Works on Big Park in Palic started - Ladies Bath awaits scuba divers

Big Park (Veliki park) in Palic, founded in 1842 when acacia and Canadian poplar trees were planted on that area, is going to get new tourist contents soon. For complete reconstruction of the most popular picnic grounds in Subotica, modeled after English gardens, the Ministry of Economy has set aside about 110 million dinars. Prior to mid-November, the first phase of works will be finished. It includes the works on installation of decorative candelabras, benches and trash cans, as well as paving of the space in front of Big Terrace (Velika terasa) - Jasmin Secic, the Assistant Mayor of Subotica, announced for eKapija. Secic said that big investments were being prepared for Ladies Bath (Zenski strand) and that the expansion of accommodation and catering capacities was in the pipeline.

(Jasmin Secic)

- Old lamps alongside the lake, from the Yachting Club to Men's Bath (Muski strand), and lamps in the park will be replaced with the new decorative candelabras. Besides, instead of concrete, paths will be paved with clinker tiles. In the second phase of works, which should commence next year, a bicycle path and a path for roller skaters will be built. These investment cycles are worth 54 million dinars each. Also, we will invest 30 million dinars in the construction of a new sewerage - Secic explained and added that all works would be finished in summer 2011.

The project implementation is run by Park Palic, of which founders are the City of Subotica, the Republic of Serbia and the Province. The author of the Big Park regulation project is Arhitop from Backa Topola, while the works are carried out by Subotica-based companies Rasveta and Expres-servis.

The main characteristics of Big Park, which occupies the area of about 20 ha, are curvy paths, instead of traditionally straight and symmetrical ones. There is a Water Tower at the main entrance to the park, while Big Terrace, a multipurpose facility initially intended for entertainment and later left to sportsmen, occupies the central place in the park. In the vicinity are Summer Stage, the place where the International Film Festival is held, and Music Pavilion, intended for promenade concerts given by musicians from Subotica.

Nicer side of the lake

Ladies Bath, one of the most imposing buildings in Palic, will get a new look until 2012 when it celebrates its hundredth birthday. Namely, works on the reconstruction of the facility, which slowly sinks, should commence very soon.

- We have obtained 35 million dinars from the Ministry of Economy, but we had a problem with finding the contractor. The third tender has been announced recently and the problem lies in the fact that the works are very complicated and one part of them must be carried out under the water so that it is necessary to hire scuba divers as well. In any case, all the works can be finished in seven months.

Supporting concrete pillars of Ladies Bath are quite old so that one side of the facility is leaning to the left. The entire row of cabins have a gap between the door and the upper part, the concrete panel that carries wooden structure is dilapidated, while the armature in it has corroded.

- There is a restaurant in Ladies Bath, which is the only remaining facility on the water, and the contents are planned to be expanded, most probably by putting the premises for congress tourism in function. We would also equip the kitchen, introduce floor heating, close the terrace with thermofast glasses and, thus, make the facility functional during the winter as well. It is most likely that the facility will then be rented for the period of, let's say, 20 years - said Secic.

Our interlocutor reminds that Ladies Bath is a picturesque secession building that points to the source of an idea in folk building - a lake dwelling.

New locations for villas

For the zone of spa tourism in Palic, a call has recently been announced for rental of building land for the construction of tourist and catering facilities, which includes all the locations anticipated by the Land Use Plan.

- In that way we will enable construction of smaller accommodation capacities. According to the Land Use Plan, construction of smaller suite houses is in the pipeline, as well as construction of four-story villas. Investors will be able to rent the locations for the period of 99 years and, after submitting a building project, they will also be able to get other necessary licenses and building permits.

Palic lake offers exceptional capacities for sport and recreation. The lake is shaped as an irregular ellipse and one must walk 17 km in order to go around it. There are beaches on its bank and tourists can try their hands at rowing, sailing and fishing, while hunting grounds are in the vicinity of the lake. The water in Palic lake is rich with sulfur, it is alkaline and muriatic, and its temperature is 25 degrees Centigrade. It also contains lithium and rubidium, which help in treatment of rheumatic and nerve diseases, while strontium, an ingredient of mineral mud, helps in treatment of bone diseases.

Some of the diseases that can be treated in Palic are rheumatism, sciatica, skin, gynecology, nerve and digestive tract diseases, etc.

T.S.