Plans for the 29-million-euro centre in Lauwersoog will be formally announced next Tuesday, including the identity of the “award winning architect” who will be responsible for designing the ambitious project.
The project will feature a Science & Experience Centre about the unique character of the Wadden Sea, space to feature changing exhibitions about the region, and a panoramic deck with a view of the Wadden Sea and Lauwersmeer.
Visitors can take part in expeditions and boat tours will embark from the centre and academic institutions will be able to focus on research on the fauna and flora in the area, including collaborations with seal rescue centres along the Wadden coast.
The Wadden Sea was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 2009 as the largest “unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats”. The wetlands ecosystem extends from the Netherlands through Germany and Denmark.
According to Dagblad van het Noorden, securing financing for the centre has been a work in progress for years. Last month, a 9.6-million-euro contribution from the Wadden Foundation pushed the project over the top.
Private investors, including Arie Heuvelman who will build new hotel and restaurant on site, are contributing 14 million euros. The province of Groningen is contributing 5 million euros, and the municipality of Marne (where Lauwersoog is located) is contributing one million euros.
