Max Reims, Coordinator of Integral Design, takes us along the construction site of the new attraction Hooghmoed. “We’re standing here at the baron’s gold smeltery: Hooghmoed. The gold the miners find in gold mine Baron 1898 is melted down here. The impressive chimney of the smeltery needs to be cleaned regularly. That’s why we need chimney sweeps!”

Max continues: “The 14.5-metre-high chimney is now free of scaffolding. The name of the attraction can already be read from afar. The three lift towers are also really taking shape. We’re applying the final layers of paint over these weeks. Using a large crane, the shaft wheels have been placed on top of the 12-metre-high towers. They look very similar to the large wheel at the gold mine, but if you look closely, you’ll see that at Hooghmoed a little flame is depicted instead of a pickaxe and shovel. You’ll spot that flame in several places around the smeltery—on the doors beneath the chimney, for example, and at the three lift towers. Near the operator’s cabin, there will soon be a large control lever. It’s currently still being decorated in the workshop. Once the chimney sweeps have taken their seats, the operator pushes one of the levers down, setting the attraction in motion.”

“The ride profile of the towers has also been tested for several weeks now. For the moment, we’re still using dummies, but from the end of April the first young chimney sweeps will be able to test the attraction,” Max explains. “That’s also when the chimney sweep inside the chimney will become visible.”

Soon, the chimney sweep will occasionally rise from the large chimney and look around. Animatronics Specialist Raymund van Riel explains exactly how it works: “The chimney sweep was sculpted in the Efteling workshop, the Gildehuys. After that, I created the animatronic technology so it moves like a real chimney sweep. The animatronic is lowered into the chimney as a whole. That’s quite a challenge, since the chimney is 14.5 metres tall.”

Hooghmoed is a free-fall experience for brave visitors from 90 cm tall. Below 130 cm, supervision by someone over 16 is required. This attraction is designed especially for young daredevils: adventurous children who aren’t afraid of heights. Of course, adult visitors are welcome too. Accompanied by sound effects and mist, Hooghmoed turns every ride into a thrilling experience. Free-fall ride Hooghmoed opens on 1 May 2026.