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Season opening at the Parc Merveilleux

Starting this Saturday, 25 March, the Parc Merveilleux in Bettembourg will once again welcome its young and old visitors again. All the attractions from previous years will be back. However, the people in charge of the park have also been busy working on the park during the winter to offer new attractions. The biggest novelty is certainly the Kabaischen of the Minett Trail.

Kabaischen, new aquarium and bee-related activities

The fairy tale park in Bettembourg is located at the starting or end point of the 90-kilometre-long hiking trail, Minett Trail. This trail connects the 11 municipalities of the Minett UNESCO Biosphere and it is precisely at this end point that you can now relax after a hard day, explains Marc Neu, director of the park:

Marc Neu, director of Parc Merveilleux on what’s new in 2023

The Kabaischen, located at the entrance to the park, is dedicated to the “Renert”. The “Renert”, one of the most important works of the Luxembourg writer Michel Rodange, has therefore now also been given a permanent place in the 25-hectare park. From now on, children can discover the story of the cunning fox as a fairy tale in the entrance area.

During the winter, however, other projects were implemented in the park. The enclosure for the coatis was turned into a new enclosure for Visayan warty pigs, a wild pig species native to the Philippines. Although the park in Bettembourg remains first and foremost a fairy tale park, it has also been a recognised zoo for years and is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Therefore, it was obvious for Director Marc Neu to invest in the animals’ enclosures. In addition to the new home for the warty pigs, a new saltwater aquarium was built in the Amazon House this winter, completed just in time for the park’s opening. Two more educational projects will open during the new season, dealing with women’s rights and honeybees.

The giant is still snoring

The main attraction of the Bettembourg park, however, is and remains the giant who has been sleeping in the forest of the fairy tale park for ages. However, Esch2022 – European Capital of Culture and the comic project “De Ris geet op d’Rees” have made it possible for the park’s operators to restage the giant, says Marc Neu:

Marc Neu, director of Parc Merveilleux on the travelling giant

Another highlight is the themed trail about the giant of Bettembourg, which stretches over ten kilometres through all the villages of the municipality with additional virtual content featuring the giant to be discovered at numerous stations via smartphone.

© Parc Merveilleux Bettembourg

Inclusioun in practice

At the end of the 1990s, the Fondation APEMH took over the fairy tale park in Bettembourg. For them, it is important to offer people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to work here in order to integrate them into society. Currently, about 100 people work in the park. In the future, park director Marc Neu would like to create additional jobs for people with special needs on the park grounds. He sees the Minett Trail Kabaischen as a good way to create new jobs and gain experience for a possible larger hotel project in the Parc Merveilleux to be realized in the future.

Marc Neu on high prices, the APEMH and future developments of the parc

Like many other structures, the director’s tasks are not made easier by increased energy and feed prices. The park’s goal is to function in an economic way and avoid making a financial loss at the end of the year. Therefore, the new season, which will last until October, must be running well, of course. A slight increase in ticket prices was unavoidable for this season, but Parc Merveilleux will remain fairly priced and children under 3 will be allowed into the park for free again this year.

Minett Mash-Up recorded in the Parc Merveilleux

Friday 31 March will air the premiere of the next episode of our Minett Mash-Up podcast. This episode was recorded in the Kabaischen of the Parc Merveilleux. The guest will be young Luxembourgish writer Maxime Weber, who took his first steps in the world of literature by winning the Prix Laurence, awarded each year by the municipality of Bettembourg.