German premiere: Team adventure world “Boda Borg” becomes new leisure highlight at Ruhr Park

In the second quarter of 2023, the first German location will open on an area of more than 2,900 sq m in the Ruhr Park in Bochum and make the existing leisure and family offer there even more attractive. URW is thus continuing to push ahead with the strategy towards more experience-oriented destinations and thereby taking into account the constantly growing trend towards innovative leisure experiences.

Boda Borg is an enormous team adventure world consisting of 25 freely selectable “quests”, each with several levels and numerous challenges that require cleverness, skill and teamwork. Boda Borg was founded in Sweden in the mid-1990s and is considered the inventor of the so-called “quests”. The company currently operates ten locations in Sweden, the USA, Ireland and Switzerland.

“The planned first Boda Borg location in the Ruhr Park in Bochum is a novelty for Germany and exactly meets the spirit of the times: The Boda Borg ‘Quest’ concept combines the fun of games and challenges with genuine shared experiences with friends, family or work colleagues, which have gained in importance not only since the forced Corona distance”, says Constantin Wiesmann, Director of Leasing at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Germany. “Especially the area of leisure is becoming more and more concise as a major trend in our society. At URW we recognised this very early on and have been attaching great importance to a high leisure and entertainment factor in our destinations for quite some time. Boda Borg sets standards worldwide with its ‘Quest’ concept and is an ideal addition to the diverse range of leisure activities at Ruhr Park. The decision to deliberately choose Ruhr Park for the market entry in Germany underlines the attractiveness of the location and sharpens its profile as a URW flagship destination with an optimal brand mix from the leisure, gastronomy and retail sectors.”

Florian Richter & Fredrik Elmberg, founders and managing directors of Boda Borg Germany adds: “We are delighted to have finally found the right location in Ruhr Park for the first opening of Boda Borg in Germany. The location in the heart of the Ruhr area with an attractive catchment area and the appealing mix of leisure and shopping are ideal for us to bring the unique Boda Borg leisure experience to Germany. We will create 25 spectacular quest worlds in Ruhr Park and are looking forward to many adventurous teams who want to face the different challenges of Boda Borg and this special experience between disaster and euphoria. We want to inspire the Germans with the incredible fascination of quest and are already planning many more locations in Germany.”

The “Quest” concept by Boda Borg from Sweden

Boda Borg is a large team adventure world where teams of three to five people can move freely and compete in many different quests in spectacular worlds. A “quest” is a mission or challenge with several levels and can be very different: Sometimes it’s a matter of physical strength, sometimes of skill, brains or tactics – but always of teamwork because no quest can be solved alone. Each quest consists of three to four connected rooms. The next door only opens when a sub-task has been solved correctly – which sometimes requires many attempts and new tactics. Boda Borg from Sweden is the inventor of this exciting leisure experience that appeals to adults, young people and children alike. There are currently ten locations worldwide: seven in Sweden and one each in Ireland, the USA and the newest Boda Borg location in Switzerland. Boda Borg Germany holds the master franchise for the German market, and the first location is now being built in Ruhr Park in Bochum.

Unique shopping and leisure experience in the Ruhr Park

With around 115,000 sq m of rental space and over 160 stores, Ruhr Park in Bochum is one of the largest flagship destinations in Germany. The tenant and brand mix has been continuously optimised and differentiated in recent years. The focus on gastronomy and leisure offerings is strengthened in particular by the UCI Kinowelt and a comprehensive selection of restaurants and cafés from national and international brands. The Ruhr Park open-air location can be easily reached by car, including via a direct motorway connection, as well as via various bus lines. In addition, various modern mobility services and Tesla e-charging stations, among others, are available.