View allAll Photos Tagged Spookslot
Danse Macabre 08/05/2025 18h06
As much as I would like to, it is almost impossible to take pictures of the inside of the abbey where the main show takes place. This quick picture of the organ is all I can show for now.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Grand Opening: 31/10/2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
Huyverwoud 27/10/2025 16h46
I keep trying to capture the mausoleum of the late conductor Joseph Charlatan (*07/04/1813 - †13/10/1876) beautifully. Even now, with the autumn colors, it looks completely different.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Grand Opening: 31/10/2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
Huyverwoud | Danse Macabre 31/10/2024 10h29
The waiting journey before entering the abbey of Danse Macabre. This shot is taken on the first day this new attraction was open for public and before my first ride. The graves I immediately recognized from Spookslot. And the wall of the background used to be the exit of the Spookslot. Themepark archeology in the year 2024.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Grand Opening: 31/10/2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
Danse Macabre 03/06/2023 11h10
During the preview of what is to come next year in the new part of Huyverwoud (English Shiver Forest), the organ Esmeralda plays a major role. But as soon as Virginie and Otto start talking about what mysterious things would have happened, the mood of the organ immediately changes. The faces of the friendly figures are given a death mask and their eyes glow.
Huyverwoud
Huyverwoud (translated Shiver Forest) will have an area of 17,000 square metres. The Danse Macabre attraction will be located right next to the Spookslot remains. Efteling is also realizing a souvenir shop, toilets and a catering facility in the theme area, which must be completely finished in 2024. The total investment amounts to approximately 25 million euros.
[ Looopings, 11/2022 ]
Spookslot 22/11/2021 14h39
When I took this photo of the back of the Spookslot (Haunted Castle), I didn't know that this part of Efteling would be in the news on December 5 about a possible new attraction. And especially the empty part on the left of the photo where the construction site of Max & Moritz once stood.
Efteling has plans for a new attraction next to Spookslot
Efteling plans to build a new attraction at the Spookslot in the near future. Several insiders confirm this to Looopings. It was actually the intention to start soon with a major expansion on the eastern side of the amusement park. Instead, the focus will be on investments in the existing park for the time being.
In June 2021, the Efteling flag went out when it turned out that a new zoning plan has finally been approved. As a first step, the Reizenrijk park area would be expanded with a large circus-themed rollercoaster. "Probably building from next year", Efteling announced in a press release.
That plan has been shelved, say those involved. The focus will first be on the current amusement park. Last month it became clear that a luxury hotel will be built at the entrance building of the House of the Five Senses. A second construction project that Efteling is currently working on is the area near the Spookslot.
That attraction is anything but popular 44 years after its opening. Despite the famous soundtrack - Danse Macabre by composer Camille Saint-Saëns - most visitors nowadays ignore the haunted castle from 1978. Efteling wants to create a coherent themed world, as happened with Max & Moritz (2020) and the World of Sindbad (2021).
Right next to the Spookslot there is currently a bare asphalt surface, which was released during the demolition of the Bob. But which attraction does Efteling choose? There are different stories about this. The fate of the Spookslot itself - an absolute classic for many Efteling fans - also remains uncertain.
As with the news about the hotel, Efteling does not want to confirm anything. A spokesperson continues to emphasize that the plans for the future have not yet been determined, partly due to the constantly changing measures regarding covid-19 and the financial consequences thereof. It is hoped that the year will end well financially. After that, the park will look further, according to the information officer.
[ Loopings 05/12/2021 ]
Spookslot 11/02/2022 14h49
Now that this iconic attraction (Spookslot, Haunted Castle in English) in the Efteling is going to disappear after 44 years, I'm going to capture as much details as possible. In 2024 a new attraction will be opened at this location. The project name is "Dance Macabre" which gives hope for the theme that might be spooky as well after all. Spookslot 1978 - 2022.
A photo especially taken and uploaded for the Wednesday Walls Group.
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now haunted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Closing: Summer 2022
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Danse Macabre 27/01/2025 17h20
The Capelle van Kaatsheuvel at twilight is a must have for fans of the ride Danse Macabre. This attraction is one of the most popular attractions of the Efteling since the opening in October 2024 (three months ago when I took this picture).
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Grand Opening: 31/10/2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
Huyverwoud | Danse Macabre 31/10/2024 10h29
The waiting journey before entering the abbey of Danse Macabre. This crew member is like a scare actor as well. His task is to regulate the flow of visitors from the Kruydentuyn to the cemetery and from the cemetery to the abbey through the Huyverwoud.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
Danse Macabre 03/06/2023 11h00
The organ, called Esmeralda, will play an important role in the new attraction Danse Macabre, the replacement for Spookslot. To open in 2024. Esmeralda is part of the act of Otto and Virginie Charlatan.
They prepare us for what will be our deepest and most musical nightmares ever. Danse Macabre is the new attraction in the new Huyverwoud area.
Virginie Charlatan and her husband Otto tell about the secrets and dangers of what will take place behind the fences. But they sing and dance around the organ Esmeralda, which will play a leading role in the story of Danse Macabre. They are still searching why they ended up here with their barrel organ Esmeralda.
Huyverwoud
Huyverwoud (translated Shiver Forest) will have an area of 17,000 square metres. The Danse Macabre attraction will be located right next to the Spookslot remains. Efteling is also realizing a souvenir shop, toilets and a catering facility in the theme area, which must be completely finished in 2024. The total investment amounts to approximately 25 million euros.
[ Looopings, 11/2022 ]
Danse Macabre | Huyverwoud 24/07/2025 11h55
A huge Efteling fan waiting for the renewed show of Otto and Virginie Charlatan in front of Danse Macabre.
Candid photography in De Efteling.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre is a future attraction in the Efteling that is named after the symphonic poem Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The ghost attraction will use a large turntable (type: Dynamic Motion Stage, manufacturer: Intamin) with a diameter of eighteen meters. On the large turntable there are six smaller turntables with six choir stalls on top. There is room for 108 visitors per ride. During the ride, the large turntable will rise, tilt and spin like a coin. The capacity is 1250 people per hour and the attraction is suitable for children from 8 years old. The entrance will be located near the Piraña, the Abbey Square. Its theme is 'horror' and will take the place of the former Spookslot. The building will consist of a 20-meter-high abbey and will take visitors into creepy and mysterious spaces. The music from the Haunted Castle, Danse macabre, will be transferred to this new attraction. Part of the old Spookslot wall and tower, with perhaps some minor adjustments, will also become part of the new Huiverwoud theme area. The total theme area will be approximately 17,000 m2. .
The total cost is €30 million and the opening is planned for the autumn of 2024 (expected to be October). Danse Macabre is the only attraction in the themed area Huyverwoud.
[ Wikipedia March 2024 ]
Huyverwoud 27/10/2025 13h17
Autumn in Huyverwoud. Almost one year after the grand opening of Danse Macabre. It is for sure, Autumn is the best season for this haunted experience and dance.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Grand Opening: 31/10/2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
Spookslot 08/03/2022 17h07
As long as it is possible we have to enjoy the 44 year old Spookslot before it will be demolished. Never took a proper picture from the entrance and tower.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Het Diorama is een miniatuurwereld, gelegen in het Marerijk in attractiepark de Efteling. Anton Pieck ontwierp deze zeer gedetailleerde wereld, die op 25 mei 1971 werd geopend ter ere van het twintigjarig bestaan van de Efteling (gerekend vanaf de opening van de speeltuin in de Efteling in 1951). Het bevindt zich in het Carrouselpaleis, naast het Waterorgel.
In een overdekte hal bevindt zich een zestig meter lange vitrine met daarin op schaal bergen, huizen, kastelen en kerken, waartussen modeltreintjes rijden, automobielen zich voortbewegen en echt water stroomt. Ook is het Spookslot in het klein te zien. Het diorama heeft een dag- en een nachtzijde. Bij hoge uitzondering maakte Märklin jarenlang speciaal voor de Efteling de Minex stoomtreintjes (schaal 0) die op de voorgrond rijden.
Aan deze volledig uit piepschuim vervaardigde attractie werkte ook Ton van de Ven mee. Hij maakte enkele schetsen, maar deze zijn niet in het Diorama gerealiseerd. Jaren later echter zouden de ideeën wel verder uitgewerkt worden in het Kastelenrijk van de attractie Droomvlucht.
In 2007 werd de attractie volledig gerenoveerd: alle rails werden vervangen, de schakelmechanismen voor de seinen zijn verwijderd en er is een zevental kleine attracties uit de 'grote' Efteling toegevoegd, waaronder Holle Bolle Gijs, het Ganzenhoedstertje en Zwaan-kleef-aan. Ook Anton Pieck heeft, zittend achter zijn schildersezel, een plekje gekregen in het Diorama.
-
Photograph taken by
Jos van der Heiden (2016)
Danse Macabre 06/03/2025 16h43
Finally I was able to catch this little black cat at the entrance of Danse Macabre in full sunlight. My previous attempt of November 2024 has been surpassed by this one.
Nothing is what it seems. As innocent as this little black cat may seem, the consequences can be great for every mortal who will enter the Capelle of Kaatsheuvel. Destiny determines the success of your visit to Danse Macabre.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Grand Opening: 31/10/2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
Spookslot 25/08/2022 11h31
The round room with the dangling chandelier hanging from a hairy arm with the three Vlederiks who are briefly visible every cycle and then disappear again after a clap of thunder.
This photo was taken 9 days before the permanent closure of Spookslot on September 4, 2022.
After the 2022 Summer period, on 4 September 2022 to be exact, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Danse Macabre 28/11/2024 15h01
Nothing is what it seems. As innocent as this little black cat may seem, the consequences can be great for every mortal who will enter the Capelle of Kaatsheuvel. Destiny determines the success of your visit to Danse Macabre.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Grand Opening: 31/10/2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
Spookslotplein 08/12/2020 17h54
The square behind the Spookslot (Haunted Castle) 6 minutes before the closing of the park.
The Spookslotplein or Witte Walvisplein is the square that is located at the rear of the Spookslot, not to be confused with the square at the front, which is often called that way.
When we enter the square from the Spookslot tunnel, we see clockwise: a toilet group, De Witte Walvis catering point with a small garden and a clock by Jonas from the Wallevis. Next to it the roof of the former sales point Bij Jonas and the exit of the Spookslot. De Witte Walvis has a beautiful terrace with round picnic tables, located in the shade of the many trees, and its own Holle Bolle Gijs: Matroos Gijs (Sailor Gijs).
Although the Spookslot is a dominating building on this square, the ghost theme is not predominant, unlike the front. Not only is the castle seen from this side a lot less threatening and ruinous than at the entrance, but for the surroundings a maritime theme has been chosen. Starting with the catering industry themed around Jonas in the Wallevis, this theme continues through Sailor Gijs into the present-day Pirañaplein and the restaurant Het Seylend Fregat. This dates back to before the construction of the Piraña, when the Rowing and Canoe pond was located here, to which the maritime connected seamlessly.
Spookslot 11/02/2022 14h52
The bypass tunnel of Spooslot to get from the plaza in front of the entrance of Spookslot and Fabula towards the area of Piraña and Max & Moritz will probably be gone as well.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Spookslot 25/08/2022 11h35
The Eastern Ghost is a huge demomic figure who welcomes you to the main show. The phenomenon "pepper ghost" is used here (see the lady in the bowl who becomes a skull afterwards).
Other view: Oosterse Geest (May 2008)
After the 2022 Summer period, on 4 September 2022 to be exact, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Spookslot 05/12/2022 12h55
This is all what's left of Spookslot and the good news is that what you see of these remains will be part of the new haunted attraction Danse Macabre which will open somewhere in 2024. On November 28, 2022, Efteling confirmed that part of the old Spookslot will be reused for the new theme area Huyverwoud where the new attraction will be built.
"The Spookslot wall and tower, with perhaps some minor adjustments, will be part of the new themed area" was confirmed. The old crumbled wall and part of the tower fit perfectly into the new themed area.
Almost the entire attraction building of the Spookslot has been demolished in recent weeks. The 20 meter high tower largely remained standing. This also applies to half of the round room from the queue, known for its chandelier hanging from a hairy arm. Old set pieces have already been stored in the basement under Vogel Rok. Some elements will return in Danse Macabre.
Huyverwoud
Huyverwoud (translated Shiver Forest) will have an area of 17,000 square metres. The Danse Macabre attraction will be located right next to the Spookslot remains. Efteling is also realizing a souvenir shop, toilets and a catering facility in the theme area, which must be completely finished in 2024. The total investment amounts to approximately 25 million euros.
[ Looopings, 11/2022 ]
This year we are going to say goodbye to an Efteling attraction that I have always found very beautiful, but which I actually never go to often...
Location: Spookslot (Haunted Castle, De Efteling themepark, Kaatsheuvel (NL)
Coordinates: Click on the link to see the exact location on Google Maps:
Reason: One of the last months we are able to visit this icon of the Efteling. Opened in 1978 and closed in 2022 after the Summer.
End of Spookslot: The Spookslot in the Efteling was last opened this year. After the summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot: In the Spookslot, visitors take a walk through a dark castle with sinister objects, followed by a seven-minute computer-controlled ghost show set to music. The set includes moving tombstones, a man suspended from a bell string, ominous monks, a floating violin, wandering ghosts and a witch on a pyre.
The iconic soundtrack - the Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns - is now inextricably linked to the Efteling.
2024: The new attracton and themed area will be completed in 2024 and it's work title is very hopeful; Danse Macabre.
Guest Star: Olaf Stappers
Weather: Sunny, 8°
To Listen ♫: Het Spookslot in de Efteling (Youtube)
Self-portrait technics:Joby portable gorillapod placed on a low wall
Danse Macabre 28/11/2024 16h18
Sunset in front of the brand new haunted experience in De Efteling; Danse Macabre.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Grand Opening: 31/10/2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
Spookslot 11/02/2022 11h35
A detail of Spookslot near the entrance. One of the tombstones.
The Spookslot in the Efteling in it's last year. After the summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Spookslot 11/02/2022 14h36
The main show as seen from almost the extreme left side.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Spookslot 08/03/2022 12h47
Soon this walking route might be gone when they start constructing a new park area and attraction with the project name Dance Macabre. Opening sheduled in 2024.
After the summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Spookslot 08/03/2022 12h46
The area and square behind Spookslot and in between Fabula and Max & Moritz will look totally different within two years time.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Spookslot 08/03/2022 12h42
To the right of the main show, in a niche, we see the ghost of Visculamia, chained to a plank. Then a fire is lit and we see her consumed by the flames, an effect achieved with Pepper's Ghost.
If you look closely, you can see that the same head was used for the doll of Visculamia as for Esmeralda in her grave.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Heksenpad 08/11/2018 14h44
Autumn is one of the most beautiful season's to photovisit De Efteling. The Heksenpad is a hidden place in De Efteling. Only for the ones who look further than fairytales and roller coasters.
The Spookslot is completely finished around as a ruin, thus also thematized on the sides that most visitors will hardly ever see. This is in contrast to PandaDroom, for example, on the Vonderplas side where the rear of this attraction is visible as a bunker on the horizon.
Heksenpad
The Heksenpad (Witches Path) is the unofficial name of the forest path that lies to the east of the Spookslot. The Efteling calls it the 'forest path at Spookslot' and also the 'Spookslotbos' (Haunted Castle Forest).
The Heksenpad can be entered from the square in front of the Spookslot, to the left of the sign on the gallows, opposite the entrance of the queue of PandaDroom. The path on the other side connects to the so-called 'Spiegellaan', which runs west of the Gondoletta. There are sawn tree trunks on both sides of the path. The path itself is not hardened and is covered with wood chips.
From the Spookslot, the path goes uphill and has a wall of upright tree trunks. On the left is a tree where you can find a den with a mirror between the roots. Halfway along the path, it circles around a large birch. Then the path meanders down and back up again. Here you can see the back of the Spook Lock on the right. The entrance on the Gondoletta side is characterized by some natural stones, a somewhat different vegetation, and a small paved area.
The Heksenpad was opened in April 2004 and was part of the green plan of that year in which much of the infrastructure in the park underwent a change. Previously it was densely forested to the east of the Spook Lock and was not an official walking path here.
The name Heksenpad was invented by Efteling lovers and for short periods in 2004 and 2005 was read on a wooden sign with the name of the forest path. In May 2017, the blog Looopings reported that the sign had not been placed by fans at the time by the Efteling.
[ Source: Eftelpedia - Heksenpad (Dutch only) ]
De Indische Waterlelies 08/03/2022 16h48
A vista view at the square in front of the Indische Waterlelies (English The Indian Water Lilies) from under the covered queue.
The Indian Water Lilies
The Indian Water Lilies (or "De Indische Waterlelies" in Dutch) is an indoor automatic puppet show in Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands. It was designed by Anton Pieck and opened its doors in 1966.
Although The Indian Water Lilies is indoors, it is not a real dark ride, that is; there is no transport system but visitors have to walk into the show area to view the 3-dimensional tale. It was the first attraction in the Efteling that used advanced techniques to create an artificial, fairy-tale style environment. The consistency and style of the music, lighting, decorations and animatronics can be found in many other Efteling rides built later, like Spookslot, Fata Morgana and Droomvlucht. Peter Reijnders was responsible for the technical details and in the final phase of the construction the newly graduated industrial engineer Ton van de Ven participated in the project as manager of design and decoration.
The theme is based on one of the twelve stories in the book "Los doce cuentos maravillosos", written by Queen Fabiola of Belgium in 1955 (before her marriage with King Baudouin of Belgium).
Peter Reijnders, for whom this would be his last contribution to the park before retiring, wanted to create this ride to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Efteling and went to the Royal Castle of Laeken at Laken for an audience (1962) with the queen. The Belgian queen agreed to let the Efteling use her story, on the condition that a contribution to charity would be made.
The Belgian ambassador, present during the opening in 1966 stated: “an artistic and technical wonder beyond all my expectations”; queen Fabiola told Peter Reijnders a year later that she was “extremely enthusiastic”.
The tale, in short, by the famous Flemish cartoonist Willy Vandersteen (1978): “Far away in the Indian jungle, there lies a small and mysterious lake. When the moon rises, big and yellow, to the sky, the moon goddess and hundreds of stars come down to dance on the lake. They dance, all night long, to the chants of a witch who is standing beside the waterfall. With dawn, the moon goddess claps her hands and all of them must return to the skies. But one night, seven stars continued to dance. They suffered heavily for their disobedience: the witch had them in her power and changed them into fairies, forcing them to dance on the water-lilies forever.”
The ride starts with such a short tale, told by Barbara Hofman.
Size of complex: 2.5 acres (10,000 m2)
Cost: € 180,000 (66% overspend)
Capacity: 800 (estimate) per hour
Complete renovation in 1996/ 1997 (30th year anniversary) of the building, square, cavern and decorations, as well as an update of the mechanisms of the animatronics.
The show is built on Indian Temple Square with a large fountain, Indian decorations and 2 Indrajit giants. This mixture of Indian and Thai elements could be a reference to Wat Phra Kaew. A large door behind the fountain gives access to a dark cavern where a large corridor leads to the scene of the jungle lake, enclosed by tropical plants, a creek and a waterfall. The singing of the witch begins the show; she summons the fairies to dance on the water-lilies of the lake, guided by the music of an orchestra of frogs and the song of geese. The frogs are the only part where the technology was bought; the rest of the ride was developed in-house.
The main music for the Indian Water-lilies is “Afrikaan Beat” by Bert Kaempfert, but before the show, the Inca chant “Taita Inti” (Father Sun God) is played, taken from the album “Voice of the Xtabay” (1946) by Yma Sumac. This strong mesoamerican interest could well have been of influence on the theming of the Piraña.
[ Source: Wikipedia - De Indische Waterlelies ]
Danse Macabre 05/04/2023 13h07
To get into the mood of what is to come in 2024, there is already the organ Esmeralda and Otto Charlatan with his wife Virginie in front of the construction site of Danse Macabre. They prepare us for what will be our deepest and most musical nightmares ever. Danse Macabre is the new attraction in the new Huyverwoud area.
Virginie Charlatan and her husband Otto tell about the secrets and dangers of what will take place behind the fences. But they sing and dance around the organ Esmeralda, which will play a leading role in the story of Danse Macabre. They are still searching why they ended up here with their barrel organ Esmeralda.
Huyverwoud
Huyverwoud (translated Shiver Forest) will have an area of 17,000 square metres. The Danse Macabre attraction will be located right next to the Spookslot remains. Efteling is also realizing a souvenir shop, toilets and a catering facility in the theme area, which must be completely finished in 2024. The total investment amounts to approximately 25 million euros.
[ Looopings, 11/2022 ]
Heksenpad 08/11/2018 14h41
Autumn is one of the most beautiful season's to photovisit De Efteling. The Heksenpad is a hidden place in De Efteling. Only for the ones who look further than fairytales and roller coasters.
Heksenpad
The Heksenpad (Witches Path) is the unofficial name of the forest path that lies to the east of the Spookslot. The Efteling calls it the 'forest path at Spookslot' and also the 'Spookslotbos' (Haunted Castle Forest).
The Heksenpad can be entered from the square in front of the Spookslot, to the left of the sign on the gallows, opposite the entrance of the queue of PandaDroom. The path on the other side connects to the so-called 'Spiegellaan', which runs west of the Gondoletta. There are sawn tree trunks on both sides of the path. The path itself is not hardened and is covered with wood chips.
From the Spookslot, the path goes uphill and has a wall of upright tree trunks. On the left is a tree where you can find a den with a mirror between the roots. Halfway along the path, it circles around a large birch. Then the path meanders down and back up again. Here you can see the back of the Spook Lock on the right. The entrance on the Gondoletta side is characterized by some natural stones, a somewhat different vegetation, and a small paved area.
The Heksenpad was opened in April 2004 and was part of the green plan of that year in which much of the infrastructure in the park underwent a change. Previously it was densely forested to the east of the Spook Lock and was not an official walking path here.
The name Heksenpad was invented by Efteling lovers and for short periods in 2004 and 2005 was read on a wooden sign with the name of the forest path. In May 2017, the blog Looopings reported that the sign had not been placed by fans at the time by the Efteling.
[ Source: Eftelpedia - Heksenpad (Dutch only) ]
De Laetste Hoop 07/03/2024 11h10
The creepiest toilets of De Efteling opened in 2023!
De Laetste Hoop
The dark atmosphere of Danse Macabre can already be felt in a new toilet building in the Efteling. The amusement park opened the De Laetste Hoop toilet room and the In den Swarte Kat grocery store on July 1, 2023, as the first phase of the Huyverwoud horror area. Both places are haunted.
Creepy light and sound effects are used in the toilets and the shop. A new, mysterious soundtrack was composed, but occasionally chilling sounds from the disappeared Spookslot can also be heard. For this purpose, the soundscape of the round hall from the former queue was used.
De Laetste Hoop does not have a traditional division between men and women: there are toilet cubicles that everyone can use, supplemented with a changing room, family toilets and a separate room with urinals. It is the first time that Efteling has used this gender-neutral layout.
[ Looopings ]
Spookslot 11/02/2022 11h34
Spookslot as seen from the side of the Heksenpad. The Spookslot in the Efteling in it's last year. After the summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Spookslot 08/03/2022 14h50
It is very clear that it was never the intention that the visitors could see Spookslot from this position. Point of view is the waiting area of Max & Moritz. In the time of the Bob the forest was quite dense here. The days of Spookslot are counted when I took this picture.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Efteling Museum 31/10/2022 14h35
The sign Spookslot made it to the Efteling Museum since the haunted castle closed its castle doors in the beginning of September 2022.
Efteling Museum
The Efteling Museum is a museum about the history of Efteling located in the Marerijk at the Anton Pieckplein. The museum consists of three exhibition rooms, including the so-called 'Wonder Depot' with a permanent collection and one room with an annually changing exhibition. Former Efteling employees are sometimes hosts.
The museum is an initiative of the EftelinGouwen and was developed under the project name Het Gouwe Ouwe Efteling Museum. It was officially opened on April 1, 2004 by the fictional museum manager Toon. The Efteling Museum was designed by Robert-Jaap Jansen and is managed by archivist Gerrie van Dongen. The changing exhibitions are made by Karin Koppelmans, Gerrie van Dongen, Robert-Jaap Jansen and possibly employees of Efteling's own decoration department.
Spookslot 08/03/2022 17h16
A detail of the castle right above the entrance of this doomed place in Anderrijk.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Spookslot 08/03/2022 12h43
The right side of the main show in Spookslot (Hauted Castle). In a niche, we see the ghost of Visculamia, chained to a plank. Then a fire is lit and we see her consumed by the flames, an effect achieved with Pepper's Ghost.
If you look closely, you can see that the same head was used for the doll of Visculamia as for Esmeralda in her grave.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Pardoes Promenade 29/08/2022 11h18
As part of the definitive closure of Spookslot on September 4, 2022, Efteling has published a special book (edition of 2,500 copies) and a special pin (of which 5,000 were made). The sale would take place on Monday 29 August. Long before opening time, there was already a long line at the entrance. I myself was in the park at 11h15 and had to line up for about 300 meters that started on the Pardoes Promenade, past the Spookslot, under the gallery to the sales point "De Witte Walvis".
I had to have the book so I stood still and it was my turn within an hour. I have the book and the pin. Not long after, the book was sold out, but books are being printed and they can be ordered online until the hour that Spookslot really closes.
After the 2022 Summer period, on 4 September 2022 to be exact, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
2023, a new year. Before going fast forward into the new year, we have a flashback of 2022...
Location: Home, Amsterdam East (NL)
Coordinates: See the link below on Google Maps:
Reason: My 15th year of this project 52-Weeks has started. When I started in participating this selfie project in 2009 my idea was to do this only one year for fun. Now it is part of my weekly routine and I still love it. Perhaps this 1st photo is a new tradition. Surrounded by all kinds of things which remembers me of the year 2022.
Notes: Click on the notes on the photo to see where that item refers to.
Weather: Cloudy, 10° C (maximum this day)
To Listen ♫: Ava Max - Weapons
Self-portrait technics: Camera on a Sirui carbon tripod with selftimer on 10 seconds.
Spookslot 08/03/2022 12h41
The main show as seen from the extreme right side of the scene.
View from the extreme left side of the scene.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Danse Macabre 10/04/2024 12h21
Another update of the construction of Danse Macabre. The exterior looks almost finished and in the social media it is said that they are actually busy with the turntable and decors in the abbey.
Seen from a little hill along the path from Piraña towards Symbolica/Pagode. More details are visible here from the wachtreis ("waiting adventure") of this attraction. About 6 months prior its opening.
There appear to be wooden bridge parts on the right. No idea where this bridge will pop up later.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre is a future attraction in the Efteling that is named after the symphonic poem Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The ghost attraction will use a large turntable (type: Dynamic Motion Stage, manufacturer: Intamin) with a diameter of eighteen meters. On the large turntable there are six smaller turntables with six choir stalls on top. There is room for 108 visitors per ride. During the ride, the large turntable will rise, tilt and spin like a coin. The capacity is 1250 people per hour and the attraction is suitable for children from 8 years old. The entrance will be located near the Piraña, the Abbey Square. Its theme is 'horror' and will take the place of the former Spookslot. The building will consist of a 20-meter-high abbey and will take visitors into creepy and mysterious spaces. The music from the Haunted Castle, Danse macabre, will be transferred to this new attraction. Part of the old Spookslot wall and tower, with perhaps some minor adjustments, will also become part of the new Huiverwoud theme area. The total theme area will be approximately 17,000 m2. .
The total cost is €30 million and the opening is planned for the autumn of 2024 (expected to be October). Danse Macabre is the only attraction in the themed area Huyverwoud.
[ Wikipedia March 2024 ]
Spookslot 11/02/2022 11h37
The backside of Spookslot (Haunted Castle). At the left used to be the lift hill of the Bob. After demolition this spot has never been replanted and during the covid this used to be the spot of the temporary extended queue space. But this spot will be used for the replacement of Spookslot. Construction will start in the second half of 2022 and the new attraction will open in 2024.
After the summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Danse Macabre 05/04/2023 13h11
To get into the mood of what is to come in 2024, there is already the organ Esmeralda and Otto Charlatan with his wife Virginie in front of the construction site of Danse Macabre. They prepare us for what will be our deepest and most musical nightmares ever. Danse Macabre is the new attraction in the new Huyverwoud area.
Virginie Charlatan and her husband Otto tell about the secrets and dangers of what will take place behind the fences. But they sing and dance around the organ Esmeralda, which will play a leading role in the story of Danse Macabre. They are still searching why they ended up here with their barrel organ Esmeralda.
Huyverwoud
Huyverwoud (translated Shiver Forest) will have an area of 17,000 square metres. The Danse Macabre attraction will be located right next to the Spookslot remains. Efteling is also realizing a souvenir shop, toilets and a catering facility in the theme area, which must be completely finished in 2024. The total investment amounts to approximately 25 million euros.
[ Looopings, 11/2022 ]
Hyverwoud | Danse Macabre 30/04/2025 13h44
The passing of the five monks is a very nice addition to the entertainment around Danse Macabre on the square in front of the abbey. You have to be lucky to see them. It is whispered that not everyone can see them.
De Huyveraars
The mysterious monks from the Spookslot (Haunted Castle) are making a comeback. Visitors can see the enigmatic figures in white robes from today in the Huyverwoud, the theme area of Danse Macabre. They are part of a new entertainment act.
A train of five linked monks slowly drives around the square at the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. The puppets can also turn on their axis and stand in a semi-circle. Monk chanting can be heard in the background.
The name of the act is De Huyveraars. According to Efteling, they are mysterious souls that wander around Danse Macabre, allegedly to protect the old abbey from the Unnameable. Other characters will be introduced in the coming weeks, in addition to the monks.
This is an addition to the Charlatans. For the time being, De Huyveraars will appear between 11:30 and 15:00 on weekends and during holidays. Monks played an important role in the Spookslot, the predecessor of Danse Macabre, which closed in 2022. There, spectators saw a procession of five monks shuffling through a corridor, towards a large door. At the time, the figures carried candles.
[ Looopings ]
Huyverwoud 31/12/2024 15h34
A detail of the herb garden in the waiting area (waiting journey) of Danse Macabre.
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (French for 'dance of the dead') is the replacement for Spookslot (opened in 1978, closed in 2022). The theme of the attraction revolves around a ghost story about a conductor who is cursed. The attraction lets visitors spin around in multiple ways and in multiple directions, while a horror atmosphere is created with light and sound effects, moving set pieces and animatronics. The attraction is located together with the adjacent Abdijplein in the Huyverwoud in the Anderrijk theme area.
The musical piece Danse Macabre by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which was also used in the Spookslot, forms the leitmotif of the attraction. Danse Macabre was officially opened to the public on 31 October 2024.
In the pre-show of the queue, a voice tells that the visitors have reached the Huyverwoud and that they are standing among the remains of the Abbey of Capelle van Kaatsheuvel. On Friday the 13th of the year 1876, a music competition was organized in the abbey. The orchestra of conductor Joseph Charlatan participated in that competition and after the performance of the Danse macabre was swallowed by the Unnameable. Evil still shows itself in the form of a monstrous feline creature around the abbey.
FACTS & FIGURES
Designer: Jeroen Verheij
Construction: 2022 - 2024
Grand Opening: 31/10/2024
Costs: € 35 million
Music: "Danse Macabre" - Camille Saint-Saëns & René Merkelbach
Ride: Dynamic Motion Stage
Construction: Intamin
Duration of the Main Show: 3.5 minutes
Riders per Show: 108
Capacity: about 1250 per hour
In den Swarte Kat 20/05/2023 13h53
Catering point In den Swarte Kat will probably the first thing which will open in the new area Huyverwoud. In 2024 the new haunted attraction Danse Macabre will open. This attraction will be surrounded by souvenirshop 't Koetshuis and at toilet building as well.
Huyverwoud
Huyverwoud (translated Shiver Forest) will have an area of 17,000 square metres. The Danse Macabre attraction will be located right next to the Spookslot remains. Efteling is also realizing a souvenir shop, toilets and a catering facility in the theme area, which must be completely finished in 2024. The total investment amounts to approximately 25 million euros.
[ Looopings, 11/2022 ]
Huyverwoud 24/07/2025 18h13
One of the most popular souvenirs since the opening of Danse Macabre has to be this little black cat. The story of the missing orchestra is all about the existence of the unnameable, "Het Onnoembare". I couldn't resist either. I had to take it home!
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre is a future attraction in the Efteling that is named after the symphonic poem Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The ghost attraction will use a large turntable (type: Dynamic Motion Stage, manufacturer: Intamin) with a diameter of eighteen meters. On the large turntable there are six smaller turntables with six choir stalls on top. There is room for 108 visitors per ride. During the ride, the large turntable will rise, tilt and spin like a coin. The capacity is 1250 people per hour and the attraction is suitable for children from 8 years old. The entrance will be located near the Piraña, the Abbey Square. Its theme is 'horror' and will take the place of the former Spookslot. The building will consist of a 20-meter-high abbey and will take visitors into creepy and mysterious spaces. The music from the Haunted Castle, Danse macabre, will be transferred to this new attraction. Part of the old Spookslot wall and tower, with perhaps some minor adjustments, will also become part of the new Huiverwoud theme area. The total theme area will be approximately 17,000 m2. .
The total cost is €30 million and the opening is planned for the autumn of 2024 (expected to be October). Danse Macabre is the only attraction in the themed area Huyverwoud.
[ Wikipedia March 2024 ]
Anderrijk 03/11/2020 14h09
Andy and Jennifer in Anderrijk (Piraña) overlooking Joris en de Draak and Vliegende Hollander in Ruigrijk.
Anderrijk
Anderrijk is one of the five areas of the Efteling park. It is located in the southwest and is indicated on maps and signposts with the color blue. From 1987 to 1999 this part of the park was called Zuiderpark.
The name Anderrijk is based on the fact that this corner of the park does not have a clear overarching theme. Thematically, the attractions have little to do with each other, but they are all 'different' from our normal Dutch experience. The same can easily be said of other empires, and thus illustrates the artificiality of the empire names that were only invented when most attractions were already there.
Attractions in Anderrijk:
Spookslot
Piraña
Fata Morgana
Fabula
Max & Moritz
[ Eftelpedia ]
Spookslot 08/03/2022 17h07
As long as it is possible we have to enjoy the 44 year old Spookslot before it will be demolished. The sign never changed as far as I know.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information:
Spookslot 08/03/2022 12h42
The main show as seen from the extreme right side of the scene.
View from the extreme left side of the scene.
After the 2022 Summer period, the attraction from 1978 will be permanently closed and demolished. The Efteling will announce this on January 24. According to general manager Fons Jurgens, the haunted castle is due for replacement after 44 years.
"The Spookslot was, if we are very honest, perhaps ten years ago no longer of this time," he says in conversation with the Brabants Dagblad. That is why a new attraction will take its place, which will cost 25 million euros.
Efteling does not want to say anything about the attraction type yet, except that it will be a covered addition with a theoretical capacity of 1250 people per hour.
The Spookslot was the first major Efteling attraction designed by the late creative director Ton van de Ven. Later he was also at the helm of, for example, Fata Morgana (1986), het Volk van Laaf (1990), Droomvlucht (1993), Villa Volta (1996) and Vogel Rok (1998).
Spookslot
The Haunted Castle (Dutch: Spookslot) is a haunted attraction in the Efteling in the Netherlands. It was designed by Ton van de Ven and was the first attraction built outside the Fairy Tale Forest.
On July 24, 1976 the announcement on the making of the world's biggest haunted castle appeared in Brabant's daily newspaper, Het Brabants Dagblad. The article mentions that the castle would be built between the Fairy Tale Forest and the rowing and canoeing pond. This was a strategic choice, because the location of the attraction would attract visitors to the normally ‘forgotten’ southern part of the park.
The main reason for this mega-attraction was declining numbers of visitors at Efteling. Aiming for a more general public, with an attraction that didn’t depend on the weather conditions, Efteling authorized their young designer Van de Ven to start designing the ride.
Van de Ven designed the castle as a walk-through attraction and, in the style of Anton Pieck, the castle was designed to look old and decayed. It is meant to look as though it was once beautiful and majestic, but is now hahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/unted and in ruins and somewhat romantic.
The construction took about 18 months and the castle was officially opened May 10, 1978.
On May 12 a television special was broadcast with Kate Bush singing in and around the castle. She had a big hit around the globe with "Wuthering Heights" at the time.
The waiting hall is a dimly-lit area, with several spooky items, of which an oriental ghost with a crystal looking glass is the most notable. The glass uses the pepper's ghost technique to show a beautiful woman turning into a skull. In the tower area a hairy arm stretches from the roof, holding a big chandelier. Once in a while one might have a glimpse of three horrible batlike creatures, leering down at the visitors.
Upon entering the main attraction hall, a number of scary statues and scenes prepare the audience for the main course: a look into the inner court, graveyard, and the ruins of a monastery at night. When the clock strikes twelve, a violin (also a pepper's ghost effect) starts playing the Danse Macabre of Saint-Saëns and the graveyard comes to life and a number of skeletons and ghosts are visible. One tombstone is labeled in Latin "Puella Innocenta" (innocent girl). The years on her stone (in Roman numbering) reveal that she has been living backwards in time, however it is possible that it is merely a mistake of the artist who made the stone. There is also a tombstone inside the mansion with the name "Den Hegarty", an Irish rock singer who happened to be on the radio when the stone was made. Also, it is said that the main show's appearance was influenced by the 1971 horror film "Tombs of the Blind Dead".
The maintheme of the show is a shortened version of the Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns. The movements of the animatronics are synchronized with the music; the violin that opens and closes the main part of the show demonstrates this. The show itself has been adapted four times. During the opening season in 1978 the show lasted about 12 minutes. Three months later it was cut back to 8 minutes. In 1987 the show was renewed and in 1989 the final version was completed.
FACTS & FIGURES:
Opening: 10/05/1978
Design: Ton van de Ven
Costs: 3.5 milion Dutch guilders (€1,588,823)
Capacity: 800 - 1000 per hour
Show time: 6.27 minutes
Source and more information: