Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Preserved Embassy Foundation
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
A new visitor center is being built as part of the three-year development program for the Smolenskoye Poozerie National Center, implemented by the Zapovednoye Polosstvo Foundation with the support of JTI Russia. Natalia Danilina, President of the Zapovednoye Polosstvo Foundation and Director of the Zapovedniki Ecocenter, discusses the opportunities this new space will open for visitors to the protected area and local residents.
– When did the idea of creating a visitor center arise?
The idea for a visitor center emerged during a lengthy discussion with our partner, JTI, which supported the Smolenskoye Poozerie development project. We agreed to develop a comprehensive project, the likes of which had never been seen before. This comprehensive approach implies that the project will evolve from a vision of the future and a tourism development strategy for the national park to its practical implementation. This includes entrance and exit points, pedestrian and vehicle navigation, a network of eco-trails, and the development of the most significant tourist attractions. The visitor center is the central part of the visitor infrastructure.
According to the strategy we've developed, tourist flows to the park will increase. Smolenskoye Poozerie is located near major cities and the state border, offering significant potential for tourism development. To attract large numbers of tourists, we need to provide them with the opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of the area: explain the history, biology, and geology of the national park, and introduce them to the park's facilities and sites dedicated to the natural and cultural heritage of the area. The visitor center, currently being completed, will serve as a focal point for visitors to learn about the park, as well as a venue for local events and a kind of club space for all the park's friends.
This is the most financially demanding project. I am very grateful to our partners, JTI Russia, for supporting my idea. All protected natural areas that welcome tourists and lack a visitor center dream of one. The park's management and staff are, of course, delighted that their long-held dream of a visitor center is coming true. After all, they had previously invited experts, prepared proposals, selected a site, and, crucially, secured the land rights for its construction. And finally, this dream is coming true through the project of the Nature Embassy Foundation and JTI Russia.
– What are the main functions of the visitor center?
The visitor center is a space for learning about the specially protected natural area and choosing routes to visit it. Here, tourists can relax after a long journey and plan their next trip.
Smolenskoye Poozerie National Park is located in a densely populated rural area and, in addition to its visitors, needs to interact with the local population. Therefore, the visitor center should become a space for collaboration, education, and leisure. For residents of surrounding villages, the visitor center will become a community space where celebrations and meetings dedicated to nature and local cultural traditions will be held. We hope that the visitor center will foster a community of local residents and friends with whom the park will work.
How long has the tradition of creating visitor centers been around in Russia? Or has it evolved from somewhere?
Until the 1990s, nature museums were established in some nature reserves in Russia. This was a different structure—exhibitions, museum storage facilities, and scientific collections. They also had a certain informational element. Such museums were few in number; they mostly existed in the largest nature reserves with long-standing scientific traditions and the best-funded ones. When the national park system began to take shape, starting in 1983, the need arose for visitor centers where communication with visitors and local residents would be paramount. Informational content would become the primary focus. Interaction with guests is built through exhibits, events, and a comfortable reception space.
The process in our country was very slow, and it wasn't until the 2000s that the first visitor centers began to be established. This began to accelerate after 2011, when the first targeted government funds were allocated for the development of tourism infrastructure. It was then that visitor centers began to be created with a purposeful approach, taking into account the concept of a visitor center as a space for communication with tourists and local residents.
– Who creates visitor centers in Russia?
National parks and nature reserves are creating visitor centers in partnership with expert organizations. One of these is our Ecocenter "Zapovedniki," which, since the early 2000s, has primarily designed visitor centers outside of Russia. We initially designed exhibitions in friendly Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Then, when the design of one of the visitor centers in the Kurgaldzhinsky Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan attracted considerable interest from international specialists, we were invited to North Macedonia to create two visitor centers in that country's national park. Thus, we gained experience working with national parks and nature reserves abroad. And since 2012, we have begun designing visitor centers in Russia as well.
– Are visitor centers in protected areas all roughly the same? By what criteria should one evaluate such a facility: size, features?
"Of course, they're not the same. And you can't say that a 400-square-meter visitor center is good and a 100-square-meter one is bad. What's important is how well it integrates into the overall concept of the area, how much and what kind of information it provides to visitors, and how vividly it lingers in their memory. We have extensive experience designing and creating such facilities. But we could talk for hours about what the Smolenskoye Poozerye visitor center will contain, and our team—the professionals working on the project—and, of course, the Smolenskoye Poozerye management team—will be the best ones to tell you."
Read on to learn how the dream of "Smolenskoye Poozerie" came true, what interpretation is, and how it takes protected tourism infrastructure to the next level—and much more!
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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