Cluj-Napoca City, Romania. The smell of gasoline and oil filled the air. Brmm, brmm, brmm were familiar sounds when boys and girls started the engines. Fathers standing with their screw drivers to fine tune the carburetors. Red light turns into green. Full gas ahead towards the curves. Tens of rounds until the chequered flag. Tears of joy and tears of disappointment.
This used to be the case at the Cartodrom Cluj in Cluj-Napoca City, Romania, until the city decided to make a change and transform an old kart track into an oasis of play and sports accessible for people of all ages.
The refurbished park contains four different areas; a playground for younger children, a public parkour and bouldering area for pre-teens and teens, a sports area for adults with outdoor fitness range for crossfit and body weight training sessions and a senior sport area for active ageing.
Transformation of the area took almost four years. The only thing left from the past was the form of the old go-kart track. Mihai Balas of Sport Play Systems in Romania, our local distributor, told that the project involved a turn-key solution from design in close relation with the architects to construction and installation. The grand opening was held in late 2016.
The air is filled with joy and laughter. Someone may smell the odour of sweat after a hard training session in the fitness part of the park. The parkour track is crowded with young guys and girls performing at their best, learning from each other. An older lady has made her daily exercise in order to stay fit longer. No one waves the flag anymore. Everyone is a winner. Tears of joy and laughter fill the air. This versatile park puts a smile on everyone’s face.