Văcărești Nature Park

Văcărești Nature Park
Văcărești Nature Park
	Parcul Natural Văcărești
	Văcărești Park with Bucharest apartment buildings in the background
Type	Urban park
Location	Bucharest, Romania
Coordinates	44.3996°N 26.1342°E
Area	190 hectares (470 acres)
Status	Open year-round

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

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.[1] To its west was the area known as the "valley of weeping" that was the rubbish dump of interbellum Bucharest.[1]

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.[1]

President Nicolae Ceaușescu wanted to build a reservoir which was supposed to be filled from the Argeș River via the Mihăilești Lake.[1] As such, a concrete dam was built to surround the lake.[1] The few modest houses located in this area were bought by the state and demolished. The plans for development were abandoned when communism fell and the area was overtaken by nature.[2]

In 2003, the Ministry of the Environment concessioned the area for 49 years to Royal Romanian Corporation for a $6 million.[1] 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.[1]

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. A 2013 study counted hundreds of species of plants and 96 different species of birds.[2]

On June 5, 2014, the Lake Văcărești zone was declared a protected nature area and named Văcărești Nature Park by the Government of Romania.[3]

Văcărești Nature Park was the setting for Radu Ciorniciuc's 2020 documentary Acasă, My Home, following a family that lived in the park for 20 years.[4][5]

References

Lascu, Cristian (May 2012). "Delta dintre blocuri". National Geographic România (in Romanian). No. 109.
Tribillon, Justinien (14 June 2016). "How nature turned a failed communist plan into Bucharest's unique urban park". The Guardian.
"2014-06-05:Government Decree Lacul Vacaresti" (PDF). Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
Moldovan, Ioana (30 October 2020). "Romanian film review – A Life of One's Own: My Home". romania-insider.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
Fodor, Simona (13 October 2020). "RO Radu Ciorniciuc's awarded first documentary available on HBO Go". romania-insider.com. Retrieved 23 October 2020.

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[lascu-1] Lascu, Cristian (May 2012). "Delta dintre blocuri". National Geographic România (in Romanian). No. 109.

[guardian-2] Tribillon, Justinien (14 June 2016). "How nature turned a failed communist plan into Bucharest's unique urban park". The Guardian.

[3] "2014-06-05:Government Decree Lacul Vacaresti" (PDF). Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Retrieved 25 July 2014.

[4] Moldovan, Ioana (30 October 2020). "Romanian film review – A Life of One's Own: My Home". romania-insider.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.

[5] Fodor, Simona (13 October 2020). "RO Radu Ciorniciuc's awarded first documentary available on HBO Go". romania-insider.com. Retrieved 23 October 2020.