ROALD DAHL - CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY THEME PARK TO OPEN IN AMSTERDAM

The Netherlands is set to get a theme park celebrating chocolate, inspired by ROALD DAHL's children's book CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Just like Dahl's fictional "chocolate factory" owned by WILLY WONKA, the main part of the park will be located underground in a unused railway tunnel which was handed over by city officials in a ceremony on Thursday (29JUN06). The park is expected to open to the public in two to three years and will feature a glass elevator and chocolate fountain. Audio books publisher MAURITS RUBINSTEIN, who started the project says, "Ten years ago I made a radio play of Chocolate Factory and ever since I've been fascinated by it." The city of Amsterdam and Dutch construction company BAM are behind the plan which would cost $26 million (GBP14 million). Amsterdam is the world's biggest cocoa port, which supplies the main ingredient, cocoa paste, to major chocolate manufacturer's throughout Europe.