Establishment Bird Park

In August 1949, the mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn asked Mr Van den Brink, owner of the Ten Rhijn estate, to open his 'back garden' once for curious fellow villagers. The people were so enthusiastic about the private collection of birds that the owner of various hat shops decided to set up a bird park. The first bird park in the world was opened on 17 May 1950. The Toekan already adorned the posters in honor of the opening.

When Mr Van der Valk took over the bird park in 1956, he decided to keep the toucan logo, also for other restaurants and hotels. The famous Van der Valk logo became a fact. The current à la carte restaurant is the former residence of the Van den Brink family. There are still some very characteristic parts of the park intact, such as the pond with the park restaurant. There are even some pelicans who have been swimming in the park ponds from the very first day. Van der Valk Avifauna was expanded over the years with a hotel, tour boats and a casino.

Bird park Avifauna was owned by Van der Valk until 2012. Under the guidance of the family, the bird park has become an official zoo with more than 260 different species of birds. In 2012 Vogelpark Avifauna officially became a foundation, this means that all the income directly benefits the bird park. Van der Valk Avifauna continues to take care of the catering industry and is even the main sponsor of the bird park.