Featuring a playground, amphitheater, sports area and chocolate production and vending stations, a park dedicated to chocolate is being constructed in the northern Black Sea coastal city of Ordu's Gülyalı district. In a written statement, Mayor Enver Yılmaz said following a bidding process and location choice, the contracting company began construction. Yılmaz said the park will cost almost TL 8.5 million ($2.83 million) and be spread across a 13-acre area near Ordu-Giresun Airport. He said hazelnuts, Ordu's most important agricultural product, will gain more value as well. "We will develop different promotional projects to increase hazelnut consumption. The park is one of them and it will contribute to the city's economic and tourism revenues as well as increase hazelnut sales and products containing hazelnuts. The municipality aims to create a center of attraction," he said. Yılmaz also stressed that there will be special areas where visitors can watch chocolate in production and make purchases. The chocolate park will include a museum, an indoor area for cafes, restaurants and shops, a performance area, bicycle and trekking roads, green recreational areas with a playground and an observation terrace. Saying that the municipality has begun realizing projects that will develop Ordu, Yılmaz emphasized: "We also have other projects for every district, from Gülyalı to Akkuş. Some of them have been completed and some are ongoing or are currently being designed. The municipality is working to offer better services to its citizens."
