Mystery Park receives financial boost

The park will consist of seven, themed buildings exploring the world's unsolved mysteries The park will consist of seven, themed buildings exploring the world's unsolved mysteries

The company behind the Mystery Park, currently under construction in Interlaken, says it has secured the financing it needs to complete the project.

The man behind the theme park, best-selling Swiss author, Erich von Däniken, said on Tuesday that after months of uncertainty the outstanding SFr35 million ($22.5 million) required for the project had been secured.

But Von Däniken confirmed that the opening of the park – scheduled for November 7 – would be delayed until May 2003.

Von Däniken said the funding had been raised through a convertible bond put up by a consortium of institutional and private investors. The company said it had already secured SFr32 million from Swiss investors who had subscribed to the bond.

Further details regarding the financing of the park are to be discussed during a general meeting of investors, scheduled for July 4.

Last April, doubts over the park’s future emerged after the company said it had only managed to raise half of the park’s SFr86 million budget.

The Mystery Park is being built on Interlaken’s former military airfield and is based on Von Däniken’s science fiction books. It will present the unsolved mysteries of the world in seven themed buildings, including the enigma surrounding the Egyptian pyramids and NASA’s quest for extraterrestrial life.

swissinfo with agencies