Aquapark Istralandia opened on 21 June 2014 in the Brtonigla municipality of Istria County, Croatia, becoming the country’s first dedicated water park. Built roughly 5 km inland from the Adriatic coast between Novigrad and Nova Vas, the park quickly became a fixture of Istrian summer tourism, drawing families from across the peninsula and beyond with a scale that dwarfed anything previously built in the region.
Spread across 81,000 square meters, Istralandia centers on a 2,500-square-meter wave pool billed as the largest of its kind in the Mediterranean, supported by a network of 20 water slides stretching a combined 1.2 kilometers. The park’s slides, built by Turkish manufacturer Polin Waterparks, range from gentle family rides to steep drop slides like Black Kamikaza, added in 2018, giving Istralandia a mix of attractions for thrill-seekers and younger visitors alike.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Brtonigla, Istria County, Croatia
- Opened: June 21, 2014
- Manufacturer: Polin Waterparks
- Area: About 81,000 sq m (20 acres)
- Wave pool size: About 2,500 sq m
- Number of slides: 20 slides
- Total slide length: About 1.2 km
- Season: Late May to late September
The Ride Experience
Istralandia’s slide lineup, all manufactured by Polin Waterparks, spans a wide range of intensities. Space Combo is billed as the park’s longest slide, while Black Kamikaza, a tunnel-style drop slide added in June 2018, delivers one of the steeper thrills on-site. Other named attractions include Flying Boats, Free Fall, Space Rocket, and Top Gun, giving repeat visitors plenty of variety across a single-day ticket.
At the heart of the park sits its wave pool, at roughly 2,500 square meters described as the largest in the Mediterranean, alongside a two-level hydromassage pool and a dedicated children’s area with smaller slides and a water castle. The layout balances high-energy slide towers with calmer lazy-river and pool zones suited to younger children and families.
Recognition and Growth
Just months after opening, Istralandia won a special award for entrepreneurial project of the year in the new parks category at the Parksmania Awards ceremony held in Rome in October 2014. By 2015 the park had already drawn about 180,000 visitors in a single season, and in 2016 an international jury at the Euro Attractions Show in Barcelona ranked it among the top water parks in Europe.
As Croatia’s first purpose-built water park, Istralandia helped establish Istria as a destination for aquatic tourism, prompting further slide additions like Black Kamikaza in the years following its debut and cementing its reputation as one of the region’s signature family attractions.
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Aquapark Istralandia FAQs
When did Aquapark Istralandia open?
It opened on June 21, 2014, as the first water park built in Croatia.
Where is Aquapark Istralandia located?
It’s located in the Brtonigla municipality of Istria County, Croatia, near the road connecting Novigrad and Nova Vas, about 5 km from the Adriatic Sea.
How many slides does the park have?
Istralandia features 20 water slides with a combined length of about 1.2 kilometers, all manufactured by Polin Waterparks.
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Photo: Aquapark Istralandia / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.