC Rides, introduced in 2009), the Kiddy-Racer mini coaster (added in 2017, suitable for children from 90 cm), the Säbelsaurus pendulum ride (a Sunkid Butterfly type opened in 2019), the Moorbottich ride inspired by local farm bathing tubs, the Swinsgalopp pig-race ride, and the Wildwasserbahn "pottwal" water ride. The park also features the Riesenwohnung, a three-room apartment of 500 m² in which all furnishings are twice normal size so adults can experience a domestic environment from the perspective of a two-year-old child, and the Toilettenhaus "Up'n Pott," a toilet building shaped like a giant toilet. In summer 2005 the interactive museum Terra phänomenalis opened in the park, offering optical illusions and physical phenomena on a hall area of about 1,700 m², with additional exhibits outdoors such as a pump fountain in the water garden. The site also houses the Bauernstuben-Museum "Potts Willem," depicting a Westphalian farming family around the turn of the century 1890–1900. The park provides free parking for cars, buses and motorhomes, barrier-free paths, lockers, a souvenir shop, and various dining options. In 2024, parts of the music video for Taiwanese singer Lücy were produced in Potts Park.

Potts Park was founded in 1969 by Karl Heinrich Pott on a 15-hectare site in the Dützen district of Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, at the northern foot of the Wiehengebirge. The land was formerly part of the old Porta iron-ore mine (Eisenerzgrube Porta). Initially conceived as a pure transportation-themed park, it presented the most important modes of movement of the 20th century and was aimed primarily at adults. As most visitors brought their children, a children's play world emerged alongside the theme park and was gradually expanded, in part replacing the transport exhibits. The park is operated by the family business Heinrich Pott GmbH & Co. KG and is currently led by Henrik Pott. It employs up to 100 staff during the season and attracts about 260,000 visitors per year, making it one of the smaller amusement parks in Germany. Over the decades, the park added numerous rides and attractions. The family roller coaster Potts Blitz, manufactured by Zierer, was installed in 1993. In summer 2005, the interactive museum Terra phänomenalis opened, covering about 1,700 m² of hall space with optical illusions and physical phenomena, plus outdoor exhibits such as a pump fountain in the water garden. In 2009, the park presented the prototype of the Suspended Powered Dynamic Swing Glider from Swiss company ABC Rides under the name Turbo-Drachen, a type of suspended coaster with propulsion and individual gondolas for up to three people, where riders can influence the speed and the gondolas swing sideways up to 65 degrees. At the start of the 2017 season, the Kiddy-Racer mini coaster was introduced, suitable for children from 90 cm tall and controlled by an adult companion outside the ride. In the 2019 season, a pendulum ride of the Butterfly type from manufacturer Sunkid opened under the name Säbelsaurus. The park also features the Riesenwohnung, a 500 m² three-room apartment with all furnishings twice normal size, and the Toilettenhaus "Up'n Pott" equipped with various illustrations and themed objects. The Bauernstuben-Museum "Potts Willem" depicts a Westphalian farming family around 1890–1900. In 2024, parts of a music video by Taiwanese singer Lücy were produced in the park.

• 2024

  Parts of a music video by Taiwanese singer Lücy filmed in the park.

• 2019

  Säbelsaurus pendulum ride (Sunkid Butterfly) opened.

• 2017

  Kiddy-Racer mini coaster introduced at the start of the season.

• 2009

  Turbo-Drachen suspended powered coaster prototype from ABC Rides presented.

• 2005

  Interactive museum Terra phänomenalis opened in summer.

• 1993

  Family roller coaster Potts Blitz (Zierer) installed.

• 1969

  Founded by Karl Heinrich Pott on the former Porta iron-ore mine site in Minden-Dützen.

A family-run, family-friendly leisure park with pedagogically valuable attractions, many powered by visitors' own muscle, aimed at families with children up to 12 and school classes.

• Bananenflug

  A swinging ship shaped like a giant banana, described as unique in Germany.

• POTZI-Blick

  A combination of Ferris wheel, tower and carousel with a height of 14 meters.

• potts Blitz

  Family roller coaster by Zierer, 222 meters long, installed in 1993.

• Turbo-Drachen

  Suspended powered dynamic swing glider prototype by ABC Rides, with individual gondolas for up to three people and sideways swing up to 65 degrees.

• Kiddy-Racer

  Mini coaster suitable for children from 90 cm tall, controlled by an adult companion outside the ride.

• Säbelsaurus

  Pendulum ride of the Butterfly type from Sunkid, opened in 2019.

• Moorbottich

  A ride in tubs modeled after the moor bathing tubs of local farm baths.

• Swinsgalopp

  A pig-race ride powered by the visitors themselves.

• Riesenwohnung

  A three-room apartment of 500 m² with all furnishings twice normal size, letting adults experience a domestic environment from a two-year-old's perspective.

• Terra phänomenalis

  Interactive museum opened in 2005, with about 1,700 m² of hall space for optical illusions and physical phenomena, plus outdoor exhibits.

• Bauernstuben-Museum Potts Willem

  Museum depicting a Westphalian farming family around 1890–1900.

• Toilettenhaus Up'n Pott

  A toilet building shaped like a giant toilet, equipped with various illustrations and themed objects.

1. 1potts park - Freizeit- und Erlebnispark in Minden (NRW)pottspark-minden.de
2. 2Unser Service - Alles für einen entspannten Besuchpottspark-minden.de
3. 3Potts park - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Potts Park - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org