The Dutch holiday park empire built by reality television star Peter Gillis has effectively shrunk to a single footprint in the province of North Brabant, following a rapid sequence of forced auctions, asset transfers, and municipal revocations.
Prinsenmeer, long considered the crown jewel of Gillis’s Oostappen Group, is no longer owned by the entrepreneur, according to reports by Omroep Brabant. The transfer of Prinsenmeer took place last week, finalized alongside Stadsresort Valkenburg. Meanwhile, the key handover for Brugse Heide in Valkenswaard occurred on Thursday.
From Holiday King to a Forced Auction in Valkenswaard
The contraction of the portfolio accelerated sharply after a forced auction earlier this month left Gillis with six of his nine original Dutch parks. Among them, vakantiepark Brugse Heide in Valkenswaard was acquired by local real estate entrepreneurs Patrick Coppens and Arjan Willems, as reported by Headliner. The buyers paid 3.15 million euros for the roughly nine-soccer-field-sized property, which features 123 chalets, 95 camping pitches, a recreational building, an outdoor swimming pool, company housing, and a parking lot.
Coppens and Willems plan to rebrand Brugse Heide as Valkenrijk and modernize the site step by step. Working alongside two other recreation-sector entrepreneurs and an architect, the new owners intend to overhaul the parking area and hospitality facilities before a planned reopening next year, alongside installing new chalets and upgrading existing infrastructure. The new owners have already met with the municipality of Valkenswaard to discuss permit applications. Local officials emphasized that the park retains a strict recreational destination, ruling out the long-term accommodation of asylum seekers or migrant workers. Gillis previously received a penalty payment in 2022 regarding the housing of migrant workers, which has since been paid.
The Quiet Desolation of Slot Cranendonck
In Brabant, Gillis now retains just one remaining property: Slot Cranendonck in Soerendonk. Purchased by Gillis in December 2020 during the height of his “holiday king” moniker, the park now cuts a desolate figure. Its website bears a blunt notice stating the park is closed until further notice, while the physical entrance is blocked by fences marked with no-entry signs.
Behind those gates, maintenance staff keep the grounds trimmed even as the atmosphere remains eerily quiet. Two employees handle daily upkeep, mowing grass, pruning, and clearing leaves. Regular visitors with annual chalet leases are permitted entry only on Tuesdays and Saturdays to maintain their properties. Meanwhile, local enforcement officers and police frequently patrol the perimeter to deter trespassers and ensure no unauthorized occupants remain—a security priority following a chalet fire on the grounds earlier this summer.
The Unraveling of a Municipal Relationship
The downfall of Slot Cranendonck unfolded swiftly over the past year. Additionally, municipal authorities had already revoked the park’s catering license in 2023 over concerns regarding potential criminal misuse.
Despite bearing the Oostappen name, staff on-site note that Slot Cranendonck never truly absorbed the signature Gillis culture found at other locations, lacking traditional entertainment evenings in favor of an established community of annual leaseholders. With the corporate brand now tied to closures and legal disputes, employees continue their upkeep in limbo, waiting for a prospective buyer to step forward and chart a viable future for the park.
