Park Profile
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Meet the
Dwervels The
Magische Vallei is home to a family of inhabitants called the Dwervels. These quirky little creatures lead a primitive life. They have
D’Wervelwind (spinning coaster), by Mack, opened late last season
queue line. The water course itself is embedded into lots of rockwork and theming, and at one section travels over the entrance area to the Magische Vallei from the Troy Area.
Additional rides and attractions include the attractive custom-themed Tolly Molly by Metallbau Emmeln, a variation on the German manufacturer’s duck ride, Coco Bolo (interactive tower) from Heege complete with a bird’s nest on top, Klimkasteel (Climb Castle) wooden playground from Eibe, Airtrampoline (jumping pillow) and the Katara Fountain of Magic show. Meanwhile Boosterbike, which was opened at the park in 2004, has been incorporated into the area with the addition of a themed station. Toverland has invested around €14 million into creating the Magische Vallei, which features additional theming including a 15m-high waterfall, rock trail and over 60,000 plants and shrubs. More than 50 companies were involved in the project including Altavilla (project management), Heusschen (landscaping/architecture), Ballast Nedam (trees/flowers), De Beijer (real rocks), TAA (fake rocks, theming of the Dwervel homes), Themebuilders/ Lagotronics (Dwervels) and Imascore (music). Together with the water features, which got plenty of attention this summer thanks to the heat, the various play elements provide a low tech way for kids to keep busy while their mum and dad watch from the sidelines, or perhaps pick up stop a bite to eat from the new Katara Plaza food court. In fact, Borst reminds us, “You can find active playing areas throughout the whole park. Our visitors really like this, as you don’t have to queue to enjoy them.”
SEPTEMBER 2013
Boosterbike, by Vekoma, flies right by the entrance to the Magische Vallei
Summer success
Management is hoping for a 20% increase in attendance this year – from 500,000 to 600,000 – thanks to the opening of the Magishe Vallei. It’s an ambitious target but one that looks achievable after a summer in which the Netherlands, in line with many other parts of central Europe, experienced some very hot temperatures. On July 31 the park enjoyed its busiest day ever, welcoming almost 11,000 guests. The previous daily record was 6,700! Clearly Toverland’s owners are doing something right, and we are told they still have a lot of dreams for future investments in rides as well a hotel, although there are no concrete plans at the time of writing – just as an outdoor extension was never top of Caroline and Jean’s minds when they opened the park at the start of the 21st Century. “The whole idea was to offer everything indoor,” notes Borst. “Winters in Holland can be very cold and there’s often rain in spring and autumn, however after some years Jean and Caroline realised that Toverland needed outdoor attractions to attract more people during the summer holiday. 2007 can be seen as a turning point. Jean wanted to built Troy, Caroline preferred a third indoor hall. Everybody knows who won that discussion!“ “Now with the Magische Vallei we can extend the dwell time people spend in the park,” concludes Borst. “Toverland is still very compact, which is a big advantage for the visitors as they don’t have to walk long distances, but of course we would like them to spend a whole day at the park.”
toverland.nl
built their homes from the materials they have found in nature and they live on fish they catch in the river. Their chief of the tribe Dwervel Djengu., and Toverland guests can meet him near the magic well. He casts his spell and makes the river run through the valley, hence the Dwervel River raft ride. The word ‘Dwervel’ in fact comes from the Flemish words for dwarf (‘dwerg’) and whirl (‘wervel’). The Dwervelwind coaster therefore is named after these creatures, but also a clever bit of wordplay on the word for whirlwind (‘wervelwind’). So now you know!
MORE MAGISCHE VALLEI PICTURES OVER THE PAGE!
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