2003 World Horticultural Exposition
The 2003 World Horticultural Exposition was organized in the City of Rostock in Germany. It was the 17th international horticultural exposition which was recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions. The park was created in a derelict area around ruins of the former village of Schmarl, on the banks of the river Warnow. This made it possible to have a connection between water and gardens.
The project IGA 2003
The project encompassed more than just the World Horticultural Exposition. It also included the construction of access roads to the newly built Warnow Tunnel, the development of a new trade fair and congress centre, the integration of the historical ship Frieden as a wharf museum, the reuse of the park after the exhibition, and improvements to Rostock's infrastructure.Participating countries
Thirty-two countries were represented with a national garden: Austria, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Croatia, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mauritania, Netherlands, North Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.Financials
The preparation and furnishing of the terrain cost 62 million euros, the trade fair 32 million euros. The bills were paid by the City of Rostock, the State Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the German federal government. 2.63 million people visited the exposition. The IGA 2003 met expectations as an attraction for holiday makers and tourists. More than half of the visitors came from outside Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and one third stayed in Rostock overnight, resulting in 50 million euros extra sales in this region. Despite this result the exposition closed with a deficit of 20 million euros due to lack of supervision by the authorities.Events
During the IGA 2003, a total of 17,000 visitors attended 275 different meetings and congresses. 32 countries were represented with their own national gardens, and 20 of them got extra attention on the Nationentage. Visitors liked the national gardens, the aerial cable car, the floating garden, and the 25 alternating displays in the trade fair.Several outdoor events, totalling 1361 on 171 days, were held in the park. The main contributors were the Rostocker Volkstheater with 50 events, and the broadcaster NDR with their Open-Air-Veranstaltungen.