Le Bioscope is a former

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

at Ungersheim, in the Upper Rhine (the

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

'') of France. The 12½-hectare(31 acre) park – described in a

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

2004 press releaseCommission authorises State cofinancing of theme park project in Alsace
a September 2004 press release from the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

website as a place where visitors learn about health, life and the environment "whilst having fun" – is laid out in concentric circles, a design by Frédéric Jung meant to evoke the shockwaves caused by the impact of the Ensisheim meteorite, which struck nearby in 1492. The

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

region first proposed the park in 1994. Bright White, a

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

-based firm, was responsible for "development, engineering and project management of the design phase", with the idea of meeting the park's goal to educate people "to take responsibility for their own actions with respect to equilibrium with the environment." The park closed in September 2012.

Operation

Bioscope was built and is operated as a public-private partnership, with government financing the purchase of the land and part of the construction, and a private company being granted a 30-year concession to build and operate the park. In exchange, the concession holder pays a fee based on turnover. In July 2001, the Alsace region and the General Council of the Haut-Rhin announced their decision to grant the concession to Grévin & Cie, the company that operates facilities such as

Musée Grévin The ' (; ) () is a wax museum located on the Grands Boulevards in the 9th arrondissement of Paris on the right bank of the Seine. The also has a location in Seoul. opened in 2013, and closed in 2021. History The museum was founded in 1882 by ...

Parc Astérix Parc Astérix () is a theme park in France based on the comic book series ''Asterix'' by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. In 2023, the park welcomed over 2.8 million visitors, making it the second most visited park in France behind Disneyland P ...

, and the Dolfinarium in

Harderwijk Harderwijk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city of the Netherlands. It is served by the Harderwijk railway station. Its population centres are Harderwijk and Hierden. Harderwijk is on the western boundary of the Veluwe. The south ...

.Comprehensive information on Grévin & Cie
, from that company's website

References

External links

Official website
archived at the Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Bioscope, Le Amusement parks in France Defunct amusement parks in France Amusement parks opened in 2006 Amusement parks closed in 2012 Parks in France Buildings and structures in Haut-Rhin Compagnie des Alpes Tourist attractions in Haut-Rhin 2012 disestablishments in France 21st-century architecture in France