Within the walls of Cinderella Castle is an entire Medieval village. The structures of the village take their inspiration from several different styles and European regions, from English Tudor to Swiss Alpine. These diverse styles are brought together through a broad use of storybook colors and exaggerated romantic elements.
While this is a fantasy place where fairy tales come to life, it feels more believable and real as a result of this attention to detail.
Even the former Fantasyland Skyway station (below) plays its part. The Skyway attraction may no longer be operating, but leaving the building in place adds to the rich look of the land.
The bulk of the castle village, where the majority of the Kingdom's residents would live and work, is incorporated into the form of the Pinocchio Village Haus Restaurant. In order to meet the demand of thousands of daily Magic Kingdom Guests, the restaurant is a massive structure. To help it fit better in the scale of Fantasyland, though, the outside of that structure is divided into several different facades.
Across the front of the building are varying styles of roof coverings, chimneys, windows, wall treatments, balconies and doors. Some of these structures are businesses, such as the Village Tavern, while others would be private residences. Unique weather vanes atop the buildings each identify a different family.
Thanks for your articles. I really enjoy seeing pictures of the different WDW locations, but incredibly each one brings me details that I have not noticed before. It is amazing how caught up in the attractions one can get that you forget to look at the environment around you. We 'found' this restaurant on our third visit to WDW and visit every trip even if we don't have to eat.
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