Efteling, located in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands, is one of the world’s oldest and most popular theme parks.
It is the biggest theme park in the Netherlands and among the oldest globally, with more than 5 million visitors annually,
Efteling has various amusement attractions, such as six roller coasters and four dark rides.
It also offers cultural, romantic, and nostalgic themes that appeal to adults and children.
Here are some interesting facts about Efteling Theme Park.
Efteling and Disneyland are similar
Efteling is similar to Disneyland in many aspects, although being twice the size of the original Disneyland site in California and three years older.
It actually served as inspiration for Disneyland, and the two titans have maintained a long-standing amicable relationship.
Disneyland Paris engaged Efteling for ideas on developing an American theme park that would appeal to European audiences.
As a token of appreciation, Disney also presented Efteling with a miniature statue.
In 2004, Efteling received the Thea Classic Award, the Themed Entertainment Association’s highest honor.
It came out that the Efteling was nominated by Walt Disney Imagineering’s senior vice president.
Anton Pieck designed the Efteling Theme Park
Efteling’s success is largely due to its ride designs, architecture, and atmosphere.
When Anton Pieck was assigned to develop the earliest fairy tales for the Efteling, he ensured the park met his very high standards.
There would be no need for inexpensive building materials, plastic or concrete.
Pieck’s illustration style, which was bleak and dark yet sentimental and nostalgic, served as the thematic foundation for almost all subsequent expansions.
Efteling is a privately held firm
The Efteling is a private, share-based company.
The Efteling Nature Park Foundation is the sole shareholder. R.J. Th. van der Heijden, Peter Reijnders, and Anton Pieck established the foundation in 1950.
Two directors manage the corporation. They oversee four areas: the theme park, the Efteling Hotel, the Efteling Golf Course, and the Efteling Theatre.
Efteling is the biggest theme park in the Netherlands
The Efteling theme park is the largest in the Netherlands, spanning 200 hectares.
Visitors may experience a variety of rides – 36 in total – and there are plans to develop and introduce more rides to the park.
One of the most remarkable things about Efteling is that it did not begin at the current magnitude. It began in 1952 as a playground and a fairy tale woodland.
It has now grown into something much bigger and better.
Efteling is separated into five kingdoms
Marerijk: The Magical Kingdom – You will find attractions themed to fairy tales and amazing creatures.
Reizenrijk: The Trip Realm – It is dedicated to adventure and travel.
Ruigrijk: The Wild Realm – This region offers the best adult attractions, including roller coasters. Thrill seekers should go there!
Anderrijk: A Strange Land – This section explores the theme park’s supernatural aspects, such as parallel universes.
Uitrijk: The Entrance Realm – This consists of the park’s reception desk and theater.
We recommend visitors buy tickets to Efteling Theme Park online and skip the queues as they enter this magical realm effortlessly.
The Efteling Theme Park features a wooden roller coaster
Joris en de Draak is a wooden racing coaster based on Saint George mythology at Efteling Theme Park.
The dual-tracked roller coaster, which replaced the 2009 wrecked wooden coaster Pegasus, has two tracks, ‘Water’ and ‘Fire’.
There are five Millennium Flyer trains with 12 cars each. However, only four are utilized at once for maintenance purposes.
Riders are arranged two across in a single row, for a total of 24 per train, with a capacity of 1750 riders per hour.
There is a narrative behind each attraction of Efteling
Each attraction has a story behind it, whether it’s a fairy tale or a local legend, and every aspect is meticulously crafted to give you the impression that you’re a part of it.
The Fairy Tale Forest takes you on a journey through well-known and lesser-known fairy tales that are popular in the local community.
There is a talking tree narrating stories, Hansel and Gretel’s house may be seen, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella are not missing, and Little Match Girl is present.
There is a talking dustbin at Efteling
What’s more weird than a talking dustbin that eats paper?
Holle Bolle Gijs, a talking paper gobbler, asks all children (and adults) to clean the park by repeating, “Papier hier! Papier hier!” (Paper here! Paper here!).
As a result, the park remains tidy, as children rush around collecting everything they find on the ground and shoving it into Holle Bolle Gijs’ mouth, only to hear him say “Papier hier!” once more.
The park also includes a winter Efteling portion
Winter Efteling is an authentic winter wonderland. All attractions receive distinctive winter decorations as if the entire park is dressed for the season.
There is artificial snow, and you can warm your hands over the bonfires in each square.
There’s a cheerful winter feeling throughout.
The Ice Palace has a large skating rink and offers daily entertainment shows.
The Efteling Theme Park features an intriguing madhouse
Villa Volta is a Vekoma Madhouse at the Netherlands’ De Efteling theme park.
It is the world’s first large-scale Madhouse, and it is often regarded as the most well-known of them all.
Villa Volta’s story begins in the mid-18th century Netherlands and is a small extension of the legend of ‘De Bokkenrijders.’
Visitors to the madhouse are led to believe that the building is being turned upside down.
Featured Image: Efteling.com
