Văcărești Nature Park

Văcărești Nature Park (Romanian: Parcul Natural Văcărești) is a nature park in Bucharest, Romania, containing the wetlands surrounding Lake Văcărești.

Văcărești Park with Bucharest apartment buildings in the background

History

Having 190 hectares (470 acres),[1] the area where the park stands was part of a large swampy area on the outskirts of Bucharest.[2] To its west was the area known as the "valley of weeping" that was the rubbish dump of interbellum Bucharest.[2]

Much of the swampy area surrounding the park was drained by Socialist Romania, building a neighbourhood of apartment blocks, while the "valley of weeping" became Tineretului Park.[2]

President Nicolae Ceaușescu wanted to build a reservoir which was supposed to be filled from the Argeș River via the Mihăilești Lake.[2] As such, a concrete dam was built to surround the lake.[2] The few modest houses located in this area were bought by the state and demolished.[3]

In 2003, the Ministry of the Environment concessioned the area for 49 years to Royal Romanian Corporation for a $6 million.[4] The company was supposed to invest over a billion dollars in a sports-culture complex, however it did not honor its part of the contract.[4]

Due to the area being unused for such a long period of time, plant-life and wildlife flourished within the confines of the dam. The biodiversity now encountered here is considered by some to be comparable to that of a small river delta.

On June 5, 2014, the Lake Văcărești zone was declared a protected nature area and named Văcărești Nature Park by the Government of Romania.[5]

Notes
  1. Lascu, p. 38
  2. Lascu, p. 39
  3. Lascu, p. 40
  4. Lascu, p. 45
  5. "2014-06-05:Government Decree Lacul Vacaresti" (PDF). Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
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References
  • Cristian Lascu, "Delta dintre blocuri", National Geographic România n. 109, May 2012, p. 30-52
  • Justinien Tribillon, "How nature turned a failed communist plan into Bucharest's unique urban park", The Guardian 14 June 2016

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