Efteling

About Efteling

It all started in 1933 when there was developed a walking park in the forrest in the south of Kaatsheuvel. In 1936 it contained a sports park and a play-yard.

The Park was officialy founded in 1950 as a nature park, it was called Natuurpark Efteling (nature park Efteling). It got his name from the land where it was lain in, because there used to be a farm called Ersteling.
In the park were tennis courts, a swimmingpool and a big walking park area. In 1952 Fairytale Forrest (sprookjesbos) was opened with only 10 fairytales, of wich: Snow White, the castle of Sleeping Beauty, the Magic Clock and the dwarf village.

The park started to grow and more and more visitors were coming to see Natuurpark Efteling. Fairytale Forrest got more fairytales and the sports park was disappearing. The name turned into De Efteling and it was becoming a themepark with Anton Pieck as designer. A designer with warm, nostalgic drawings and imagineering. He never ment to desing high skylines for the park, he always designed buildings and theming in the way you can imagine with fairytales. Everything you would see in his nostalgic drawing would be build in De Efteling.
The park got a great playyard for children and it got an own restaurant. Anton Pieck designed a village fair styled square and fairytale forrest was grown out to a big attraction.

The park started to build bigger attractions and eventualy also the swimming pool disappeared.
With attractions like Spookslot (Haunted castle, 1978) and Python (looping rollercoaster, 1981) it became the largest themepark in the Netherlands and one of the largest themeparks in Europe. Later on big attractions like Fata Morgana (1001 nights styled darkride, 1986), Droomvlucht (fairytale, dreamland darkride, 1993), Villa Volta (mad house, 1996), Vogel Rok (indoor rollercoaster, 1998) and De Vliegende Hollander (watercoaster, 2006) were built. Some of those attraction are outstanding in quality. Spookslot was at its opening the largest haunted castle in the world. And for a ride like Fata Morgana you needed to cross the ocean, because in the USA you had Pirates Of The Caribbean. Something like Fata Morgana was never done before on the European ground. An attraction with 140 moving figures and by Efteling composed music in a 4000m2 large palace.
Droomvlucht (Dreamflight) is considered one of the most beautiful darkrides in the world and Villa Volta was the first mad house in the world.
De Vliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman) is an attraction from a totaly new category. It combines walkthrough, darkride, watercoaster and splash. All themed like hollands golden century when the ship 'Den Hollander' got cursed and forever sails the seven seas.

In 1992 The park got its own Hotel. The Efteling Hotel has 4 stars, 122 rooms and several fairytale suites. Also in 1992 the park received the price for the best themepark in the world. Later on in 1995 the 18 holes counting Efteling Golfpark and Golf Club House were opened.

In the year 2001 The park got is own Theatre, which is one of the 5 head theatres of Holland. Through the year you can see the Efteling Show here, which is given 3 to 4 times a day for free. Also every year there is a large musical production in the Efteling Theater.

The plans for the future are about an Efteling holliday park and an Efteling city, with restaurants an clubs.

The Efteling is a company which excists from its own sales. It is not subsidized by larger companies such as disney, Warner Bross or Six Flags. The park still made it through the competition in the themepark area ever since 1950. And is even awarded to be the best themepark in the world when it received the Applause Award. In 2005 it received the THEA Classic award (a lifetime achievement award), which is released by 20 individual, international jurors with for example a designer from Disney.

De Efteling is a fantasy, fairytale Themepark lain in the forrest. With its big attractions, many nature, large lakes and rich History the park is a competitor to for example: Disneyland Paris and Moviepark Germany.
For more information check [www.efteling.com] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efteling] -- Last edited by Leroy Koevoets

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