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Puy du Fou

The reason I'm showing Puy du Fou on this website is because this is a very famous attraction to the French of all ages, and it's only a 45 minute drive north of the house. Therefore it's a local attraction to the property for sale.

To visit the website of Puy du Fou, please click here

The history of the Puy du Fou as a theme park started in 1977 when Phillippe de Villiers, a twenty-seven-year-old student (now a European Parliamentarian) decided to create an original show named the Cinéscénie which means "the stage in moving".

When he discovered, on the 13th June 1977, the ruins of an old renaissance castle in the village of Les Epesses near Cholet, he wrote a good scenario very quickly about a local family named Maupillier (the real name of a soldier of Vendee at the time of the conflict between Vendee and French Republic during the French Revolution), spanning from the fourteenth century until World War II.

Phillippe de Villiers organised an association of 600 members (more than 3000 today) named "l'Association du Puy du Fou" which has as president today Phillippe de Villiers' son, Nicolas de Villiers.

When the first representation of the Cinescenie began in June 1978, the show didn't have great success, but that quickly changed by the end of the first season, and with that success the show grew into a huge spectacular. It has since spawned its own micro-industry of actors, prop-makers and trainers for the featured horse riding and sword fighting, which, since 1998, has been due to the efforts of the "Académies Junior" who organized shows every year outside the Cinéscénie, such as the Paris Paname in the "Halle Rennaissance" of the Grand Park, in March 2008.

The Grand Park of the Puy du Fou was opened near the Cinéscénie in 1989 and is today one of the most popular theme parks in France.

Attractions
The park is split into five separate attractions, each running for approximately 30/40 minutes:

The Battle of the Keep is based around a French Donjon in the year 1429 during the Grand Chivalry Festival when an attack by English Knights disrupts the tournament. This show features Jousting, trick-riding, horseback duels and a movable, flame-throwing castle.

The Vikings is set in a reconstructed 1,000 year old fortress that is attacked by a Viking Longship. The story begins with a marriage in the village, just before the arrival of a Viking Longboat. Special effects include the emergence of a Longboat from underwater, and a saint walking on the water.

Chariot Racing .... Gladiators is set in a replica of an amphitheater that is 115 meters long and 75 meters wide and recreated the atmosphere of Gaul during Roman times. It features a traditional parade of people and animals, gladiatorial combat, chariot racing and executions. It is set during the time of Diocletian, when there was great unrest.

The Phantom Birds Dance. Dozens of birds of prey surge from the ruins and swoop low over the heads of the visitors. The falcons are placed on the heads of some visitors wearing hats by the falconer.

Richeulieu's Musketeers features Musketeers performing swash-buckling sword fighting and Gypsy girls Flamenco dancing in water. Horses also perform special trotting/ jumping techniques. This is the only show that is staged indoors, in complete darkness.

During July and August at 10 pm (except on Fridays and Saturdays) the Grand Park presents in 2009 a new show Les Orgues de feu. This show takes place completely on the water and depicts a love story between two musicians
Also, you can see others spectacles only in French. These spectacles are: