October 12, 2021 - The Medvedgrad opening is planned for October 22 after a 3-year renovation that aimed to establish sustainable use of natural heritage through the Medvedgrad Visitor Center.
The renovation of the Medvedgrad burg has been completed, which will be open to visitors at the end of this month. Namely, the Public Institution Nature Park Medvednica has implemented the EU project "Improving visitor capacity for sustainable management of the Nature Park Medvednica" since 2018, which aims to establish sustainable use of natural heritage through the opening of the Medvedgrad Visitor Center and related facilities to contribute to sustainable social-economic development at the local and regional level, reports HRTurizam.
The EU project was valued at 37,726,252.75 kuna to restore and arrange protected cultural property of the medieval noble town of Medvedgrad, which became the Medvedgrad Visitor Center with several functional units.
In the South Tower, a display of natural and cultural values of the Medvednica Nature Park has been arranged to educate visitors about the values and importance of the protected area. The rich history of Medvedgrad and the Park itself called "Enchanted History" is shown in the central part of the Grand Palace, which also houses the newly equipped space of the multifunctional hall and souvenir shop. The small palace contains a museum exhibition "Secrets of the Ancient Mountains" which includes a display of a medieval pantry and a shadow theater.
The implementation of the EU project carried out other demanding project activities that contributed to achieving the goal of protecting, valorizing, educating, and promoting sustainable management of natural heritage, protecting cultural and natural heritage in the Medvednica Nature Park, making it a recognizable tourist destination that contributes to socio-economic development.
In addition to construction and architectural work, some of the basic management documents were developed, such as cycling development strategy, with accompanying action plans, visitor management strategy, Visitor Center branding, marketing plan, visitor center security manual, which included cooperation with HGSS, marking eight bike paths, setting up informational educational boards, but also marking the access to Medvedgrad, purchasing electric bicycles, designing and making toys, and creating educational workshops.
"By opening the Medvedgrad Visitor Center, Croatia gets a new ecological, tourist, and economic content," said Marina Popijač, director of the Medvednica Nature Park, who added that the official opening of the Medvedgrad Visitor Center is planned for Friday, October 22, and will be open for visitors from October 23 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
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