Anne Fourcade

The architect behind the Mirapolis idea

Anne Fourcade is the French architect credited with the original idea for Mirapolis. From 1980, she imagined a cultural leisure park inspired by French tales, legends and major literary figures. After visiting Disneyland in California, she adapted the idea of a large theme park to a French setting, built around Gargantua, fables, nursery rhymes, medieval imagery and legendary landscapes.

Her role was more than a set of drawings: she shaped the concept, the name, the visual language and part of the spatial identity of the park. Sources also connect her work with the golden ratio and with the ambition to create a spectacular place, visible from the motorway and arranged like a fictional world to explore.

The later development of Mirapolis depended on investors, operating companies and management choices beyond the architect’s role. That distinction matters: Anne Fourcade carried the creative and architectural vision, while the commercial operation passed through several hands before the park closed.