Once upon a time is right before your
eyes! The ornate detail of the park’s centrepiece with its quant turrets,
towering spires and colourful windows reawakens your childhood and makes
dreams come true for princes and princesses of all ages. The magic of the
classic European fairytale, La Belle au Bois Dormant, is celebrated
throughout this extraordinary piece of fairytale architecture.

La Galerie de la Belle au Bois
Dormant

The story of Sleeping Beauty told
through tapestries, stained glass windows and tableux, in the gallery of the
castle.  Attraction Guide
�

La Tani�re du Dragon

Venture into the caves beneath the
castle and discover the extraordinary dragon’s lair!
Attraction Guide �

Fun Facts

Le Ch�teau de la Belle au Bois
Dormant at Disneyland Resort Paris stands 148 feet (45 metres) tall (the
original Californian castle measures 77 feet (23 metres) tall).  The Imagineers exaggerated its
height and distance from Main Street USA through the use of forced
perspective in its architecture.  Central Plaza also lies in a small
dip, and the raised moat bridge into Le Ch�teau further exaggerates its
dominance.

The design of Le Ch�teau was
inspired by Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Southern Germany – the same
castle which reportedly inspired the original Disneyland California Sleeping
Beauty Castle.  The
central tower of this castle features the same small “side turret” as Le
Ch�teau’s main tower, but, knowing how common fairytale castles are
throughout Europe, the Imagineers exaggerated the Castle’s whimsy greatly.

From Time to Time, the 360�
film from Discoveryland’s Le Visionarium attraction (1992-2004)
featured a swooping glide over Neuschwanstein Castle as one of its many
spectacular scenes, a hidden “thank you” from the Imagineers to the historic
inspiration.

The tallest of Le Ch�teau’s towers
weighed 15 tons and measured 55 feet at construction.  The towers were
made in Italy before being added to the castle base on 2nd August 1991. 
Imagineering legend tells that, since the pink colour was slightly wrong, the
entire castle then had to be repainted in the cold, wet months of Winter.
Source: Disneyland Paris: From Sketch to Reality.

History

Each Christmas Season since 2004, Le
Ch�teau de la Belle au Bois Dormant is transformed into a stunning Ice
Palace, with thousands of small “fairy” lights covering almost the entire
castle.  These are illuminated each night during The Enchanted
Fairytale Ceremony show, and can be lit in sections to produce a shimmering
effect and allow the castle to be lit from the base upwards.  During
the show, Tinkerbell appears on the highest balcony to sprinkle her pixie
dust and begin the illumination.

For the 1st Anniversary of the park
in 1993, Le Ch�teau was turned into a giant
birthday cake.  Strawberries lined the base and turrets, with a heavy
helping of frosting all over.  A giant number “1” was placed to the
left of the castle, on the hill.

For
the 5th Anniversary of the park in 1997, Le Ch�teau joined the Hunchback of
Notre Dame “Festival of Fools” with jester hats and faces sitting on each
spire and loud, colourful designs covering the turrets.  A large, gold
number “5” was featured on a plaque at the front, with a smaller “5” on the
highest turret – replacing the two centrepiece windows.  The castle was
renamed “Ch�teau des Fous” for the duration of the yearlong event.

For the upcoming 15th Anniversary, from April 2007 to March 2008, Le Ch�teau
will receive around fifteen character statues, featuring stars such as
Mickey, Jiminy Cricket, Lumi�re and the Cheshire Cat.  Each character
group will hold a candle, with Tinkerbell at the very top.  More
information about this upcoming event can be found
here. 
This information is subject to change.