On the Pre-Opening Day, 15.03.2025, you can experience unforgettable leisure fun before Europa-Park starts the official summer season on 22.03.2025.
On 28. January, French President Emmanuel Macron named Europa-Park founder Roland Mack an ‘Officier de la Légion d'honneur’ and Michael Mack, Managing Partner of Europa-Park and CEO of MACK One, a ‘Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur’ at the Élysée Palace in Paris. Only a very small number of Germans have received this honour so far. Over the past 60 years, personalities such as Michael Schumacher, Tomi Ungerer, Ulrich Wickert, Otto Hahn, Max Ernst, Marlene Dietrich, Mireille Mathieu, Hubert Burda and Liz Mohn have been awarded the ‘Officier de la Légion d'honneur’.
With this award, the French president honours the extraordinary commitment of Roland and Michael Mack to the Franco-German friendship. The statement says that Roland and Michael Mack are ‘great friends of France’ and that the Mack family has been working very successfully for decades to promote mutual understanding between the two peoples. Roland Mack, his family and the Europa-Park theme park he founded are outstanding examples of visionary commitment to Franco-German friendship. Europa-Park is one of the best theme parks worldwide and has been developed into a truly Franco-German enterprise by Roland and Michael Mack. About a quarter of the 5,250 employees come from France. Last year, around 1.4 million French people visited Germany's largest theme park. Overall, more than 40 million French visitors have been counted in the almost 50-year history of Europa-Park.
Michael Mack has been the French Honorary Consul for the administrative districts of Freiburg and Tübingen since 2018. In this role, he is committed to maintaining and intensifying Franco-German collaboration. In particular, promoting young people and advancing cross-border projects are matters close to his heart. Numerous measures in the areas of mobility, language education and tourism can be traced back to his initiative.
With the founding of MACK One France 2022, Michael Mack has created an innovation centre south of Strasbourg that combines both the MACK Group's activities in the field of marketing and sales for the French market and creative developments in the field of technology.
Roland and Michael Mack have furthermore innitiated a large number of cultural and sporting events as well as get-togethers. Examples cited include the annual Euro-Musique festival, during which musical friendships across national borders are formed and nurtured, Alsace Day, which celebrates the region's ties with its neighbour, and exhibitions of pictures by Tomi Ungerer and Raymond-Emile Waydelich.
The Mack family has also taken over a traditional vineyard in Hartmannswiller, near Colmar, in Alsace and opened the restaurant ‘Amitié - La Cuisine du Château’, which stands for Franco-German friendship and bringing people together.
The commitment of Roland and Michael Mack stands for a living Franco-German friendship and for a Europe that is lived every day. Their commitment to helping disadvantaged and disabled people is also outstanding: over a million visitors, including several hundred thousand guests from France, have been able to visit Europa-Park for free in recent years.
Brigitte Klinkert, a former minister and current member of the French National Assembly, emphasises: ‘Europa-Park brings Europe to life in a playful way. Young people and families from different countries and cultures meet here and experience a true, living Europe: a community full of joy and diversity. This living Europe is at the heart of our border region. Without Alsace, Europa-Park would not be the same, and without Europa-Park, we Alsatians would not be the same either! We are lucky to have this park right on the other side of the Rhine – as an economic engine and a symbol of friendship. Our shared commitment to Franco-German relations has connected us for many decades, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude for your service to Franco-German friendship.’
‘We see the accolades we have been awarded as both an obligation and an incentive to continue to do everything in our power to maintain and promote this fundamentally important partnership,’ said Roland Mack. ‘It is our sincere desire to further strengthen the Franco-German friendship and the European idea through our work and to carry it into the future.’
Michael Mack: ‘The Franco-German friendship is a foundation of stability and trust. Europe needs a clear vision for tomorrow and our border region offers numerous opportunities for this. Therefore, the appointment as “Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur” fills me with pride and encourages me to further intensify our efforts for cross-border cooperation in the future’.