The lion figure stretches across about 1.5 dunams and rises roughly 13 meters.
By Shula Rosen
Ashkelon, a southern Israeli city, has opened a new attraction in Eco Park that city officials say is the largest playground structure anywhere in Israel – and possibly beyond, Ynet reports.
The installation is built in the shape of a giant lion and is already drawing families who want to test its maze of tunnels, slides and climbing routes.
The lion figure stretches across about 1.5 dunams and rises roughly 13 meters. Instead of one main path, the designers at Elu Et Nitzan scattered multiple routes throughout the structure so children can approach it from different points.
The central tower is the highest spot, offering a lookout over the lake and nearby neighborhoods, and it connects to long tube slides that drop toward the lower levels.
Kids can also slip out through the lion’s mouth or make their way across suspended nets that wrap around the tower.
Seven tunnels form the lion’s mane, each built with its own mix of nets, ropes and climbing stones. They link into the tower at several levels.
The front paws serve as a calmer space for younger children, with short slides, crawl areas and sensory panels designed to support early motor skills.
The park also includes a wide range of accessible equipment. There are wheelchair-friendly carousels, sensory music stations, a musical sphere, a 360-degree swing and an accessible glider. A nest swing, an accessible chair swing and face-to-face seats hang from an arched frame that children can also climb.
Older kids have their own features too, including a spinning carousel and a circular zip line.
Shade is built into nearly every part of the structure, including the higher tunnels, and an internal lighting system makes the lion visible long after dark.
Once an hour, the entire structure runs a short, coordinated light-and-sound display. Seating areas shaped like colorful triangles are spread around the site for families watching nearby.
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