Today visit of aliens in ancient times it is a fairly probable hypothesis and is no longer the exclusive subject of science fiction. Beyond the somewhat sensational television shows, if one opens the veil of entertainment, one finds real mysteries and very interesting clues.
When I was a teenager my father lent me all the books on Erich Von Daniken, a Swiss who pioneered in the '70s by talking about these issues and asking science a lot of uncomfortable questions. Without cable TV and without the Internet, his books were published all over the world and he seems to have made a lot of money. With his fortune and the arrival of the new century, he made an investment: built Jungfrau Park, an amusement park that revolves around the world's great mysteries.
Jungfrau Park, a dream come true
Nowadays Von Däniken is 81 years old and is, in the field of ancient astronaut theorists, something like the Master. His hypotheses about the visitation of aliens in ancient times and their influence on human life was absolutely groundbreaking and his first book, from 1968, ¿Chariots of the Gods?, was a bestseller whose earnings allowed him to pay debts and lawsuits for unholy handling of the finances of the hotel where he worked.
His books were translated into 32 languages and more than 63 million copies were sold. It sowed doubt, intrigue and curiosity in thousands and thousands of minds. So much so that if before it was a taboo and not very serious topic, today there are hours and hours of programming dedicated to his theories on channels such as History, Discovery or NatGeo. Incuso Ridley Scott, director of Prometheus (the prequel film to Alien), said he was inspired by his ideas.
The truth is that between the end of the last century and the beginning of this one, the idea of building an amusement park that dealt with these topics matured in him: a park about the great mysteries of Humanity. Put him Jungfrau Park and built it in Interlaken, a Swiss city. Basically it is a park divided into seven special zones with a central pavilion in the shape of a sphere 41 meters high, from whose highest point you have the best view of the entire complex.
All the park was built following the ideas of Von Däniken, his ideas about how aliens brought intelligent life to Earth and helped it develop. These are the names of the different sectors: Nazca, Megalithic Stones, Maya, Oriente, Vimana and Desafío.
The Nazca sector is concentrated in the mysterious and fantastic Peruvian lines that can only be seen in all their magnificence from the heights. The Megalithic Stones sector has to do with Stonehenge, the circle of huge stones that is in Salisbury, southwest England, Maya concentrates in turn on the mythology of this American civilization, its complex calendar, and the East is divided into two shows : one tells us about underground tunnels under the Sahara where sarcophagi with mixed animal bones have been found and another has to do with the pyramids of Egypt.
Vimana is the name of some strange ships from Indian mythology, flying machines in which the Gods traveled whose designs have even tried to copy modern engineers. fantasy or reality, the idea is always to ask oneself about these issues, to venture answers, handling different hypotheses rather than creating on tiptoe what orthodox archeology says.
Finally there is another sector called Nautilus. It is an underwater simulation that aims to reveal those fantastic constructions although they have been submerged all over the world. To these sectors is added a cafeteria and a restaurant. The truth is the park closed once in November 2006 due to financial problems but from 2009 it started to open again in the summer season.
Over time, different attractions have been added and today, there is an outdoor park called Game & Fun with a Bungee trampoline, segways for walking and a playground. The site can be rented out for events, birthdays, and the like. Let's say that it is a place that needs visits all the time to be able to remain open, so to the ancestral mysteries it has added more classic fun to attract both adults and children or curious parents with children to entertain.
This summer 2016 Jungfrau Park opened on May 1 and will close on October 23. It opens every day between 11 in the morning and 6 in the afternoon. Here you have more practical information for visiting Jungfrau Park, Von Däniken park:
- Prices: CHF 40.00 per adult and CHF 22.oo per child. Students pay 28 by presenting a card that proves that. It can be paid in euros, although the change will be delivered in Swiss francs. The ticket includes the multimedia shows, the ride on the Fun Shuttle and the Nautilus submarine and the entrance to the games space. In addition, the segway ride (CHF 10) and the Bungee Trampolin are charged. Families of four have a 20% discount and if it's your birthday, you get free.
- There is a combined ticket that includes the park and the visit to the St. Beatus Caves with a one-hour guided tour for CHF 55.00.
- How to get there: you can take the train to Interlaken Ost station and from there take bus 103 to the park stop. You can also take a taxi or walk from the station, which is not that far either.
- If you are interested in listening to Erich Von Dániken in person, you can do so because he gives talks once a month between May and October. Of course, you should visit the park's website to find out dates and times.
If you were looking for an excuse to visit Switzerland, other than its alpine landscapes and its chocolates, maybe aliens are your magnet. How about?