Efteling

Location	Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands
Website	www.efteling.com
Opened	1952
Operating season	April to October and December to January
Rides	32+ total 3 (4th opening in 2007) roller coasters 2 water rides

Rollercoaster Python

Castle of Sleeping Beauty

Langnek, A well-known icon of Efteling theme park

Haunted Castle

Gondoletta and Pagode

Villa Volta (madhouse)

Efteling logo seen from Pagode

Herald Square (Herautenplein) in the Fairy Tale Forest

Efteling (Dutch: De Efteling (in English: the Efteling)) is the largest and most popular theme park in The Netherlands, and one of the leading theme parks in Europe. It is also one of the oldest theme parks in the world. Efteling is located in the town of Kaatsheuvel, in the municipality of Loon op Zand. Efteling was opened in 1951. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Loon op Zand is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixel Image in higher resolution (1800 × 1200 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixel Image in higher resolution (1800 × 1200 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 345 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (793 × 1376 pixel, file size: 417 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Efteling Metadata This... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 345 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (793 × 1376 pixel, file size: 417 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Efteling Metadata This... This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (768x1024, 240 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Efteling Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (768x1024, 240 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Efteling Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1152x864, 144 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Efteling ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1152x864, 144 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Efteling ... Image File history File links 800px-Photo-0570. ... Image File history File links 800px-Photo-0570. ... Heralds Square (Herautenplein) in the themepark Efteling. ... Heralds Square (Herautenplein) in the themepark Efteling. ... The Fairy Tale Forest ( “Sprookjesbos” in Dutch) is a wooded part (of approximately 15 acres) of the amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands, where a number of well-known fairy tales and fairy tale figures are depicted by (moving) statues and buildings. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Theme Park is a simulation computer game designed by Bullfrog Productions, released in 1994, in which the player designs and operates an amusement park. ... Loon op Zand is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. ...

Originally the park catered towards children with a fairy tale theme. Nowadays Efteling appeals to both young and old with its cultural, romantic and nostalgic themes and its variety of amusement rides. In over fifty years the park has evolved from a nature park with playground and a Fairy Tale Forest, into a full-size theme park along the lines of Disneyland. In 1992 Efteling received the IAAPA Applause Award for Best Amusement Park in the World. A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ... Flying Scooter ride at Kings Island, Ohio An assortment of rides at the Royal Melbourne Show Rollercoaster FX in MoviePark Germany An Enterprise Amusement ride in Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon Breakdance Ride, Royal Melbourne Show 2005 Dodgem Cars, Royal Melbourne Show 2005 An amusement ride is any number... Combination playground structure for small children; slides, climbers (stairs in this case), playhouse A playground is an area designed for children to play freely. ... The Fairy Tale Forest ( “Sprookjesbos” in Dutch) is a wooded part (of approximately 15 acres) of the amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands, where a number of well-known fairy tales and fairy tale figures are depicted by (moving) statues and buildings. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

History

Efteling 'officially' opened on May 31st 1952, when the Fairy Tale Forest (het Sprookjesbos), designed by the famous Dutch illustrator Anton Pieck, was declared open. Initially, the Fairy Tale Forest was home to some ten different fairy tales. All of them were brought to life using original drawings by Anton Pieck, alongside ingenious movements, lighting and sound effects designed by the Dutch film maker Peter Reijnders. The life-size fairy tales, displayed together in an atmospheric forest, proved to be an enormous success. In 1952 alone Efteling welcomed 240,000 visitors. The Fairy Tale Forest ( “Sprookjesbos” in Dutch) is a wooded part (of approximately 15 acres) of the amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands, where a number of well-known fairy tales and fairy tale figures are depicted by (moving) statues and buildings. ... Anton Franciscus Pieck (Den Helder, Netherlands, April 19th 19 1895 - Overveen, Netherlands November 25th 1987) was a Dutch painter, artist and graphic artist. ... Anton Franciscus Pieck (Den Helder, Netherlands, April 19th 19 1895 - Overveen, Netherlands November 25th 1987) was a Dutch painter, artist and graphic artist. ... Petrus Lambertus Wilhelmus (Peter) Reijnders (July 24, 1900 - 1974) was a Dutch photographer, film director and inventor. ...

There is some debate about whether May 31st, 1952 is the actual start of Efteling. Some argue that 1950 should be considered the official year of the park's establishment, since in that year Stichting Natuurpark de Efteling, or Efteling Nature Park Foundation, was founded. Others prefer 1953, when Efteling was declared 'open' by a government official, coinciding with the opening of the park's second large restaurant facility that still exists as De Ballonvaarder.

Design

The success of Efteling has been attributed largely to its high-quality ride designs and architecture and its pleasant green environments and gardening. The park, under the aegis of its creative directors, has always had high standards. When Anton Pieck was asked to design the initial fairy tales for the park, he made sure the park would live up to his personal high standards: there would be no use of cheap building materials, plastic or concrete. Pieck's illustration style, somewhat grim and dark, yet also romantic and nostalgic, was the thematic base on which most future expansions were built.

Pieck worked for Efteling until the mid 1970s, when his position as chief designer was passed on to the young Ton van de Ven. Van de Ven had already been working for Efteling for several years and Pieck was very pleased with his work. The Haunted Castle (het Spookslot), which opened in 1978 as the park's first new large ride, was the first attraction designed entirely by Van de Ven (although he used some ideas from joint brainstorming sessions with Pieck). Later on he designed many more successful rides and new fairy tales, leading him to be considered by some as the world's best 'imagineer' after Disney. Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ...

Van de Ven continued his work until 2002, when he retired. A new team of imagineers is currently working on new Efteling rides.

Divisions

Efteling has been divided in three sections: one running the park (1952), one running the four-star Efteling Hotel (1992), and a division running an 18-hole golf course (1995). The hotel was operated with Golden Tulip for some years, but Efteling decided recently to manage it independently. All three divisions are profitable (2003), although it took the golf course several years to reach the breakeven point. The divisions are contained in commercial corporations, but all shares are still held by the not-for-profit Efteling Naturepark Foundation (Stichting Natuurpark de Efteling). The breakeven point in economics is the point at which cost or expenses and income are equal - there is no net loss or gain, one has broken even. The point at which a firm or other economic entity breaks even is equal to its fixed costs divided by its contribution... A nonprofit organization (abbreviated NPO, or non-profit or not-for-profit) is an organization whose primary objective is to support an issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes. ...

The park

Efteling currently covers approximately 160 acres (650,000 m²). This area has changed only marginally over the course of its history. However, the park's foundation owns a much larger area of land, covered mostly with young forests, some grassland, roads and an 18-hole golf course. A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ...

The park is divided into four themed areas or 'realms', though these are not entirely comparable to Disney's 'lands'. Originally, the park was divided into four areas called North, West, East, and South, with most of the park's historical rides and attractions, like the Fairy Tale Forest, located in West. When the park reorganized its infrastructure in the late 1990s (adding the Pardoes Promenade and a central hub called Efteling Brink), it also changed its area names. North was changed to Reizenrijk (Travel Realm), West became Marerijk (Fairy Realm), East became Ruigrijk (Adventure Realm (literally: Rough Realm)) and South became Anderrijk (Alternative Realm). The Fairy Tale Forest ( “Sprookjesbos” in Dutch) is a wooded part (of approximately 15 acres) of the amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands, where a number of well-known fairy tales and fairy tale figures are depicted by (moving) statues and buildings. ...

Most of these names are rather cryptic and whether they suit their areas is debatable, because the park was not built with this division in mind at all. Perhaps the area most suited to its name is Ruigrijk, where most fast rides like the double-loop roller coaster Python (constructed in 1981) are located. However, on closer inspection the other names make some sense too. Marerijk is the home to the Fairy Tale Forest and the Fairies of the Droomvlucht, Anderrijk has some rides that are inspired by non-Western cultures (e.g. Fata Morgana and Piraña) while Reizenrijk has the Carnaval Festival ride, which travels through several different 'countries'. A typical roller coaster The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. ...

Not only the Fairy Tale Forest, but almost the entire Efteling park was built in a rather rural area, with lots of pine trees, giving the park a very special and unique 'nature park' feeling. Together with the large ponds and gardens (with thousands of flowers and an army of gardeners) it gives the park a green and friendly feeling which is rather unusual among the world's leading themeparks.

The only large park that seems to get close to this special atmosphere is Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. Unfortunately, Dutch climate and the reliance on greenery and trees for a huge part of the park's great looks (and theming!) are putting a bit of a stopper on a truly successful year-round opening. Efteling used to be closed all winter (only being open from April through October), but the park's management, struggling to make the park more profitable and creating a better return-on-investment, has been experimenting with a so-called 'Winter Efteling' since 1999. Thanks to great efforts to decorate the park using loads of pine trees and thousands of Christmas lights in winter, 'Winter Efteling' is growing more popular every year, reaching a climax during the holidays when thousands of people visit the park. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... See Animal. ...

Attractions, rides and fairy tales in Efteling and their designers

1952 - Fairy Tale Forest (Anton Pieck)
1956 - The Steam Carousel (bought from L. Janvier)
1958 - The Paper Gobbler (Anton Pieck)
1958 - The Flying Fakir (Anton Pieck)
1966 - The Indian Waterroses (Anton Pieck)
1969 - The Efteling Steam Train
1971 - Diorama (Anton Pieck)
1978 - Haunted Mansion (Efteling)(Ton van de Ven)
1981 - Python (a rollercoaster built by Vekoma)
1981 - Gondoletta
1982 - Halve Maen (the Crescent Moon, a ship swing - Ton van de Ven)
1983 - Piraña (a River Rafting Ride, Ton van de Ven)
1984 - Carnival Festival (Dutch: Carnaval Festival) (darkride, Geesink)
1985 - Swiss Bob
1986 - Fata Morgana (darkride, Ton van de Ven)
1987 - Pagode (flying island, Ton van de Ven)
1988 - Troll King Fairy tale addition to the fairy forest
1990 - The People of Laaf (Dutch: Volk van Laaf) (Ton van de Ven)
1991 - Pegasus
1993 - Dreamflight (Dutch: Droomvlucht) (dark ride, Ton van de Ven)
1996 - The House of the Five Senses (the park's spectacular entrance, Ton van de Ven)
1996 - Villa Volta (madhouse, Ton van de Ven)
1998 - Bird Rok (Dutch: Vogel Rok, indoor coaster, Ton van de Ven)
1999 - The Chinese Nightingale Fairy tale addition to the fairy forest
2002 - Efteling Theater (Ton van de Ven) and PandaVision (3D cinema, Van Doorn and associates)
2003 - Anton Pieck Square revision (Michel den Dulk)
2004 - The Little Match Girl Fairy tale addition to the fairy forest (Michel den Dulk)
2007 - (in production) The Flying Dutchman (Dutch: De Vliegende Hollander) (Water coaster, Karel Willemen)
The Fairy Tale Forest ( “Sprookjesbos” in Dutch) is a wooded part (of approximately 15 acres) of the amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands, where a number of well-known fairy tales and fairy tale figures are depicted by (moving) statues and buildings. ... Anton Franciscus Pieck (Den Helder, Netherlands, April 19th 19 1895 - Overveen, Netherlands November 25th 1987) was a Dutch painter, artist and graphic artist. ... The Steam Carousel is an attraction in the Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands. ... The Diorama is a miniature world in Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands. ... The Haunted Castle (“Spookslot” in Dutch) is an attraction in the amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... Vekoma-built Limit (Heide Park) Vekoma is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... Piraña is a River Rafting Ride in amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. ... A River Rafting Ride is an amusement ride that simulates whitewater rafting. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... Cows representing the Dutch Paris ’Changing’ of the guards Festival Leaning Tower of Pisa Chinese dragon Icemen Dark Africa Hawaii Carnival Festival (or Carnaval Festival in Dutch) is a dark ride in amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. ... Meeting Tigger at the Dark ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. ... Fata Morgana during a summer night Market scene Belly dancing for the lads Harbor scene Harem Throne room Fata Morgana, the forbidden city, also known as 1001 Arabian Nights (or 1001 nachten in Dutch) is a dark ride in amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. ... Meeting Tigger at the Dark ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... The People of Laaf is an attraction in the amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... Dreamflight (or Droomvlucht in Dutch)is a dark ride in amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... Villa Volta is an attraction in amusement park Efteling in the Netherlands. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... Ton van de Ven (Eindhoven, Netherlands, January 1st 1944) is a Dutch industrial designer. ... The Little Match Girl is a Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young girl who sells matches during the cold winter. ... Image:Queuehouses. ... A water slide that mimics a roller coaster by providing not only descents, but ascents as well. ...

Awards

• In 1972 the Efteling received the Pomme d'Or for best European themepark. The Pomme d'Or (Golden Apple) is the highest award in the European tourist industry.
• In 1992 the IAAPA Applause Award was awarded for the best themepark in the world.
• In 1997 Villa Volta as first 'new style' madhouse in the world receives the Thea Attraction Award.
• In 2005 the Efteling received the THEA Classic Award. This Classic Award is the ultimate token of recognition for an amusement park, because it is awarded by other people in the industry. The Efteling is the second park to receive a prize for their entire oeuvre, the first being the park Tivoli Gardens.

The Pomme dOr (French for golden apple) is a prize for excellence in the tourism industry awarded by FIJET, the European association of professional travel writers and journalists. ... The Themed Entertainment Association (short TEA) is an international non-profit association representing the worlds leading creators, developers, designers and producers of themed experiences such as museums, zoos and theme parks. ... The Themed Entertainment Association (short TEA) is an international non-profit association representing the worlds leading creators, developers, designers and producers of themed experiences such as museums, zoos and theme parks. ... Tivoli Gardens is a famous amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark. ...

The Disney connection

The Efteling has a good relationship with the Disney themeparks. Disneyland Paris consulted the Efteling during its construction and design phase, to have the American park adapted to European culture. As a token of appreciation the Disney Company gave the Efteling a small statue. Ton van de Ven (former Creative Director) is also a good friend of Disney's Tony Baxter (Senior Vice President of Disney Imagineering). Former Efteling employee Cees Kikstra, who used to be a manager at Efteling, worked for Disney Benelux at first and later for Disneyland Paris. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... Castle of the Sleeping Beauty in Disneyland Park Disneyland Resort Paris is a theme park in Marne-la-Vallée, near Paris. ...

• Article: "Walt Disney spent a great deal of time studying Pieck's work at Efteling before beginning his own parks." (Dutch only)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

De Efteling

• Efteling on Google Maps
• The official park web site, in multiple languages
• Wonderlijkewcweb.org, The largest and most popular Efteling related web site, maintained by fans (Dutch only)
• The latest news on the Efteling (Dutch only)

Coordinates: 51°39′01″N, 5°02′53″E Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...