Tolk-Schau

Tolk-Schau is a family-oriented leisure park (Freizeitpark) located in Tolk, near the town of Schleswig in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is aimed primarily at families with children up to around eleven years old and is still frequently called the "Märchenpark" (fairy-tale park) locally because it began life in the 1960s as a fairy-tale-forest excursion destination. The park covers roughly 30 hectares (about 300,000 square metres) and is run as a traditional family business, now in its fourth generation, by the Petersen/Vogt family. The park's identity is built around a mix of classic amusement rides, extensive playgrounds, animal enclosures and educational exhibitions, all set within a natural, wooded landscape near the Angeln region. Its best-known feature is the "Tal der Dinosaurier" (Valley of the Dinosaurs), where more than 100 life-size models of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals are displayed along walking paths in a forested area. The park also keeps native animals such as deer, chickens, peacocks, tree frogs and turtles, some of which roam freely. Tolk-Schau offers over 100 attractions. These include a 700-metre summer toboggan run, a Tolk-Tower, a cable car, a family roller coaster, a children's Ferris wheel, bumper cars, water and boat slides, climbing towers, rope courses, a treetop path, a water playground and archaeological-style sand digging areas. Three different park railways — the Parkbahn, Wegebahn and Feldbahn — carry visitors through different sections, including past barbecue huts, the dinosaur valley and a large fallow deer enclosure. The park also houses a Feldbahn (narrow-gauge field railway) museum with around 15 Orenstein & Koppel locomotives and about 70 wagons, a 1:10 scale model of medieval Schleswig including its cathedral, and various collections of mushrooms, butterflies, insects, minerals, fossils and agricultural equipment. A distinctive feature is the availability of more than 50 barbecue huts (Grillhütten) that groups can rent for self-catering, suitable for family celebrations, company outings and other gatherings of roughly 10 to 50 people. Parking is free and the park markets itself as largely barrier-friendly with no additional costs for most offerings. The park draws many day visitors from Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Denmark, and relies heavily on repeat visitors each season. It is a private, family-owned business rather than a listed company, and it continues to expand its attractions, adding new rides such as the Bienenschleuder, Mini-Tagada and Jungle-Loop in 2025.

Tolk-Schau was founded in 1963 as an excursion destination designed as a fairy-tale forest (Märchenwald), initially aimed at so-called "Kaffeefahrten" (coach excursion trips). At the end of the 1960s the fairy-tale huts (Märchenhütten) were built. Over the following decades the site expanded into a full leisure park covering roughly 30 hectares (about 300,000 square metres), partly by extending onto a former Bundeswehr (German armed forces) site. Because of its origins, the park is still often called the "Märchenpark" locally. In the 1970s the brothers Ihle of Bruchsal are said to have installed a stationary park railway, and at that time there was also a steam-operated field railway. Over time the park added a wide range of rides and attractions, including a 700-metre summer toboggan run, a Tolk-Tower, a cable car, a family roller coaster, bumper cars, water slides, climbing structures, a treetop path and the central "Tal der Dinosaurier" with more than 100 life-size prehistoric animal models. A Feldbahn museum was established, displaying vehicles from the Winkenwerder field railway collection, including around 15 Orenstein & Koppel locomotives and about 70 wagons; the park railway uses 600 mm gauge track largely sourced from the former field railway of the Laboe naval ammunition depot. After a temporary closure, the Feldbahn circular route was operated again during the summer school holidays of 2018 with a diesel locomotive from the Stiftung Deutsche Kleinbahnen, though it no longer has a track connection to the Parkbahn. The park has remained a family business, now run in its fourth generation by the Petersen/Vogt family. It continues to invest in new attractions, adding the Bienenschleuder, Mini-Tagada and Jungle-Loop in 2025. It draws day visitors from Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Denmark, and depends heavily on repeat visitors each season.

• 2025

  New attractions added: Bienenschleuder, Mini-Tagada and Jungle-Loop.

• 2018

  Feldbahn circular route operated again during summer school holidays with a diesel locomotive from the Stiftung Deutsche Kleinbahnen.

• 1970

  1970s: Ihle brothers of Bruchsal reportedly install a stationary park railway; a steam-operated field railway also exists.

• 1963

  Tolk-Schau founded as a fairy-tale-forest excursion destination.

• 1960

  Late 1960s: fairy-tale huts (Märchenhütten) built.

A traditional, family-run leisure park for families with young children, combining amusement rides, nature, animals and educational exhibitions at a natural wooded site, with free parking and no additional costs for most attractions.

• Tal der Dinosaurier (Valley of the Dinosaurs)

  Over 100 life-size models of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals displayed along paths in a wooded area.

• 700-metre summer toboggan run

  A 700-metre-long summer toboggan run.

• Tolk-Tower

  A tower attraction in the park.

• Parkbahn, Wegebahn and Feldbahn

  Three different railways carrying visitors through different areas of the park; all tracks are 600 mm gauge.

• Feldbahn-Museum

  Museum showing vehicles from the Winkenwerder field railway collection, including around 15 Orenstein & Koppel locomotives and about 70 wagons.

• Mittelalterliche Ministadt Schleswig

  1:10 scale models of buildings from Schleswig, especially the Schleswig Cathedral.

• Grillhütten (barbecue huts)

  Over 50 barbecue huts for self-catering, accommodating about 10 to 50 people, available for a small fee.

1. 1Tolk-Schau official websitetolk-schau.de
2. 2Über uns – Tolk-Schautolk-schau.de
3. 3Tolk-Schau – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
4. 4Tolk-Schau – Wikidatawikidata.org