The Trovants’ Story: Romania’s UNESCO Geopark Ținutul Buzăului opens new interactive visitor center

The UNESCO Global Geopark Ținutul Buzăului in Romania has inaugurated a new interactive visitor center in the village of Bozioru, offering a modern and immersive experience into the region’s unique geological and cultural past. Named Povestea Trovanților/The Trovants’ Story, the center tells the secrets of the mysterious stone formations known as trovantsand the prehistoric Delta, using augmented reality, physical exhibits, and reconstructed prehistoric fauna.

Visitors can explore a journey through time in two main exhibition halls, according to representatives.

The first focuses on the trovants themselves, guiding guests through millions of years of geological evolution with the help of technology and storytelling. Augmented reality interactions allow visitors to “converse” with six trovants, unveiling how the sea once covered the area, eventually retreating to make way for mountain ranges and unique rock formations. A collection of local fossils and rocks offers further insight into the region’s prehistoric ecosystem and its links to modern cultural heritage.

The second room houses life-sized reconstructions of the animals that once roamed the area 12 million years ago, including ancestors of giraffes, rhinoceroses, elephants, monkeys, and bears. Through the use of AR and vivid displays, the center creates an engaging and educational space especially attractive to children and families.

The new facility has been developed in a repurposed former tourist information center, with renovations and installations carried out through strong collaboration between the Geopark team, Bozioru City Hall, and community volunteers. The project was realized with minimal investment, relying largely on donations and local craftsmanship, according to the UNESCO Geopark representatives.

During a recent revalidation visit by UNESCO evaluators, the center was praised as a unique example of how modern technology can powerfully convey a region’s geological history in a compact, accessible space. The evaluators noted they had not encountered a similar project elsewhere in the Global Geopark network.

“The Trovants’ Story is a very modern, super interactive visitor center where we ‘talk’ to stones and discover what the prehistoric animals that lived here 12 million years ago looked like. It’s a unique place worth visiting and adding to your bucket list - just as the UNESCO evaluators said, noting they had never seen anything like it before. But what makes it even more special is how we made it happen. It’s an outstanding example of grassroots partnership between the Geopark and the local community,” said Răzvan-Gabriel Popa, General Manager of the UNESCO Global Geopark Ținutul Buzăului.