Historical story

What is the history of Puy du Fou castle?

Discovered on June 13, 1977, the Château du Puy du Fou, a French castle located in Vendée, is today a reference in terms of leisure and entertainment.

Since its renovation initiated by Philippe de Villiers, it has given visitors joy and emotion through its history and also the many activities offered there.

The Puy du Fou has actually been telling a long epic for more than 40 years which could not be told in a few lines. However, here we present some highlights of its history.

The Cinéscénie, a very popular show

One of the first activities carried out by Puy du Fou was the Cinéscénie performance on June 16, 1978. Produced with the help of no less than 600 Puyfolais, this show greatly seduced the crowd.

A few years later, in 1984, the Château du Puy du Fou was already showing its humanitarian side by making donations all over the world for the fight against cancer. To date, more than 3 million euros have already been disbursed in this fight.

Like anything that is successful, Puy du Fou castle attracts more and more visitors.

Thus in 1989, the Grand Parc du Puy du Fou was created to host a new Cinéscénie which aroused more and more enthusiasm.

In addition, since that date, the park combines fun and educational activities at the same time, just to get everyone to agree. In the same vein, a 12,000-seat grandstand was created, replacing the previous one which was much smaller.

From innovation to innovation

Between 1990 and 1994, the Puy du Fou will know many other innovations such as the festival of chivalry, the falconry show or the water theater. His growing notoriety is so dazzling that he welcomes the start of the Tour de France. Of course, this honor does not stop there since a few years later, it will be requested again for the same purpose.

The Magicien Ménestrel show was created between 1995 and 2000. During this same period, the Cinéscénie stage was extended by 5 hectares and provided space for 2,000 additional visitors.

This is how an attraction allowing visitors to go back to the time of the Vikings was born. In 1998, an academy offering training to young people dreaming of becoming technicians and artists at Puy du Fou was created.

The latest innovation of the lot is the creation in 2000 of the Battle of the Dungeon.

In the years 2001 to 2007, the castle of Puy du Fou created many other shows and enlarged its area by 10 thousand m 2 for the Cinéscénie stage. As innovative shows, there is the gladiator show, the Bal des Oiseaux Fantômes and the cloak and dagger show Musketeer of Richelieu.

Over the years, Puy du Fou has created a phenomenal amount of activities each time with an authentic touch. In recent years, the Organs of Fire, which is a night spectacle of great beauty, has also been created.

But we must also mention innovations such as:The Sign of Triumph, The Knights of the Round Table and The Renaissance of the Castle.

In 2020, a new night show was born and among the activities of this one, we note:Les Noces de Feu.

What's next? We can't wait to find out!

To find out more, you can consult the fact sheet of this historic amusement park here.