Lyulin Stamenov/Sofia Echo A merry-go-round and The Crazy House, two of the many attractions in the newly opened Sofia Land amusement park.
THE first-ever entertainment complex in Bulgaria opens its doors today with a grand fiesta and an expected 1 000 guests. Sofialand fun park is located close to Boris Garden and easily reachable for everyone, Svetlin Neinski, executive director of the complex, told The Echo.
The park will not bear any resemblance to past fun fairs with shooting galleries and monkeys on ropes, but rather will attract visitors inlined to extreme fun and children of all ages.
The new Sofialand park offers 24 different attractions split into two sections- "family circle" and "extreme". The Vienna Wheel, for instance, resembles the Prater in Austria and is 34 metres high with 26 seats. Another of the extreme attractions is the Arrow- the tallest ride in the park. It is 43 metres high and seats 16 people.
Neinski said how proud they were to have a 400 metre speed train in keeping with amusement parks in the rest of the world.
"What is special about our Roller Coaster is the sudden curves in its route that make you feel like you're falling at all times," Neinski said. It is unique because the carriages in it are alike Indiana Jones' film train carriages. The Stars Wheel, bumper cars, jumping boats, labyrinth, two-storey roundabout, crazy house and musical express are another part of the park.
All of these amusements are located on 35 ha which will expand every year.
"It is essential for a place like this to offer new things for its regular visitors or they might get bored," Neinski said, and explained that it was more similar to European parks than Disney Land.
Regular performances are to be held every two hours in the central part of the park, which is an exact copy of the Italian Arena Di Verona. The balconies of Romeo and Juliet will host entertainment for all ages and nationalities. The performances will be suitable for foreigners due to the limited usage of dialogue in mime shows, comedy del'arte and sketches that will dominate the repertoire of Sofia Land. In winter, Arena Di Verona have a kindergarten with animators to entertain their children.
Retro photos, bars, restaurants, bowling, disco fast food restaurants, shops, a winery, two cinemas (200 seats), electronic games hall and beer halls contribute to the whole atmosphere of leisure and entertainment. Pippi-Land is suitable mostly for children, Neinski said.
The park has a capacity for
30 000 people, and children under 1 metre will not be charged. Tickets will cost between 15 and 20 leva a day with discounts for group visits, Neinski said. The price you pay on entry will include all rides in the park from 10am to 11pm. Theatre performances and cinema or game halls are also included at the entry price.
The entire investment in Sofia Land amounts to 40 million leva, Neinski said, and some Italian tips on design have been utilised in the structure. The combination of Bulgarian architects working with Italian designers means it lacks the kitsch of some other parks.
"The park is very closed to the sensibility of the Bulgarian citizen," he said. The restaurant- Hollywood A Wink will have paintings from Bulgarian theatre and cinema history on its walls. "We will remind people of what Bulgarian culture was like," he said.
More than 500 people will serve visitors to Sofia Land and in future as many as 1 million people may visit it annually.
The Echo was told that Sofia Land is hoped eventually to have a travel link with the Zoo so that families can visit both. "We are motivated to work to provide cultural education in art and theatre," Neinski said, adding that he was a prime initiator of the idea and after four years of the project's work he still feels excited as his dream has become a reality.
The park will not bear any resemblance to past fun fairs with shooting galleries and monkeys on ropes, but rather will attract visitors inlined to extreme fun and children of all ages.
The new Sofialand park offers 24 different attractions split into two sections- "family circle" and "extreme". The Vienna Wheel, for instance, resembles the Prater in Austria and is 34 metres high with 26 seats. Another of the extreme attractions is the Arrow- the tallest ride in the park. It is 43 metres high and seats 16 people.
Neinski said how proud they were to have a 400 metre speed train in keeping with amusement parks in the rest of the world.
"What is special about our Roller Coaster is the sudden curves in its route that make you feel like you're falling at all times," Neinski said. It is unique because the carriages in it are alike Indiana Jones' film train carriages. The Stars Wheel, bumper cars, jumping boats, labyrinth, two-storey roundabout, crazy house and musical express are another part of the park.
All of these amusements are located on 35 ha which will expand every year.
"It is essential for a place like this to offer new things for its regular visitors or they might get bored," Neinski said, and explained that it was more similar to European parks than Disney Land.
Regular performances are to be held every two hours in the central part of the park, which is an exact copy of the Italian Arena Di Verona. The balconies of Romeo and Juliet will host entertainment for all ages and nationalities. The performances will be suitable for foreigners due to the limited usage of dialogue in mime shows, comedy del'arte and sketches that will dominate the repertoire of Sofia Land. In winter, Arena Di Verona have a kindergarten with animators to entertain their children.
Retro photos, bars, restaurants, bowling, disco fast food restaurants, shops, a winery, two cinemas (200 seats), electronic games hall and beer halls contribute to the whole atmosphere of leisure and entertainment. Pippi-Land is suitable mostly for children, Neinski said.
The park has a capacity for
30 000 people, and children under 1 metre will not be charged. Tickets will cost between 15 and 20 leva a day with discounts for group visits, Neinski said. The price you pay on entry will include all rides in the park from 10am to 11pm. Theatre performances and cinema or game halls are also included at the entry price.
The entire investment in Sofia Land amounts to 40 million leva, Neinski said, and some Italian tips on design have been utilised in the structure. The combination of Bulgarian architects working with Italian designers means it lacks the kitsch of some other parks.
"The park is very closed to the sensibility of the Bulgarian citizen," he said. The restaurant- Hollywood A Wink will have paintings from Bulgarian theatre and cinema history on its walls. "We will remind people of what Bulgarian culture was like," he said.
More than 500 people will serve visitors to Sofia Land and in future as many as 1 million people may visit it annually.
The Echo was told that Sofia Land is hoped eventually to have a travel link with the Zoo so that families can visit both. "We are motivated to work to provide cultural education in art and theatre," Neinski said, adding that he was a prime initiator of the idea and after four years of the project's work he still feels excited as his dream has become a reality.
