Parc Astérix

Parc Astérix
The Goudurix roller coaster. It took 2 years to build
Location Plailly, Oise, France
Coordinates 49°08′04″N 02°34′13″E / 49.13444°N 2.57028°E / 49.13444; 2.57028Coordinates: 49°08′04″N 02°34′13″E / 49.13444°N 2.57028°E / 49.13444; 2.57028
Owner Compagnie des Alpes
Opened 30 April 1989
Rides
Total 35
Roller coasters 6
Water rides 4
Website www.parcasterix.fr

Parc Astérix is a theme amusement park in France, based on the comic book series Asterix (by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny). With two million visitors yearly, Parc Asterix is the second theme park near Paris after Disneyland and its 11 million visitors yearly. [1] It is situated approximately 35 km (22 mi) north of Paris, 32 km (20 mi) from Disneyland Paris and 20 km (12 mi) from the historic Château de Chantilly, in the commune of Plailly, in the département of Oise. Opened in 1989, the park is operated by Compagnie des Alpes.

It is especially well known in France for its large variety of roller coasters (including a bobsled one), and has begun incorporating rides and themes from historic cultures such as the Gauls, the Romans, the ancient Greeks and recently the Egyptians, but always in the visual style of the stories.

History

Largely funded by the Barclays financial company, with 20 other investors including Compagnie Générale des Eaux, the Havas group, Union des Assurances de Paris and the Picardy region, the park cost 850 million French francs to build at the time of its creation, which generated 1200 jobs. The location was chosen due to the transport network - a private interchange connects it with the nearby A1 autoroute and a bus shuttle service connects it with a line of the Métro.[2] Jack Lang, then Minister for Culture, inaugurated the park on 30 April 1989 after two years of work.[3] The opening of Disneyland Paris in 1992 impacted greatly on Parc Asterix - attendance fell by 30% and revenue fell by 19%.[4] In 1997, Parc Asterix recorded 1.9 million visitors.[5] In 1999, Parc Asterix recorded 2 million visitors.[6] In October 2005, Parc Asterix ran "La Fête des Druides" ("The Festival of the Druids"), as a way to 'thumbing their noses' at Halloween.[7] In 2007, Parc Asterix opened for the first time in its history during the Christmas holidays.[8] In 2009, for the 20th anniversary of the park, Parc Asterix opened during the weekends in September and October and ran a Halloween event called "Peur sur le parc Astérix" ("Fear at Parc Asterix").[9][10]

Attractions

Romus et Rapidus, river rafting ride
L’Oxygénarium, river rafting ride

There are many attractions and shows including :

Incidents

  • In July 2004, an 11-year-old boy was hit by lightning at the foot of the Tonnerre de Zeus (Zeus' Thunder). The park had continued working despite weather warnings.
  • On 5 July 2006, a 6-year-old Belgian child drowned on the ride La Descente du Styx, sucked in by the water pumps used to create the flow in the bottom of the ride's canal.[12] The ride then was renamed to Romus & Rapidus in order to cast off the bad memory.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Parc Asterix facts". Paris Digest. 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-03. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  4. ↑ Roffat, Sébastien (2007). Disney et la France: Les vingt ans d'Euro Disneyland. Paris: Editions L'Harmattan. p. 124. ISBN 978-2-296-02989-7.
  5. ↑ "ASTERIX A LA COTE - Le Soir". Archives.lesoir.be. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "Le parc Astérix ouvert avant et après Noël". Lefigaro.fr. 29 October 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  9. ↑ Lombardo, Propos recueillis par Anne. ""Le Parc Astérix est ouvert chaque jour pendant les vacances de la Toussaint"". Tourmagazine.fr. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ Roffat, Sébastien (2007). Disney et la France: Les vingt ans d'Euro Disneyland. Paris: Editions L'Harmattan. p. 122. ISBN 978-2-296-02989-7.
  12. ↑
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