Europa Park in Rust, is Germany's most famous amusement park and the second most visited in Europe with 6 million guests annually, mainly from Germany, France, and Switzerland. There’s even a special section in the park dedicated to Croatia! The Park covers almost one million square metres and has over 100 attractions, including exhilarating roller coasters and a variety of incredible experiences in its 16 themed areas.
The owners of Europa Park, the Mack family, decided to build a new themed area dedicated to Croatia which will be opened in 2024. For this season, from the 25th March, there will be a Croatian cinema called "Traumzeitdome Kroatien". The cinema has 3D technology and will offer visitors the opportunity to visit Croatia virtually, showcasing some of the country’s highlights, such as the walls of Dubrovnik, Croatian islands, national parks and nature parks, with Nikola Tesla guiding viewers through the film and his innovations.
On the eve of the new season opening, a conference was held in Europa park. The new themed area was presented to foreign media guests and a film about Croatia was shown. Tonči Glavina, the State Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism and Sports; Kristjan Staničić, the Director of the Croatian Tourist Board; Romeo Draghicchio, the Director of the HTZ Representation in Germany and Ivan Sablić, the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Stuttgart participated in the event and were special guests at the park’s opening.
"The location of the Park on the very German-French border, next to the cities of Freiburg and Strasbourg, makes it an ideal place to present Europe, its countries, and their cultures. It is a great honour for us that after the tenth anniversary of Croatia's accession to the European Union, and especially in the year of Croatia's entry into the Schengen area and the Eurozone, a section dedicated to Croatia is opening in such a large entertainment destination. This is a great opportunity further to promote our country in the heart of Europe," said the Director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić.
Each section of the Parkv represents a European country and gives visitors an insight into the country’s characteristics through traditional architecture and gastronomic offerings. "I am happy that an area dedicated to Croatia is opening, especially if we know that Europa Park is very popular in Germany, but also in the surrounding countries, and this will certainly have positive effects on the promotion of Croatia in Germany, Switzerland, and France. Within the Croatian area, we are given an ideal opportunity to creatively come into direct contact with new potential clients and families who are our primary target group of guests," concluded Romeo Draghicchio, Director of the HTZ Representative Office in Germany.
Europa-Park is the most significant German hotel resort with 5,800 beds and 2,000 additional accommodation units in Rust itself. There are also many restaurants, bars, conference halls, and a 23-hour daily program for visitors. The Park has won the Golden Ticket Award eight times, while part of the "Rulantica" Park was declared the best water park in Germany.
Tonči Glavina, State Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, expressed his satisfaction that Croatia has been included in this project. "We are incredibly pleased that Croatia will be included in the success story of Europa Park as a new thematic unit that will be opened in 2024. In this way, millions of guests of one of the world's best amusement parks will have the opportunity to see and get to know some of Croatia's many sights, which make it special and unique. I am sure this new thematic zone will be beautiful and attract many visitors, thus encouraging them to come to Croatia and personally experience everything our country offers, from natural and cultural to historical wealth. Along with all the other innovations that make tourist trips easier and our country ever closer from this year, from the entry into Schengen and the Eurozone and the construction of the Pelješac Bridge with which we connected the whole of Croatia by road, this kind of presentation is an additional confirmation of how attractive and desirable a destination we are.”
