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About EvD
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken was born on April 14th, 1935, in
Zofingen/Switzerland. Erich von Däniken was educated in Schaffhausen/Switzerland
and later at the College St-Michel in Fribourg/Switzerland, where
already as a student he followed his passion to study and translate
ancient texts and mythologies. His interest in modern science has
leaded him to a different conclusion about the interpretation of the
historical texts.
In 1968 he wrote his first book, Chariots of the Gods, which was an
immediate bestseller in the United States, Germany, and later in 38
other countries.
In the United States, Erich von Däniken won instant fame as a result
of the television special "In Search of Ancient Astronauts," based
upon his first book. In 1993, the German television station SAT-1
started a twenty-five part TV series with and by Erich von Däniken,
entitled "Auf den Spuren der All-Mächtigen" (Pathways of the Gods).
In 1996, the American TV company ABC/Kane produced a one-hour
special, filmed all over the world, entitled Chariots of the Gods -
The Mysteries Continue. This film was broadcast on the ABC network
in 1996. In 1996/97 ABC/Kane produced another documentary with Erich
von Däniken (seen on the Discovery Channel). In Germany, the biggest
TV network, RTL, showed the film on September 26th, 1996. 4.9
million viewers in Europe alone watched the program.
Erich von Däniken's books have been translated into 32 languages,
and have sold 63 million copies worldwide. From his books two
full-length documentary films have been produced: Chariots of the
Gods and Messages of the Gods. Of the more than 3,000 lectures which
Erich von Däniken has given in 25 countries, over 500 were presented
at universities. Fluent in four languages, Erich von Däniken is an
active researcher and a compulsive explorer, averaging 100'000 miles
each year to remote spots of the Earth. This enables him to closely
examine the phenomena about which he writes.
Erich von Däniken has
also initiated the realization of a unique theme park (Mystery Park)
located in Interlaken/Switzerland. This theme park present the
unexplained, yet real phenomena found in various historical and
archeological
sites around the globe. Since the opening day on May 24th, 2003, the
theme park enjoyed a high number of visitors from all over the
world. State-of-the-art technology is applied in the various
pavilions to bring the astonished visitors to a close encounter with
real mysteries. The 1,000,000th visitor is expected in 2005. Already
now, negotiations have commenced to design and built similar parks
in North America, Thailand, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
Erich von Däniken is a member of the Swiss writers association, the
German writers association, and the International PEN-Club. He was
awarded with an Honorary Doctorate degree by the State University of
Bolivia. He received the "Huesped Illustre" award from the cities of
Ica and Nazca in Peru. In Brazil he received the "Lourenço Filho"
award in Gold and Platinum, and in Germany he was awarded with the
"Order of Gordon Bleu du Saint Esprit" (together with the German
astronaut Ulf Merbold).
Today, Erich von Däniken lives in Beatenberg/Switzerland (40 miles
from Berne, above the city of Interlaken). He has been married to
Elisabeth Skaja since 1960. He has one daughter, Cornelia (born
1963), and two grandchildren. Von Däniken is a hobby-chef and a
lover of Bordeaux wines.
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