Gran Scala

A huge European project to build a "destination city of leisure for all ages" on a 2000 hectare site in the desert of Los Monegros in the province of Aragon, Spain. The project is highly controversial not only because of the environmental impact that it will have into the ecosystem, but also because of its excessive and pharaohnic dimensions, promoting luxury activities such as betting money, massive consumption, prostitution and social and environmental blindness. Moreover, an aquatic theme park is planned to be built, in a area where drought is common and water is highly limited. The project include the construction of 32 casinos, 70 hotels, 5 theme parks and a town of 100,000 inhabitants. A first opening would take place around mid-2011.

Historical themes

The project's idea has History and its chronology as a main theme throughout the various stages of evolution of civilization. In order to carry out as reliably and closely as possible the historic content of this project Paul Corbier, a history erudite, has been engaged as official advisor of the project.

Through Paul Corbier's advice at Gran Scala, the history of civilizations is recounted in 16 meaningful periods:

*Man before the discovery of writing
** The Cro-Magnon Man
** The Metal Age
*The Egypt of Pharaohs
** The Old Empire
** The New Empire
*Middle East
** The Phoenicians
** Babylon
*Greek World
** The Greek Civilization
** Atlantis
*Rome
** Caesar
** The Celtic Period
*The Feudal Medieval Age
** The Carolingian Empire
** The Vikings
*The Mediterranean Middle Age
** The Byzantine Empire
** Baghdad
*Pre-Columbian Civilizations
** The Mayan Empire
** The Incas
*Medieval Age in Western Europe
** Richard the Lionheart
** Venice
*The 15th Century
** Aragon in times of Fernando el Católico
** The Ottoman Empire
*The 16th Century
** The City of Florence
** Japan and the Samurais
*The 17th Century
** Louis XIV and Versailles
** Peter the Great
*Asia in the 18th Century
** The Chinese Dynasty
** India
*The 19th Century
** Vienna
** The American Far West
*The Contemporary World
** USA
** Australia
*The future
** Year 2100
** Year 3000

Development

While being a private investment project by a consortium called ILD (International Leisure Development), it has backing of the Aragonese government which is providing the construction of all necessary connecting infrastructures. ILD is looking to attract different investors of the hotel, gaming and leisure industry to build and exploit the facilities.

The project schedule, proposed by ILD, has construction work beginning in September 2008, just after the Zaragoza 2008 International Exhibition (EXPO). A first opening would take place around mid-2010.

ILD's proposal:
*17 Billion euro total investment
*25 Million visitors expected each year
*65000 direct jobs
*32 hotel casinos
*70 hotels
*200 restaurants
*5 theme parks
*Shopping malls, shops and other facilities

Criticism

The project is facing criticism from ecological lobby-groups, whose grounds for opposing it are that the area proposed for its construction is one of the richest and most delicate ecosystems in the European Continent, whose survival is utterly incompatible with a development of this scale and nature.

External links

* [http://granscalablog.com/category/english/ All about Gran Scala Project]
* [http://ild-plc.com/ International Leisure Development]
* [http://www.visitlosmonegros.com/ Los Monegros & Gran Scala]