Phantasialand Expansion in Brühl: Hundreds Protest Against Development in Nature Reserve – Council Defers Decision

Around 300 demonstrators gathered on Monday in front of the town hall in Brühl. With loud chants such as “Ententeich remains” and “Brühl stays cool” and plenty of placards they demanded that the development of the Ententeich be stopped. The protest targeted the planned expansion of Phantasialand into the roughly 15-hectare, partly protected nature reserve in the triangle between Berggeiststraße, Phantasialandstraße (L 194) and Autobahn 553. The demonstration was organised by the Netzwerk Naturschutzgebiet Ententeich, a coalition that brings together environmental organisations, local initiatives and political groups including the Greens and the Left Party.

What triggered the protest was an item on the agenda of the city council meeting. The black-red majority coalition wanted to instruct the administration to resume the planning that the previous red-green coalition had frozen until autumn 2025. Specifically, the motion concerned resolutions to amend the land-use plan and to draw up a development plan. Christine Hölzmann, coordinator of the network, spoke directly to the councillors: “I hope that the council members will notice that not all Brühl citizens agree with the nature reserve being developed.” She called for the resolution to be postponed and for a citizens’ assembly to be convened. Many people, she added, were not aware of how extensive the expansion actually was. “We are actually talking about getting a second park, a water park.”

The environmentalists see particular urgency in sacrificing a nature reserve for private economic interests. They fear extra traffic and noise, the loss of an important habitat for rare animal and plant species, and risks for lower-lying districts because the forest would no longer serve as protection during heavy rainfall. The protected area with its roughly 15,000 trees also functions as a vital water-retention zone. The network fundamentally rejects any development inside the nature reserve, warning that it would “permanently destroy” the protected site, and has already announced further resistance, including a citizens’ petition against the Phantasialand expansion. On the evening before the council meeting around 250 people had demonstrated.

Supporters of the expansion point to Phantasialand’s importance as a major employer and taxpayer. More than 800 additional jobs could be created if the plans go ahead. An aquapark hotel resort and a theatre and concert hall are planned to attract more overnight visitors. Phantasialand had not commented on the proposals when approached by WDR before the meeting.

During the council session citizens and the opposition sharply criticised the fact that CDU and SPD had intended to launch a detailed urban land-use procedure. The quick planning certainty the coalition had hoped for did not materialise. A decision could now be taken this summer in Brühl’s planning and urban development committee. Under the land-swap agreement between Phantasialand and the state of NRW, a 38-hectare compensation area was agreed for the Ententeich nature reserve. The former agricultural land there is to be reforested.