The charred remains of the Burda chalet and information centre. (source: TASR)
THE BURDA tourist information centre in the Muránska Planina (Muráň Plain) National Park burned down on November 2, 2012. Zdeněk Pochop, the caretaker of the chalet, which was also used to accommodate tourists, told the TASR newswire that he believes the fire was probably started deliberately by an unknown perpetrator and that the damage amounts to more than €80,000.
The chalet in the Burda mountain pass was built by the national park’s administration and several other agencies active in tourism within the Huculská Magistrála (Hucul Pony Trail) project.
Originally, the chalet should have been prepared for winter by early November, but as some tourists announced their intention to visit it, some of the equipment was brought back earlier, and petrol, pieces of an electrical source and a cooker were found in the ashes.
“The damage is huge – not just financially, but also the damage to the system of environmental protection and the development of tourism in protected areas,” head of the Muránska Planina National Park’s administration Milan Boroš told TASR.
Police are investigating the fire, officially described as having caused grave damage to other people’s property. In the event of a conviction, the perpetrator or perpetrators could face three to eight years in prison.
People working at the Huculská Magistrála project say they are ready to start building a new chalet in the spring.
