Le Bioscope

Le Bioscope is a theme park located at Ungersheim, in the Upper Rhine (the Haut-Rhin "département") of France. The 12½-hectare [ [http://www.ot.ville-mulhouse.fr/dec/bioscope_en.php Bioscope: the leisure and discovery park] , from the Office de Tourisme et des Congrès de Mulhouse] (31-acre) park — described in a European Commission 2004 press release [http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/1081&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr Commission authorises State cofinancing of theme park project in Alsace] , a September 2004 press release from the European Union website] as a place where visitors learn about health, life and the environment "whilst having fun" — is laid out in concentric circles, a design by Frédéric Jung meant to evoke the shockwaves caused by the impact of the Ensisheim meteorite, which struck nearby in 1492 [ [http://us.franceguide.com/magazine/article.asp?idc=29901 Bioscope, the park about life, opens its doors on June 1 in Alsace] , from the French Government Tourist Office website] .

The Alsace region first proposed the park in 1994. Bright White, a York-based firm, was responsible for "development, engineering and project management of the design phase" [ [http://www.brightwhiteltd.co.uk/Pages/bioscope.htm The Bioscope Project] from the Bright White website] , with the idea of meeting the park's goal to educate people "to take responsibility for their own actions with respect to equilibrium with the environment."

Operation

Bioscope was built and is operated as a public-private partnership, with government financing the purchase of the land and part of the construction, and a private company being granted a 30-year concession to build and operate the park. In exchange, the concession holder pays a fee based on turnover.

In July 2001 [ [http://www.infoparks.com/flashan/project/PR0005_0010/index.htm Bioscope project] , from a site on European parks] , the Alsace region and the General Council of the Haut-Rhin announced their decision to grant the concession to Grévin & Cie, the company that operates facilities such as Musée Grévin, Parc Astérix, and the Dolfinarium in Harderwijk [ [http://www.grevinetcie.com/grevingb/portailgroupe.asp Comprehensive information on Grévin & Cie] , from that company's website] .

References

External links

* [http://www.lebioscope.com/ Official website]