Tourists coming to visit the medieval citadel in Rasnov, Central Romania, will have a new attraction in the city, as an amusement park with life-size dinosaurs will be opened there next year with the aid of EU funds. Construction work has already started on what will be the only dino park in Central and Eastern Europe.

“The building itself is shaped like a dinosaur. The entry will be made through its mouth, tourists will follow the route inside and exit through the dinosaur’s tail, in the park for children,” said a representative of the constructor,  HCL Sfantu Gheorghe, cited by local Digi24.ro.

The largest dinosaur to be brought to Rasnov will have a height of over 20 meters. However, tourists will have to wait another year to see the dinosaurs in their real size.

The park will also have 60 accommodation places, all suspended in the trees so “dinosaurs can’t reach the visitors,” Digi24 reports. The authorities promise tourists an atmosphere similar to the Jurassic Park movie.

Almost EUR 4.5 million from EU funds will be spent for this project, which is carried out by a company that concluded a partnership with the local City Hall. The price of an entry ticket for the future park was not yet announced.

"Such tourist attractions like the Dino Park are ideal for tourists who come to Rasnov or the nearby localities. [...] With the ongoing projects, we hope to keep tourists here for at least a week, either for our cultural events, or for visiting the citadel or other attractions, said the Rasnov mayor Adrian Vestea, quoted by Adevarul daily.

Such a dinosaur park exists in Austria, some 190 kilometers from capital Vienna. It is called Styrassic Park, and has more than 80 life-size dinosaur replicas.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com