The playground in Mallorca's Castell de Bellver Park is a versatile play area that promotes social interaction, imagination, motor skills and independent exploration. Nestled beneath the castle and shaded by tall pine trees, it takes advantage of the natural terrain to create a green oasis in Palma de Mallorca. It was planned and built by Richter Spielgeräte GmbH in collaboration with its Spanish partner BDU.
The natural playground provides a wide variety of play experiences for children of all ages. It features two levels connected by a rocky embankment for climbing up and down and a ramp. The slides on the slope provide multiple ways to reach the lower level, including two tunnel slides, a trough slide, and a slide specially designed for wheelchair users. For older children, there is a climbing forest with different levels of difficulty. Features such as a ladder bridge, a rope bridge, a horizontal triangular net, and a spider’s web allow them to test their strength and skills in a playful and engaging way.
Adjacent to the climbing forest, children can reach a balance course via monkey loops. Next to it, a climbing structure made of handcrafted, irregular robinia roundwood blends beautifully into the natural environment. In this compact area, many children can climb, play, explore heights, and enjoy rich sensory experiences with their hands and feet.
The long cableway is particularly popular with older children and teenagers, providing a chance to let off steam, experience speed and enjoy the wind in their hair, either alone or in pairs. The large hexagonal swing is not only great fun to swing on but also encourages communication. Children can swing towards each other, make eye contact or touch each other's feet. Young people in particular like to use the hexagonal swing as an alternative seat for literally “hanging out”.
The large sandpit is particularly appealing to younger children. The range of sand-play equipment, including a rotating crane, a mud table and the sand play platform for wheelchair users, invites children to engage in imaginative role-playing games, such as “construction site” activities. Various lovingly designed playhouses form a small village that immediately captivates children. Whether for retreating, hiding or role-playing games such as “father, mother, child” – the little houses offer a variety of play opportunities. The two-storey house group can be climbed via ladders or a climbing net. The “residents” can visit each other via the connecting walkway and then whizz back down ‘into the valley’ on the wide slide. The small free-standing playhouse further expands the play options to include everyday scenarios such as shopping, post office or train station games. The small veranda with seating also encourages communication and socialising.
The two communication devices – the conference and the phones – add a playful dimension to role-playing: the free-standing speaking columns, connected by an underground pipe, allow children to communicate with each other over dozens of metres without electronic amplification. The two wooden phones playfully introduce young and old alike to the physical phenomena of sound and the way sound waves travel. Children are fascinated by being able to clearly hear the voice of their playmate across such a long distance.
After romping around, children can find the peace and quiet they need by gently rocking in the nest cradle, hiding and swaying in the rope nest protected by a roof, or relaxing together in the hammock.
