The Văcărești Nature Park (Parcul Natural Văcărești) is an urban natural park in Sector 4 of Bucharest. The park contains wetlands surrounding the Văcărești Lake and has a total area of 190 hectares.
History Of The Văcărești Nature Park
The area of the park used to be a swampy area on the southern outskirts of the city with very little development. During the communist regime most of the swampy areas surrounding the current park were drained. New apartment blocks were built to expand the city and the neighboring area to the west which contained a landfill was developed into the Youth Park.
The authorities wanted to develop the area of the current Văcărești Nature Park into an artificial lake that was supposed to be filled by water from the Dâmbovița River. The resevoir was supposed to be part of a hydrological system to defend the city against floods. To realize this project a few hunded families living in the area were evicted and their houses demolished. In 1986, construction works to build a concrete dike around the resevoir started.
Pumping water from the Dâmbovița River turned out to be too expansive so it was decided to fill the lake by gravity instead, with water from the Argeș River. A 27-kilometer-long channel was to be created to connect the resevoir with the Mihăilești Lake in the Argeș River. However, when the communist regime fell in 1989, the entire plan was abandoned. Only the first 14 kilometers of the channel had been realized, but the remaining 13 kilometers were never completed.
Between 2000 and 2003, plans were developed to turn the Văcărești Lake into a leasure complex with a hippodrome, a golf course, a conference and exhibition center, a hotel, and casino. However, the project was never materialized so the contract was torn up and the area remained untouched again.
Since the area had been neglected for over 20 years, nature had started to reclaim it. Due to the existance of underground springs and the addition of rain water, a small lake started to develop which allowed for the growth of a diverse vegetation attracting birds and other species. During a study conducted in 2013, hundreds of plant species and 96 bird species were counted. As a result the Văcărești Nature Park was established as a protected reserve on 5 June 2014.
Visiting The Văcărești Nature Park
The Văcărești Nature Park is definitely the most unique park in Bucharest as it is not landscaped but a real nature reserve with a biodiversity that is comparable with a river delta. The park is therefore sometimes also called the Bucharest Delta. It is a great place for a walk in nature, without the need to travel outside the city as you can just take the M1 or M3 metro to Mihai Bravu or the M2 to Piața Sudului, which are both only a few stops away from the old town.
You can walk around the entire concrete dike for different views of the nature reserve, but there are also several paths through the park where you can also climb onto a few watchtowers. The park is a favorite among locals as it truly gives you the feeling of being in nature, far away from the noise of the city. Apart from a small visitor center with some information panels and portable toilets in the center of the park, there are no facilities. So bring enough water and some snacks or other food for a picnic in this beautiful natural environment.
