Efteling Theme Park
- On 31 May, 1952 Efteling Nature Park was officially opened by the Efteling Nature Park Foundation. In 1984, Efteling became a limited liability company with the Efteling Nature Park Foundation as its sole owner and share holder.
- At the opening, ten fairy tales came to life with the following attractions: Gnome Village, The Chinese nightingale, The naughty princess, Mother Holle’s well, The Throne Room, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, The frog prince and The magic clock on Herautenplein Square.
- The famous Dutch illustrator Anton Pieck supplied the vision for the Fairytale Forest while engineering expert Peter Reijnders’ technical know-how brought Pieck’s fairy tales to life.
- Over the years, Efteling has grown into an internationally-renowned theme park with 26 fairytale characters residing in its Fairytale Forest and many other attractions to excite and delight visitors.
- The fairy tale is still the life and soul of the Efteling. In 2009, Cinderella was added as the 26th character to join the Fairytale Forest. Visitors can see the house she lived in with her wicked stepmother and ugly sisters, which has been built on Herautenplein Square.
- Fairy tales don’t just come to life in Fairytale Forest. Lots of the park’s other attractions are inspired by fairy tales, legends and sagas:
- o Indoor roller coaster ‘Vogel Rok’ is based on Sinbad the Sailor’s fifth voyage
o Haunted house ‘Villa Volta’ is based on the legend of the Goat Riders
o The mysterious ship ‘De Vliegende Hollander’ is based on the legend of the Flying Dutchman
o Fata Morgana is based on the Tales of One Thousand and One Nights
- The stories behind several characters and attractions have been developed by Efteling, including the People of Laaf and the House of the Five Senses.
- The Efteling Theme Park is spread across 72 hectares (including parking area).
- The Efteling welcomed its 95 millionth visitor through its gates in October of 2007. The 100 millionth visitor is expected mid 2009.
- As of 1999 the park is also open during the Winter Efteling winter season. In 2008, Winter Efteling celebrated its tenth anniversary.
Back to Facts and Figures