KIRMES & Park REVUE (English) Special: Rouen (Vorschau)

NO TAKE-OVER: FORT FUN
Not only the Kirmes & Park Revue,
but unfortunately also Compagnie
des Alpes, all local politicians,
and employees of Fort
Fun have been lead around by
the nose, and at the same time
the largest and most scurrile
bankruptcy has occurred in the
German amusement industry:
just as surprising as the sudden
announcement of the takeover
of Fort Fun Abenteuerland
shortly before Christmas 2011, it
was just as startling to learn of
the step back of the sales contract
only four weeks later.
Text: Frank Lanfer
Photos: Fort Fun, One World Studios
Abenteuerland Fort Fun was founded in
1967, taken over in 2002 by the French
state-owned Grévin & Cie. (these days CdA)
for 7 million Euro, and built out in the following
years for approximately 3 million Euro.
However as Fort Fun still didn’t quite fit into the
portfolio, there was an intention to sell from
2006, with no new investments made.
Matthäus Ziegler wanted to wake Fort Fun
from its deep sleep, and all direct and indirect
involvement was due to the criminal conman,
who appeared in person at the Paris head office
posing as millionaire heir of a distillery
dynasty. No wonder then that the promises
that the south German gave, who carries the
name of a world renowned cherry brandy,
sounded promising as well as visionary: he
wanted none other than to establish an international
tourist destination in the Sauerland
province, in order to increase the 350,000 visitor
number to 2 million.
Bogus Firm: One World Group
However after a short telephone call to the
Ziegler-distillery that what is obvious now, was
quickly revealed: there was indeed a fortune
in millions once, used for the recovery of the
company before it had to be sold to a Dutch
firm in 1992. The senior boss von Almosen
apparently lived from the proceeds, whilst junior
spent his time dreaming of a business reorientation.
Even at the beginning of 2012,
Matthäus Ziegler explained to the KPR smugly:
“In those days we entertained our customers
for a whole evening that caused a lot of
headaches the next morning, due to overindulgence.
However with our engagement in the amusement
industry we will give our customers a
whole day of entertainment at the very least,
which they will speak of for a long time.” All
very good, but these days everybody is only
talking about him; and it appears that he
actually believes all that he says. Bad enough
that it seems that there were no companies in
the amusement branch that got wise to him,
as Fort Fun was not the first object of his schizophrenic
desires.
Already a few years earlier, he and his One
World Group that is only an internet presence,
wanted to take over the Berlin Spreepark, and
only a year ago Abenteuerland Geiselwind,
with planned large extensions.
A quick glance into criminal records or an enquiry
at Creditreform would have been
enough to convict the “Baron of Lies”
immediately. Ziegler has already been sen-
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