The Sovata City Hall announced on Friday, October 23, its intention to build a theme park dedicated to bear species from around the world.
The park will benefit from an investment estimated at EUR 2.5 million, which will be financed with European funds.
"We have been having problems with bears, but not just us. There are bears in Târgu Mureș and Cluj-Napoca, and we have always had bears too, including on the city's logo, which features a bear pelt, and we also have Bear Lake. So we decided to create a theme park about bears, about the bear species that live around the world, and present them in Sovata," mayor Fülöp László Zsolt said, cited by Agerpres.
He said the project will be carried out on the site of a former, deteriorated greenhouse complex. Local authorities aim to transform the former industrial area into a civic and tourist circuit.
The park will not house live animals, but will focus on education and interactivity, and the entire area will be laid out in the shape of a map reproducing the silhouette of a bear. Visitors will be able to explore the habitats of different species through modern installations, the mayor promised.
“At the Bear's Head, there will be a structure, a main pavilion, which will be circular and made of wood, with a reception area, exhibition space, video screening room, restrooms, and staff facilities," Fülöp László Zsolt explained.
According to the project, realistic 3D models and themed installations presenting the habitats specific to each species will be placed in the areas corresponding to the bear's paws on the map. Buildings will be made of natural materials to ensure discreet architecture that blends into the local landscape.
European funding will be provided through the line dedicated to the conversion of degraded industrial areas.
The project is expected to be completed in four to five years.