“The numbers looked positive. Otherwise we wouldn’t have invested so much time and money. We would have liked it.” Words by Hans Deuze, from Puy du Fou Netherlands. But it shouldn’t be this way. The French Puy du Fou is abandoning a theme park in Meppel.
Puy du Fou had the idea to start a 60-hectare theme park near Meppel, which is three times the size of Wildlands. It could bring 800,000 visitors a year and around 1,000 jobs. Performances would be given about the history of the region and the Netherlands, for example about the Golden Age. There would be no attractions such as roller coasters.
The municipality of Meppel hoped that the park could open in 2027. The day before yesterday it was announced that the French are abandoning a location in Drenthe. The municipality was not told the exact reason.
Hans Deuze thinks it is “very, very, very unfortunate”. He does not know exactly why Puy du Fou does not want to realize a theme park near Meppel. It was up to Deuze to explain to the Netherlands what Puy du Fou is. That it is not just an amusement park, but that it is about live shows and history.
“It can be somewhat compared to the Efteling.” Now let him get to work there too. At Efteling he is director of production for the Raveleijn Show. This show is performed by Puy du Fou.
The French company has been active in Efteling since 2012. In Valkenswaard it works with a team of 50 artists and technicians, and more than 10 horses and 40 birds from Puy du Fou are used.
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