Lotte, a cartoon character cherished by Estonian children, will be brought to life in an amusement park planned at the site of a former Soviet missile base in Pärnu County.
The Ministry of Defense plans to lease out 12.4 hectares of Defense League-controlled land at Uulu base. The property, in the village of Reiu, would be leased for 35 years to the theme park’s foundation, Leiutajateküla. The military base, largely covered by forested land, has a beach and four crumbling buildings.
The Estonian cartoon tells the story of Lotte the talking puppy girl and her playmate, a cat named Bruno. The two protagonists live in Gadgetville, where Lotte’s father is the greatest inventor.
The cartoon’s creators, Heiki Ernits and Janno Põldma, hope to open the theme park in May 2013. They say it will bring to life scenes familiar to many children, including the homes of Lotte and other characters. Visitors will also see hiking trails, forts and creative, make-believe inventions from the cartoon.
The Defense League says the theme park is the best way to use the old military base. According to the current agreement with the Defense League, the park’s founders will pay an annual fee of 7,669 euros through 2014 and 22,368 euros beginning in 2015.