PHOTOS: Futuristic Geo-Info centre about Papuk opens in Voćin

by croatiaweek
December 17, 2021
in Entertainment

Geo-Info centre in Voćin (Photo: Kristijan Toplak/VPŽ)

On the first day of the new year, Virovitica-Podravina County opens the doors of another hot spot for modern travellers. The new centre worth 40 million kuna offers a completely new experience of Papuk and its rich geological history, it was pointed out today at the grand opening.

The interactive multimedia centre, 3D halls, projections and presentations on screens are just a part of what the new Geo-info centre in Voćin on Papuk offers. From the first day of the new year in this picturesque place in the Virovitica-Podravina County visitors will be able to travel far into the past and discover how our planet came to be, but also learn all about the historical and geological development of the most famous mountain in Croatia’s eastern Slavonia region.

(Photo: Kristijan Toplak/VPŽ)

Experiencing Papuk underground, feeling the atmosphere of caves and pits, meeting rhinos, saber-toothed cats on the Miocene mainland or Miocene sharks in the former Pannonian Sea is a special experience.

(Photo: Papuk Nature Park)

Models, sculptures and photographs of interesting living beings and stories about seven historical periods in biology and archeology will introduce you to life on Papuk, which is mostly a nature park, and due to its exceptional geological importance and a UNESCO geopark.

(Photo: Kristijan Toplak/VPŽ)

“Papuk, along the Drava River, is one of our strongest assets, and both areas are under the protection of UNESCO. Voćin is annually visited by about 100 thousand guests whose main motive for coming is the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Voćin. The opening of this visitor centre in Voćin with all its facilities will be the reason for the arrival of many new visitors, which will ultimately have a positive impact on the development of tourism entrepreneurship,”says Martina Jakelić, director of Virovitica-Podravina County.

(Photo: Papuk Nature Park)

The director of the Papuk Nature Park, Alen Jurenac, points out that the construction of the Geo-info centre worth around 40 million kuna is part of the “Geo-stories of the UNESCO Geopark” project.

(Photo: Kristijan Toplak/VPŽ)

“The geo-stories of the UNESCO Geopark have so far been the largest project proposal approved in this part of Croatia. The investment is worth more than 90 million kuna with 85 percent support from the Ministry of Regional Development and EU funds, while the rest of the funds were invested by the Papuk Nature Park. The Geo-info centre in Voćin, which is one of the two official entrances to the Nature Park, is an excellent starting point for getting to know the geological, biological and cultural heritage of Papuk,” Jurenac concludes.