Bored with reading history books? French medieval amusement park Le Puy du Fou invites history buffs and tourists to relive battles, legends, and myths from the Middle Ages in the Vendée region in southwestern France.
The Le Puy du Fou adventure park was launched in 1978 as an open-air amateur theater night on the grounds of a ruined castle, where volunteers re-enacted the bloody history of the Vendée, a powerful political region in the medieval period.
Since then, it has become a national success story with thousands of actors and animals creating high-octane performances with cutting-edge special effects. With their 20 shows on a rolling daily schedule, Le Puy du Fou CEO Nicolas de Villiers said they want to give their audience an emotional historical journey as opposed to a class rollercoaster-based experience.
Spanning 50 hectares of forests and gardens, coupled with reconstructed historical villages and medieval settlements, Le Puy du Fou is considered as one of the biggest amusement parks worldwide.
It counted 2.2 million visitors in 2016, and generates revenues of 277 million euros annually ($325 million), local media reported.
Betting on its reputation and popularity with foreign tourists, De Villiers plans on launching the park in countries such as Spain and China.
Friends Read Free