The Six Swans, Efteling’s 30th fairy tale in the fairy tale forest, opens tomorrow. Visitors can walk through the attraction or take a short ride on a swan boat which takes you inside the building. There are (of course) six swan boats to ride in, all with slightly different details around their necks. The tower of the castle building is 15 metres high, and you can find it between Snow White and Cinderella in the fairy tale forest.
I don’t condone too many spoilers; it is nice to discover new things for yourself, however if you would like to see a walk-through which was filmed by Efteling, then see the video below!
There will also be a pin available to buy tomorrow to celebrate the opening of The Six Swans, which ca be found at Den Ouden Marskramer. Pins are a limited edition of 1,000 and are also limited to 2 per person.
It is only 1 month until visitors to Efteling can ride on the park’s newest attraction: The Six Swans. Located in the fairy tale forest next to Cinderella, guests will be able to take a ride on one of these beautiful swans, which have arrived at their new home today. I can’t wait to see it up close!
Just a quick post today, this is what The Six Swans building is looking like now. In true Efteling style, it looks as though it has been there for decades!
Thanks to Ronald from pinparade.nl for sending it over.
The 30th fairy tale in the fairy tale forest is due to open next autumn, and construction has been coming along very nicely on the new attraction. The Six Swans will house a small ride, where visitors can board a swan for a trip around the building’s moat. Eftelingsestraat.nl have some great first photos of the boats behind the scenes at Efteling, presumably getting ready for their decoration.
Click here to take a look at the beautiful new boats!
Kogeloog, a catering outlet that stands opposite Langnek in the Fairy Tale Forest, is finally reopening after 17 years of being closed. Ice cream and a variety of drinks will be on the menu from the end of April through September, and there will be new seating available, as well as the benches that already face Langnek.
The tale which Langnek comes from is The Six Servants, which are illustrated on the walls (by Anton Pieck) alongside the serving hatch. This catering spot originally opened in 1967, and whilst Kogeloog is the name on the top, (Kogeloog means Bullet Eye, hence the bust above it) the name above the hatch is ‘De Zes Dienaren’ (The Six Servants). The bust on top of the building refers to the servant in the story who is ‘a man who wears a blindfold in front of his eyes because his glance is so powerful that it makes everything he sees split to pieces.’ Back in the 1950s there was a similar bust standing next to Langnek, which was removed a few years later, possibly because it didn’t make so much sense as
Kogeloog 1954, photo from Eftepedia.nl
regards the story!
The message in front of this statue read (not exact translation!):
‘This servant who used to make an army sniff with just one look is now, after all his glorious days, not even able to chase away a wasp’.
This indicates that he doesn’t have his special power anymore, in contrast to Langnek, but doesn’t explain why…This might be a reason that it was removed, especially since the new bust has a blindfold over his eyes, to stop him from causing any damage!
Take a look below at the other servants, as visible on the wall at Kogeloog…
Efteling is now giving visitors the chance to meet Pinocchio, and he’s actually quite charming. He is a puppet, controlled by a performer, but he’s still really cool!
There are a couple of new attractions coming to the Fairy Tale Forest soon!
Firstly, a new talking tree (Babbelboom) will be installed in the forest between the Little Match Girl and the Emperor’s New Clothes.
Art by Robert-Jaap Jansen
This tree will speak directly to visitors in a similar way to the existing fairy tale tree, but the messages will be more personal. This works from the Efteling app, so visitors wishing to communicate with the tree will have to give permission on there first. I can’t wait to see it!
Another addition will be a whole new fairy tale! In fact, it will be the 30th fairy tale to be represented in the forest, with work starting on the construction this October, and the opening being in Autumn 2019. The Six Swans by the Brothers Grimm is what we have to look forward to, and it will be located between Snow White and Cinderella. A moat will surround the building, and small children will be able to take a ride on one of the six swans around the attraction, whilst larger guests can view a scene inside of the castle.
The Bridal Dress of Genoveva is not a fairy tale that springs to mind straight away when you think of Efteling, as you cannot always see it. That is because this fairy tale lives, in the form of a flock of multi-coloured birds.
Image from vijfzintuigen.nl
Well, not any more.
As from today, the birds will remain their natural white colour. The fairy tale is actually one of the original tales told in the park, opening back in 1952, when they decided to spray the pigeons in different colours. Part of the story includes the tower where the birds live, which is located behind the Snow White building. This could not always be clearly seen due to ivy, but after the recent renovation of Snow White, the ivy has been removed and it is much easier to see the birds flying in and out of their home.
Efteling have said in a Facebook comment that this change has nothing to do with how the birds were coloured, as that has always been done in a cruelty-free manner, but that they think that the white birds better represent the natural theme of the park. There have been comments online however, that questioned the dying of the birds for entertainment purposes.
To me, it isn’t necessarily a change for the better, as it was always fun to see the coloured birds, however I’m sure we can all learn to appreciate them in their natural form too!
Don’t know the story? Here it is:
Prince Arthur would marry the beautiful princess Genoveva.
Often the couple went out walking and then the prince said: “Look, the yellow of the buttercups and the blue of the cornflowers and ooh … That red of the poppies … All those beautiful colors should be in your wedding dress, dear Genoveva.” An old weaver lived in the land of Prince Arthur. Only she could make the princess’s wedding dress. Unfortunately, the old woman had become blind. “I can not help you prince, my hands can do it”, she said, “But … I can not see the colors anymore.”
The prince returned sadly to the palace and the old woman went to feed her pigeons. She cried with grief.
A wise owl heard of the story and said to the birds: “You know the colors right? Can not you do something back for the old woman? “The next day the old weaver was mourning at her loom. “Now I knew what green was,” she sighed, and immediately she felt that a little bit of hair pushed a strand of silk between her fingers. “And now the blue of the sky.” Together with all the birds, the woman worked on the carpet and shone with happiness. When the dress was ready, she let the prince come. He too was happy. “My bride will be the most beautiful in the country.” And the birds? They had been so busy with all the colors that their feathers had been colored.
After a lengthy refurbishment, the Flying Fakir has recently returned from his well earned rest, looking better than ever! Everything looks clean and new, and all of his tulips seem to be functioning correctly, unlike in past years. You have to just love Efteling for taking good care of what they have; after all, now you’d never know that the Fakir is 60 years old!
Another delightful piece of news (well I got excited about it!) is that there is a new Efteling CD available. New tracks include ‘welcome’ and ‘goodbye’, Efteling 65th anniversary (not sure how that one goes), and the music from Symbolica, which is a welcome addition. Add this one to the shopping list!
Little Red Riding Hood recently reopened after a very long refurbishment. In fact, it was more of a total rebuild! The new building is now up to modern safety standards, and looks refreshed and wonderful!
