Efteling

Efteling (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛftəˌlɪŋ]) is a fantasy-themed amusement park in Kaatsheuvel in the Netherlands. The attractions are based on elements from ancient myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore.

The park was opened in 1952. It has since evolved from a nature park with a playground and a Fairy Tale Forest into a full-sized theme park. It now caters to both children and adults with its cultural, romantic, and nostalgic themes, in addition to its wide array of amusement rides.

It is the largest theme park in the Netherlands and one of the oldest theme parks in the world. It is twice as large as the original Disneyland park in California and predates it by three years. Annually, the park has more than 4 million visitors. Over the years, it has received over 100 million visitors.^[1]

History

Paper gobbler Hollow Bulging Gijs - classic Pieck design

In 1950, Efteling Nature Park Foundation (Stichting Natuurpark de Efteling) was founded by the mayor of Loon op Zand, R.J. van der Heijden, filmmaker Peter Reijnders, and designer artist Anton Pieck (1895-1987). The foundation was named after the 16th-century farm Ersteling.

Efteling officially opened on May 31, 1952,^[2] when the Fairy Tale Forest (het Sprookjesbos), designed by the famous Dutch illustrator Anton Pieck, was opened to the public. Initially, the Fairy Tale Forest was home to some ten different fairy tales, all of them brought to life using original drawings by Anton Pieck alongside ingenious mechanics and lighting and sound effects designed by the Dutch filmmaker Peter Reijnders. The life-size dioramas, displayed together in an atmospheric forest, were an enormous success. In 1952 alone, Efteling welcomed 240,000 visitors.^[3]

Since 1978, the park has been expanded and grown to become one of the most popular theme parks in the world. The Efteling Resort now offers the original theme park, a hotel, a theatre, a golf course, and a holiday village. It is still owned by the Efteling Nature Park Foundation.

The Dutch climate and the integral role of natural greenery in the park's appearance and theme once prevented it from remaining open year-round. Efteling's operating season was once limited to April - October, but the park's management, in order to make the park more profitable, began experimenting with 'Winter Efteling' in 1999 (see index below for attractions closed during "Winter Efteling"). The seasonal event, which features holiday displays and Christmas lights, has grown increasingly popular in the 2000s and draws thousands of visitors annually.^[4]

In 2010, Efteling announced plans to remain open year round. From November through approximately February, the 'Winter Efteling' theme remains in place. However, some of the regular rides are either closed (like Wild Water Ride Piraña) or temporarily closed for maintenance (like The Flying Dutchman) during this period.

Gisela Williams, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, wrote a review of the park in early 2014.^[5] Williams praised Efteling but criticized an attraction called Monsieur Cannibale for containing racist depictions of Africans.^[6] Her review was later mentioned in De Telegraaf, a daily newspaper in the Netherlands, and drew several angry comments from its readership. Williams also received her first death threat for her comments about the controversial attraction.^[7]

Design

Dreamflight - typical van de Ven design

The success of Efteling has been attributed largely to its high-quality ride designs and architecture, in addition to its pleasant greenery 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 Efteling, 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 but 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 younger 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 attraction, was Efteling's first to be designed entirely by Van de Ven (although he used some ideas from joint brainstorming sessions with Pieck). Later, he designed several more rides and new fairy tales, leading him to be considered by some as the world's best 'imagineer' after Disney.

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

Divisions

The Efteling resort now comprises several divisions: the theme park (1952), the four-star Efteling Hotel (1992), the 18-hole golf course (1995), Efteling Theatre (2002), and a holiday park with bungalows [Efteling Bosrijk](2009). Efteling Bosrijk will be adding another 400 beds in 2015. The theatre, which was once used for park shows, is one of the 5 biggest theatres in The Netherlands and can house big theatre productions, which will not be included in park admissions. Besides using it as a home base for shows/musicals created by the Efteling itself (like "Droomvlucht" e.o.) it also lends itself out for other big productions, events and business events. The hotel was operated by Golden Tulip for several years, but Efteling decided recently to manage it independently. All divisions are now profitable, although it took the golf course several years to break even.^[8] The divisions are each contained in commercial corporations, but all shares are still held by the non-profit Efteling Nature Park Foundation (Stichting Natuurpark de Efteling).

The park

Gondoletta and Pagode

Efteling currently covers approximately 494.211 acres (2,000,000 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 forest, some grassland, roads, and an 18-hole golf course.

The park is divided into four themed areas or 'realms'. 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 the areas' names. North was changed to Reizenrijk (Travel Realm), West became Marerijk (Fairy Realm), East became Ruigrijk (Rough Realm), and South became Anderrijk (Other Realm).

Although the park was not built with these divisions in mind and the names may seem cryptic, they do make sense. 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. 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'.

Efteling was largely built in an existing pine tree forest located in a rural area, giving it a 'nature park' feeling. Together with its large ponds and gardens, its abundant green space is rather unusual among the world's leading theme parks.

Attractions, rides and fairy tales in Efteling and their designers

Langnek, A well-known icon of Efteling theme park

Darkride Fata Morgana by night

• Attractions not operating in winter or when it's freezing are marked with

1952 - Fairy Tale Forest (Anton Pieck, Peter Reijnders, Ton van de Ven, Henny Knoet, Michel den Dulk, Karel Willemen and Pim-Martijn Sanders)
1954 - Children's Railway (Dutch: Kinderspoor), (Pedal trains, Anton Pieck and Peter Reijnders)
1954 - Anton Pieck Square (Dutch: Anton Pieckplein), (square with nostalgic rides, Anton Pieck and Michel den Dulk)
1956 - Steam Carousel (Dutch: Carrousselpaleis) (Carousel, bought from L. Janvier)
1969 - Efteling Steam Train Company (Dutch: Efteling Stoomtrein Maatschappij, a 600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁵⁄₈ in) narrow gauge train ride)
1971 - Diorama (Model railway/ Diorama, Anton Pieck)
1978 - Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) (Haunted attraction, Ton van de Ven and Anton Pieck)
1981 - Python (double Loop Corkscrew Roller coaster, Vekoma) when freezing
1981 - Gondoletta (Tow boat ride, Ton van de Ven) when freezing
1982 - Half Moon (Dutch: Halve Maen) (Ship swing, Ton van de Ven)
1983 - Piraña (River rafting ride, Ton van de Ven)
1984 - Carnival Festival (Dutch: Carnaval Festival) (Dark ride, Geesink)
1984 - Polka Marina (a combination of a carousel and a mini-rollercoaster, Ton van de Ven)
1984 - Tin Lizzies (Dutch: De Oude Tuffer) (Car ride, Ton van de Ven)
1985 - Bob Track (Dutch: Bobbaan) (Bobsled roller coaster, Intamin Ton van de Ven) when freezing
1986 - Fata Morgana (Dark ride, Tow boat ride,^[9][10] Ton van de Ven)
1987 - Pagode (Observation tower, Ton van de Ven)
1988 - Monsieur Cannibale (Teacups ride, Henny Knoet)
1990 - The People of Laaf (Dutch: Volk van Laaf) (Ton van de Ven)
1993 - Dreamflight (Dutch: Droomvlucht) (Dark ride, Ton van de Ven)
1996 - The House of the Five Senses (Dutch: Het huis van de 5 zintuigen) (Park entrance, Ton van de Ven)
1996 - Villa Volta (Madhouse, Ton van de Ven)
1998 - Bird Rok (Dutch: Vogel Rok) (Enclosed roller coaster, Ton van de Ven)
2002 - PandaVision (Dutch: Pandadroom) (a 4-D film cinema, Van Doorn and associates)
2007 - The Flying Dutchman (Dutch: De Vliegende Hollander) (Water Coaster / Dark ride, Karel Willemen) when freezing
2010 - George and the Dragon (Dutch: Joris en de Draak) (Wooden racing coaster, Karel Willemen)
2011 - Ravelin (Dutch: Raveleijn) (Theatre, Sander de Bruijn)
2012 - Aquanura (Musical Fountain, WET)
2012 - The Emperor's New Clothes (Dutch: De Nieuwe Kleren van de Keizer) (Fairytale)
2015 - Baron 1898 (Dive coaster ^[11][12]) from the Bolliger & Mabillard company

Future extensions:
2016 - Pinocchio (Dutch: Pinokkio) (Fairytale in Fairy Tale Forest) ^[13]
2017 - Symbolica: Palace of Fantasy (Dutch: Symbolica: Paleis der Fantasie) (Dark ride, Vekoma/Sander de Bruijn and others)^[14]

Former attractions:

1953 - Rowing pond (Dutch: Roeivijver) , replaced by Aquanura
1953 - Swimming Pool (Dutch: Zwembad), closed in 1989
1966 - Water Organ (Dutch: Waterorgel), in use as a TV studio since 2010
1991 - Pegasus (Junior wooden roller coaster, demolished in 2009), replaced by George and the Dragon

Other ventures operating independently from the amusement park:

1992 - Tower Realm (Dutch: Torenrijk) (Theme hotel)
1995 - Efteling Golf course (Dutch: Golfclub Efteling) (Golf course)
2002 - Efteling Theatre (Dutch: Efteling Theater) (Theatre, Ton van de Ven)
2008 - Radio Efteling (Radio station)^[15]
2009 - Forest Realm (Dutch: Bosrijk) (Accommodation area, Karel Willemen)
2017 - The Loonsche Land (Dutch: Het Loonsche Land) (Accommodation)^[16]

Awards

• In 1971 the Efteling was the first theme park to receive the Pomme d'Or (Golden Apple), in recognition of superior efforts in promoting and raising Europe's level of tourism. The Pomme d'Or is the highest award in the European tourist industry.^[17]
• In 1992 the Efteling was awarded the IAAPA Applause Award for best theme park in the world.
• In 1997 Villa Volta, as the first 'new style' Madhouse in the world, receives the Thea Attraction Award.
• In 2005 the Efteling received the Thea Classic Award for the year 2004, a notable token of recognition of quality awarded by other people in the themed entertainment industry.^[18] Efteling is the second park to receive a prize for their entire oeuvre, the first being Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Economy and governance

Herald Square (Herautenplein) in the Fairy Tale Forest

The Flying Dutchman, modern water coaster

Structure

The Efteling is a private company limited by shares. The Efteling Nature Park Foundation (Stichting Natuurpark de Efteling) is the only shareholder. The foundation was founded in 1950 by R.J.Th. van der Heijden, Peter Reijnders, and Anton Pieck. The company is led by two directors. They manage four sections: the theme park, the Efteling Hotel, the Efteling Golf course and the Efteling Theatre.

Since April 17, 2014, the company's CEO has been Fons Jurgens.

Employees

In the high season, Efteling employs 2,500 workers. In 2000, the number was 1670, of which 400 had a permanent contract (24%), 450 were seasonal employees (27%) and 820 had temp jobs (49%).^[19]

Visitors

Efteling welcomed 3,240,000 visitors in 2007, making it the most popular theme park in the Netherlands.^[20] In 2009, the park's attendance surpassed 4,000,000 visitors and in 2014 roughly 4.400.000 visitors went to the park, making it the most popular tourist daytrip destination in all categories.^[21]

In its opening year (1952),^[22] the park had 222,941 visitors.

Most of the visitors are Dutch. 94% of the Dutch population has visited the park.^[23] 16% of visitors live in areas like Flanders (Belgium), Westphalia (Germany) and Southern England (UK).^[24]

A graph of the number of visitors of the Efteling during the period 1952-2014:

Ticket price

A graph of the ticket price in euros of the Efteling during the period 1952-2015:

From 1952 to 2002 the ticket price was set in Dutch guilders. These prices were converted to euros using a conversion factor of 0,45378. In 1952 the ticket price was 0,80 Dutch guilders (0,36 euro). From 1956 to 1965 the ticket price was 1 Dutch guilder. The price had risen to 42 Dutch guilders by 2001 and was converted to 21 euros in 2002, during the switch to the euro in the Netherlands. Tickets ordered online are sold with a discount of 2 euros.

Investments

On December 11, 2008, theme park officials announced that they would spend 40 million euros during the years 2009-2012 on three large construction projects: a convention centre accommodating 1500 visitors (de Burcht), an arena from the Middle Ages for 750 show spectators (Raveleijn), and a redesign for snack bar "De Likkebaerd" to turn it into a station for the park's steam train. They also said they didn't expect to suffer from the economic crisis because they have drawn more visitors in such periods in the past.^[25] In 2009 the Efteling announced that the Burcht has been cancelled.^[26]

The Disney connection

Efteling logo seen from Pagode

Efteling has a good relationship with the Disney theme parks. Disneyland Paris consulted Efteling during its construction and design phase, in order to adapt the American park to European tastes. As a token of appreciation, the Disney Company gave Efteling a small statue. Ton van de Ven, who designed many of Efteling's attractions, was also a good friend of Disney's Tony Baxter (senior vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering). The relationship between the two parks was emphasized when Efteling won the 2004 Thea Classic Award, the highest honour awarded by the Themed Entertainment Association: Efteling had, as it turned out, been nominated by Tony Baxter.^[18][27]

There is also a popular legend that further links Disney and Efteling. For years, rumors have circulated that Walt Disney derived his inspiration for Disneyland (which opened in 1955), from Efteling (which opened in 1952). According to the legend, in the early 1950s, Walt Disney traveled to Europe a few times and visited several tourist attractions. Reportedly, a brochure from the IAAPA, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, even states that Disney "spent a great deal of time studying Pieck's work at Efteling [sic] before beginning his own park." However, the rumour was later discredited by Efteling. An off-hand remark by a PR person for Efteling during a presentation for a group of reporters further extend the legend's longevity. It's likely that Disney never actually visited Efteling, though he did visit Madurodam and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. The latter actually did provide some inspiration for Disneyland.^[28]

• 

  Haunted Castle

• 

  The Piraña, a River Rafting Ride in a pre-Columbian atmosphere

• 

  The Villa Volta, the first modern Madhouse in the world

• 

  The Python

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Efteling.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Efteling.

• Official website