EUR 1.5 mln chairlift in eastern Romania, unused since 2016

A chairlift opened in 2013 in the Ciric area of the eastern Romania city of Iasi has not been in use for the past two years. The chairlift was set up with EU funding amounting to EUR 1.5 million, and as part of a larger, almost EUR 12 million project to upgrade the leisure area in Ciric, G4media.ro reported. Within the project, a complex encompassing pools, beach areas, a climbing area, parking spaces, sport fields and picnic areas was set up. For its development, some 6.6 hectares of forest were felled, and the City Hall planted another 37 hectares in another area of the city to compensate. The upgrade of the Ciric area was the first project implemented by the Iasi City Hall with non-refundable EU funds after the country's EU accession. But now, the chairlift, which covers a distance of only 363 meters flanked by trees, is closed. It was open between 2013 and 2016, when it generated revenues of EUR 10,600. This means that less than 10,000 people purchased tickets for it while it was in use. At the time of its inauguration, Iasi residents interviewed by the media expressed disappointment with the short length of the track, and the fact that it did not also cross the lake. Representatives of the Iasi City Hall said plans exist to relaunch the investment, including a potential expansion over the Ciric lake, according to G4media.ro. (Photo: Zona de agrement Ciric Facebook Page) editor@romania-insider.com