Press release
February 3rd, 2000

News

Additional Raise in Share Capital Planned by At Least 20 Million Swiss Francs

The Mysteries of the World Theme Park, which will be built near Interlaken, Switzerland, based on an idea by Erich von Däniken, is gradually taking shape in both financial and constructional terms. At the next shareholder's meeting, held at the end of April, a decision will be made concerning a further raise in the share capital by at least CHF 20 Million. A test building for testing new technologies has just been erected on the premises of the future Mysteries of the World theme park.

Since November 1, 1999, shares of Mysteris of the World have been traded on the public stock exchanges of Bern (Telefonische Börse Bern), Switzerland, and Berlin (Berliner Börse im Deutschen Freiverkehr), Germany. The shares, which had opened at CHF 10.- per share, are currently being quoted at more than CHF 20.- in Bern and Berlin.

According to Fritz Ruprecht, the manager of WP Trading AG, a subsidiary of the largest Swiss shareholding company HelveticStar, this appreciation in value is a very positive sign. The project is attractive for investors and creates new jobs. At the moment, comprehensive discussions with potential investors are under way.

In the fall of 1999, the most recent raise in share capital was successfully implemented from 1 Million Swiss Francs to 5.5 Million Swiss Francs. WP Trading AG, a company specialized in trading securities and equity capital financing, purchased all 450,000 shares at the initial price offering of CHF 10.- and then sold them at CHF 11.- per share.

Test Building Erected
 The planning and design of Mysteries of the World, scheduled to be opened in April of 2002, are on schedule. Negotiations with the Swiss Federal Departments of Defence, Civil Protection, and Sports, (DDPS/VBS) pertaining to the final land property acquisition on the Matten Airfield, near Interlaken, have reached an advanced state. The relevant land property contract will probably be signed this month. The preliminary examination by the development authorities should be completed by mid-March, and building permissions are expected by the middle of this year. Shuttle trains will carry visitors to and from the theme park. The planning of the access road is also in a very advanced stage. A test building for testing new technologies, physical properties, and climatological tests has just been erected within the future Mysteries of the World premises. To develop and acquire the necessary technology needs to realize the various Mysteries of the World theme attractions, the MTV (Mysteries' Technology and Visualization) Production Company has been founded.

Filming to Begin in Peru
 In April 2000, the film production company Alpine Films will start shooting at the Nazca plateau in Peru. Nazca features mysterious ground designs and straight lines which extend for several kilometers across the desert. Because of their incredible size they can only be seen from the air. The true-to-scale aerial photographs will be used in Mysteries of the World's interactive representation of the Nazca mystery.

Council of Experts Established
 Mysteries of the World will break new grounds regarding learning and research. The newly formed foundation Education, Science and Tourism (BWT) has the task of developing and implementing new and innovative learning techniques. In order that the theme park can meet the demanding, specific requirements of an education theme park in particular, the BWT Foundation has created an interdisciplinary council of technical experts. They will not only monitor the project closely through its various stages, but also contribute to quality assurance, and maintain continuous contact with the world of science. The following scientific disciplines are likely to be represented on the Council of Experts either on a permanent or on an ad hoc basis: education, didactics, tourism, recreation sociology, technology, communications, economics, archaeology, astronomy, cybernetics, and design. Professor Hansruedi Müller, Director of the Research Institute for Leisure and Tourism at the University of Bern, will be among the permanent members of the council along with several other professors from all over the world.

Mysteries of the World intends to present existing, unexplained mysteries of the world by using state-of-the-art multimedia technology. Those responsible for implementing Erich von Däniken's ideas will attempt to create a meeting ground for the general public and the world of science in order to illuminate and illustrate the fascinating mysteries of the world which we are surrounded by. Sixty million copies of Erich von Däniken's books have been sold, which make the Swiss writer the world's most successful non-fiction author of all time. In 1997, von Däniken placed his entire extensive archive of manuscripts, books, slides and research studies in the hands of the publicly supervised foundation 'The Great Mysteries of The World.' This foundation provides the Mysteries of the World theme park with a rich and expansive vault of knowledge. The planning, implementation, and operation of the theme park is the responsibility of the Mystery Park AG, a company which was founded in 1997.

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