Terra Mitica
Terra Mítica is a theme park located in Benidorm (Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain).
Its theme is based on ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean, represented in five thematic zones: Egypt, Greece, Rome, The Islands and Iberia. Its main attractions are Magnus Colossus, a wooden roller coaster currently closed due to maintenance costs; Titan, an inverted roller coaster with 5 inversions; El Vuelo del Fénix, a free fall tower 54 meters high; Synkope, a giant pendulum; La Furia de Tritón, a splash with two falls of 10 and 15 meters high; Inferno, a four-dimensional roller coaster manufactured by Intamin Amusement Rides, and Laberinto del Minotauro, an interactive dark ride. Currently, a novelty is expected in 2023 in the Iberia area.
History
The land on which the park would later settle consisted of an area of about 450 hectares of undeveloped land with special forest protection, located north of Benidorm and south of Finestrat and La Nucía, municipalities of the Alicante region of the Lower Navy. In August 1992, a very suspicious large-scale fire broke out in the area which, in the opinion of a part of the local population, was intentional, although to date it has not been proven in court.
In 1996, the public company Sociedad Parque Temático de Alicante S.A. was created, which would be the beneficiary of the expropriation of an area of around 10 million square meters. This company would manage the land concessions to the different private companies that would operate the different facilities that were located, which at first were: the theme park, which was awarded to Terra Mítica S.A, two large golf courses, a park of the nature and a hotel zone (with about 2,500 hotel beds).
The park has undergone enormous changes since it opened in 2000. It started out as the most ambitious project in Europe. The intention was to make a spectacular park for the eyes and the senses. Everything was stimulated in that Terra Mítica of 2000 and 2001, sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. The park was built in a dizzying manner, and many projects were in the offing.
Paramount Period
In 2002 an attempt was made to give the park a boost with the entry and contribution of Paramount Parks to the shareholding.
The park was designed to accommodate 3 million visitors per year, and at that time it was around 2 million, so in 2003 drastic decisions were made that would change the future of the park.
The inverted roller coaster project that was planned to be built in 2002 and would hold 5 world records (greatest height, 75 meters; greatest drop with the base buried, 75 meters; longest inverted roller coaster in the world, 1,200 meters; fastest inverted roller coaster, 115 km/h; and inverted roller coaster with the greatest number of inversions, 9 in total), had to be canceled due to its excessive cost, since the park was already beginning to feel the weight of the accumulated debt, and a standard model was chosen (Vekoma's SLC+), which is very well received by the public in other parks around the world. There are several copies around the globe. It is a model that takes up little space, as it is compact, but reaches 33 meters and a maximum speed of 88 km/h. The route has a length of 689 meters, in which 5 figures are drawn in which users travel upside down. It was inaugurated in 2003 under the name Tizona, but in 2009, coinciding with the partial closure of the Iberia area, it was transferred to Greece and renamed Titánide.
Suspension of payments
In 2004 it was decided to reduce the opening season from March to November, and it was the year in which the park went into suspension of payments to avoid bankruptcy, since it had debts of about 100 million euros. Even with the image of Paramount, which pocketed a significant sum of money just for the use of its image, not for its management, the park did not pick up, so the shareholders decided to terminate the contract with the film company one year before its expiration. In that year a new attraction was built: Synkope, whose opening was delayed until the end of the season, for which reason it was decided to celebrate the grand opening in 2005 and take advantage of the pull with an aggressive campaign that had comedian Florentino Fernández as its image..
The objective of 2006 was to refloat the park. Spending cuts and various changes were made regarding the shows. It was also decided to build a new attraction in the Las Islas area: The Wrath of Akiles. Finally, in 2006 the park achieved operating benefits of €600,000. An agreement between savings banks and creditors made it possible to lift the suspension of payments and with it the slab of 260 million, until leaving them at 20 with the sale of the expansion land of the park.
In 2007, Terra Mítica earned 19 million euros thanks to the sale of land. Inferno, a 4D roller coaster, unique in Spain, and Infinito, a 100-meter-high tower with impressive panoramic views, were inaugurated. The purpose of the directive was to reach at least one million visitors. In addition, a division was created to organize events and celebrations of all kinds: weddings, company dinners and all kinds of banquets, to also exploit the park's potential when it was closed.
With all this, it was intended that Terra Mítica would be consolidated as the theme park of the Valencian Community, Region of Murcia and Castilla-La Mancha, with a solid and stable future.
At the beginning of 2009, the general director of Terra Mítica, John Fitzgerald, announced his resignation from the United States through an e-mail, which resulted in the tenth season of the park It was a bit impromptu. The board of directors decided to hire the economist Juan José de Torres, who had previously directed l'Oceanogràfic de Valencia and Parque Warner Madrid. De Torres joined in the summer of 2009 and began to mobilize the park in order to achieve short-term operating benefits, adding new shows, opening closed attractions and launching promotions.
On March 6, 2010, a new season begins, confirming the arrival at the park of new characters who would join Mític, Cuca and Babá, the current mascots. The characters that were incorporated were: Maya the bee, Vickie the Viking, Heidi and her friends. However, the park continued to show losses and the idea of putting it up for sale was raised. Finally, it was rented for 10 years to the Aqualandia-Mundomar group, leaving aside other options such as Parques Reunidos and Aspro.
Sale to Aqualandia and closure of Magnus Colossus
In 2012, Terra Mítica was sold to the company Aqualandia for 67 million euros. The complex cost the Valencian public coffers and financial sector a minimum of 377 million. In 2015 the wooden roller coaster Magnus Colossus was closed due to the high cost of maintenance due to the expansion of the wood because of the heat
COVID-19 pandemic and news
The 2020 season, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and when the Spanish theme parks were already reopening, Terra Mítica did not give any information about whether the park was going to be open and finally the park remained closed throughout the season. summer of 2020. In 2021 they confirmed that the park would reopen its doors, starting with the Iberia and Islands areas, and that is how on July 3, 2021 the park reopened to the public after two years.
Themed areas
Terra Mítica is a theme park based on the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean.
The park is divided into three thematic zones: Egypt, Greece and Rome. Previously it had two more zones: Iberia and Las Islas. These last two were separated from Terra Mítica in 2013 to create an independent leisure area: Iberia Park. In 2022 the park was reunited again. Each area tries to faithfully reproduce details that exist or existed in said civilizations and cultures to achieve maximum immersion. Throughout the park we can find exact replicas of bridges and artistic and historical monuments.
In the park there are a total of 33 attractions and several shows (the intensity of emotion of each attraction is represented by colours: red-strong, yellow-medium, green-soft, blue-children), which vary according to the season.
Egypt
This is the welcome area to the park. It has an area of 76,881m² and in it we discover the Egypt of the pharaohs. As soon as you enter the park, you can see the portico of the Temple of Jonsu in Karnak, in which the pharaoh appears making different offerings to the gods. Part of this portico can be seen in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin. Once inside the park, the visitor can contemplate the obelisk "Cleopatra's Needle" (the original of which is now in London), and a replica of the Alexandria Lighthouse, as well as a recreation of the Cheops Pyramid.
Attractions
| Attraction | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Alexandria | Waterfront | Seker and Henu ships take a panoramic walk through the lake. |
| Rio Nilo | Aquatic zone | Aquatic area with slides, swimming pools and jacuzzis. |
| Nile Falls | Log flume | Aquatic Russian mountain in the sarcophages of Pharaoh, with two falls, of 10 and 20 meters high. |
| Akuatiti | Log flume | Reproduction of Nile Falls for the smallest. |
Shows
| Entertainment | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Snake charmers | Itinerant animation | An eccentric character accompanied by a great snake will stroll through the streets of Egypt showing everyone who crosses with him his enchanting skills. |
| Waterers of Karnak | Itinerant animation | Not another thing, but in ancient Egypt it's hot, and how do we solve this? For calling the “Karnak Waterers”, two crazy characters who will not hesitate to refresh anyone who wants it. |
| Opep's party | Street show | To reaffirm the close ties between Amon-Ra (Sol) and Amon-Min (Luna) a beautiful party was held in which dancers, singers, acrobats and musicians encouraged the local population. |
| Cleopatra and Marco Antonio | Street show | To seal an Alliance that interests both, Marco Antonio, who at that time disputed the power of the region with Octavio Augusto, meets with Cleopatra, who wants to secure his position as an absolute faraone of Egypt through a pact with the Roman military, meets accompanied by their entourages giving rise to one of the most famous agreements in history. |
Greece
It has an area of 59,197 m². In this area you can find 3 characteristic scenarios that are very representative of the culture and mythical fantasy of the Greek civilization: The area of the Olympic Games, where the revival of the modern Olympics is recreated, the agora of Athens, creating the atmosphere of the squares of yesteryear where mathematicians, philosophers and artists met, looking for a space to chat, shop and live together and The stage of Crete or the arch of Mycenae, with its famous labyrinth of the minotaur. We can see replicas of Greek temples and squares, different palaces, the gate of the lions of Mycenae, etc.
Attractions
| Attraction | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Labyrinth of Minotaur | Dark ride interactive | Passengers who enter the labyrinth face the same tests as Teseo, but this time they have laser-light guns to shoot down all the terrifying companions of the minotaur. The attraction consists of a total of 76 animatronic creatures, including 14 hydrates, nymphs, a decommunal dragon and a pack of pterodactles, among others. |
| Kineto Temple | Cinema 5D | Cinema in 5 dimensions where you will experience a car race and one of spacecraft without leaving the temple. |
| The Future of Triton | Splash | Two refreshing drops of 10.5 and 15 m high, in a stage taken from the maritime adventure literature that related the journeys of the ancient Cretans and micenics. |
| The Icars | Flying chairs | Three rows of swings on which it floats smoothly while turning, going up and down, and enjoys views of the park, with the beaches and skyscrapers of Benidorm to the bottom. |
| Alucinakis | Kiddie hybrid coaster | Magnus Colossus children's replica. The rails and the structure, as in their older sister, are made of wood, and reproduce the lanes that subtracted the Roman mines. |
| Synkope | Pendulum turning 90 km/h at a height of 35 meters. Balanced to form a 120° angle on the ground. | |
| Titanide | Inverted coaster | Inverted Russian mountain that reaches 100 km/h with a steep descent from 31 meters high and 5 investments. Manufactured by Vekoma. |
Shows
| Entertainment | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Issos | Street show | November, 333 B.C. After more than ten years of War, Alexander the Great is about to strike the final blow to Darius III and his army of Immortals in the legendary Battle of Issos. The Battle of Issos was a decisive victory for Greece that even more covered the mythical figure of the great Alexander the Great. |
| Hero School | Street show | The most famous school of heroes in Greece opens its doors to new candidates. This year the training is new and comes loaded with surprises. |
| Dionysy | Street show | According to legend, it was Dionisos who taught men to cultivate life and make wine. He lived every winter and rose in the spring, and with him also the fruits of the earth were born. To celebrate this resurrection the worlds organized great celebrations in honor of God. |
| The stories of Plaka | Street show | Two fun trumpets, they come to Plaka to tell us the stories they've lived on their trips. |
| Diogenes | Itinerant spectacle | This poor Greek, with a white beard and within a ton that bears hanging, walks through Greece preaching his doctrine or looking for his bowl for water. Diogenes was a cynical philosopher who believed that property was an impediment to life or despised worldly pleasures. |
| Philípides, Marathon corridor | Itinerant spectacle | The animation presents us to Filípides, a warrior who walks through Greece, seeking the right direction to go to Marathon. People have been lost and interrogated to know where to go. |
Rome
In this area of the park we can find two different areas: La Frontera and La Ciudad, with a replica of the Circus Maximus. With its 100,985 m², it is the largest area of the park.
Attractions
| Attraction | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Flight of Phoenix | Free Fall Tower | Free fall from 54 meters in just 3 seconds. |
| Ayquesustus | Free Fall Tower | Children's Replica of the Phoenix Flight of 6 meters high. |
| Rotundus | Noria infantil | Noria infantil with bird-shaped vehicles. Gently lift the children above the Roman wall. |
| Inferno | Fourth-dimensional Russian Mountain | Russian 4D model Zacspin made by Intamin. |
| Tornado | Star flyer | 80-metre-high flying chair tower. |
Shows
| Entertainment | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cayo Bruto | Street show | The commander Antonino Máximus and the Legionnaire Julio Insignificantus are looking for a law offender throughout Rome. His name, Cayo Bruto. His crime, seriously insulting Caesar himself. Despite the audacity of the two protagonists catching Brutus will not be easy task. |
| Icaro | Street show | After Dédalo built the maze for King Minos, he imprisoned him with his Icarus son so that no one knew the secrets of the enveloping place. That's how they spent years in which father and son planned to escape their captivity. One day Dadalo came up with an idea, aware that Minos controlled sea and land decided to manufacture for him and his son Icaro wings based on bird feathers, wax to glue them between them and anything that could serve him to complete them. They spent weeks in which Icarus picked up the feathers that shone from the birds that overflew the courtyard in which they were held. Once finished and after a fierce clash to mock the King's guard, Dédalo and his son threw themselves with a desire to the void in search of freedom, thus starting a journey without return with an unexpected outcome. Multidisciplinary show in the Circus Máximus in which actors, dancers, specialists, acrobats, figures and percussionists participate. The technical part is of a multimedia character in which video mapping and video projection acquire great prominence. |
| Archaeologists | Itinerant spectacle | Two crazy archaeologists circulate through the park informing and providing any help to visitors. They don't believe everything they tell them because they don't forget: they're crazy. |
| The sentries | Itinerant spectacle | Two well-known Roman sentries guard access to the city by controlling visitors who want to enter the area of Rome. These angry soldiers will defend the door, let the visitors through, fight between them for letting or not entering. |
| Antonino, the seller | Itinerant spectacle | Antonino is always accompanied by his cart full of goods willing to do business with anyone in his way. |
| The tournament | Street show | After the end of his enemies, the old black knight, accompanied by his spitting squire, return. He intends to continue in his journey through the world looking for opponents to fight in duel. |
| Mitic Dance | Street show | Mitic, Cuca, Baba and his dancers in a fun and colorful dance show. |
| Spartacus | Street show | Spartacus led the greatest rebellion against the Roman Empire in 73 BC. He lives this first-person story in this show where he recreates the moment at which Spartacus, accompanied by other slaves, faced Rome. |
Iberia Park
Currently the Iberia Park no longer exists, but the two areas have started to open only in summer (July and August). Although given the current mismanagement, we found Iberia Park maps and titles around the park.
Terra Mítica originally had 5 thematic zones: Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iberia and The Islands. In 2013 it was reduced to 3 unique areas, since the Aqualandia España S.A. group, the current owner, made the decision to eliminate Iberia and Las Islas from the park to create a leisure area called Iberia Park with them, outside Terra Mítica. This leisure area was freely accessible to the public and had the attractions, shows, shops and restaurants that they had when the two areas belonged to Terra Mítica, with the difference that before they were pay-per-use. The client paid each time he wanted to use an attraction or show. In 2014, Iberia Park began to have an entrance fee and free attractions. Currently the park only offers combined tickets so that its clients can access the entire park without missing any area. In 2022, the park was reunited again in the 5 zones.
Iberia
The area has 78,394 m² and represents a Valencian town from the 16th-17th centuries with the typical white houses that intermingle with water and sunlight. It consists of several family and children's attractions, several restoration points and complements the Barbarossa offer, a show full of special effects, acrobatics and above all a magnificent love story. It was possibly the great reference of Terra Mítica.
Attractions
| Attraction | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Infinite | Intamin gyro tower | Observation tower 100 meters high. In this attraction you can enjoy the best views of the Mediterranean and the park. |
| Arietes | Shock cars | Goats and boars! Attention because today the hunting season begins in the village and no one wants to miss it. Ride in one of the vehicles and “huge” your friends by giving them a little blow, but beware, you can also hunt!. |
| The Hot Springs | Aquatic area | Bathroom area with Jacuzzis, fountains and swimming pools in Iberian ruins. |
| Jabatos | Child shock cars | Reproduction of Arietes for the little ones. |
| Clepsidra | Rotary tea miniatures | The cups of tea where children have fun hitting the ceiling balls and spinning without stopping. |
| Tentaculus | Children ' s rotating attraction | The children will rotate as they spin on themselves and go up and down. |
Shows
| Entertainment | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| There's no show at present. |
The Islands
This area represents the islands of the Aegean Sea, where the mythical stories of Ulysses and Jason took place. Las Islas occupies an area of 42,164 m², surrounded by water and abundant vegetation.
| Attraction | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Rapids of Argos | Quick | Aquatic walk on board fast boats by very turbulent waters to find the gold cellar. |
| Mithos | Carrusel | Tiovivo with mythological beings. |
| The Akiles cholera | Super Nova | A Greek ship goes up, down, rotates and sways at full speed. |
| The Rescue of Ulysses | Dark ride aquatic | A journey in search of Ulysses where we will meet elves, mermaid dragons and even Poseidon and Eolo. |
Shows
| Entertainment | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Nomen | Multidisciplinary show | Made the auditorium of the area, this spectacle is unique, it presents us to the muses, mythical beings that show us their skills through circus numbers combined with light effects. |
Extinct attractions
Egypt
- The Mystery of Keops (2000-2004)
Travel attraction inside the Pyramid of Cheops.
Iberia
- Train Bravo (2000-2007)
Russian coaster powered (the movement was achieved through pneumatic wheels, thus dispensing with the typical chain or lift) that had two non-parallel routes and that in at some point they had a shock effect. It was dismantled in mid-2007 due to the opening of the Infinito and Inferno attractions, apart from its high energy cost.
The attraction's theming has long been applauded by theme park experts for its rich detail and life-like finishes. During the queues you could see an authentic Valencian shack with its kitchenware accessories, a shop inspired by a Castilian dovecote, or a whole structure of canals and roofs that emulated a Levantine orchard.
The attraction had two different tracks, one of which continues in the park warehouses. The routes of both trains circulated in the opposite way, creating intense moments of shock between the travelers.
After many years closed, the queues of the attraction were reused for the passage of terror "Toxicum" that was held on October 31, 2019, thus rekindling the memories of many fans and visitors to the park.
The Islands
- The Surprises of the Gods (2000-2003)
Multimedia cinema with animatronics, special effects, lasers...
Rome
- Magnus Colossus (2000-2015)
Wooden roller coaster, emblem of the park until its closure due to maintenance costs. The closure is not known if it is permanent, as the structure remains intact, however; hopes of reopening are low given the deterioration of the wood that makes up the pillars and tracks.
According to internal sources, the roller coaster closed because its tracks were not prepared for the daily trips that took place in the attraction, causing bruises and vibrations to many of the passengers. It seems that every morning the park had to pour water over the entire surface of the tracks, becoming an annoying and inconceivable situation.
Photo Gallery
Entrance to the attraction "Magnus Colossus". At the bottom of the park's old logo.
Attraction "The Akiles Cholera" located in the area "The Islands"
View of "Rome" from the outside of the "Circus Maximus"
Detail of a sphinx at the entrance of the Keops pyramid in the "Egypt" area
Column decoration of an "Egypt" restaurant in Terra Mítica
Street show in Rome called "Spartac"
"Synkope" outstanding attraction in the area of "Greece"
Structure of "Magnus Colossus"
Russian Inferno Mountain, located in the area of Rome
