Southfork Fantasy Lives On in Romania

He made his fortune on cheddar cheese, not oil, and he’s never been to Texas.

But Alexandru Ilie does wear a Stetson as well as J.R. Ewing, so why not build a florid copy of Southfork Ranch in the middle of Romania?

And taking a page from flashy Texans, Ilie went the Ewings of television’s “Dallas” a couple of steps better. His ranch has a zoo, and guards in red 18th century uniforms. There’s even a 132-foot-tall replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Fortunately for him, most of the visitors to the combination of ranch, hotel, zoo and theme park haven’t seen Texas either.

And the people who live near his development, in the town of Slobozia and in poor little villages like Perieti, are certainly grateful for the money he’s brought to Romania’s southeastern plain.

“This man did what others didn’t dare do. He fulfilled his dreams, and by doing that he fulfilled others’ dreams too,” said Marioara Stamate, a housewife whose relatives work for Ilie, whose name is pronounced ill-ee-YE.

A paunchy man with a fondness for cowboy hats, Ilie said he was inspired to build the 247-acre ranch resort because “Dallas” was so popular in Romania.

“I felt the series became part of people’s lives, and decided to give them what they wanted,” he said.

He started building the ranch in 1991 from videotapes of the series and books on southern American architecture. That’s as close as he got to Texas; all he’s visited in America are New York and Cleveland.

Southfork-Hermes Land is a cross between an amusement park and a luxury resort. Visitors can tour the ranch, ride horses, swim in the swimming pools, visit a small zoo or enjoy the lake. Entrance is 5,000 lei ($1.60).

Overnight visitors can stay at the hotel where a double room costs the equivalent of $38 or pay slightly less at Texas-inspired bungalows.

Ilie’s pride is the replica Eiffel Tower, which he says cost $320,000.

“People, they come to shake my hand, they ask for my autographs,” he said.

But just like the fictional J.R., Ilie stirs up controversy.

“The man is playing with buildings and money like children play with toys,” said Ana Galbenu, a teacher from Bucharest who was visiting the park.

She said Romanians who need loans can’t get them.

“How did he get to feed all his fantasies?” she asked.

Ilie estimates his fortune at $100 million. Among his assets are meat, milk-product, electronics and transportation businesses. He owns or manages nearly 4,200 acres of farmland. Overall, he employs about 2,000 people.

Romanian news media often have accused Ilie of being corrupt, saying the “Romanian cowboy” made his wealth from illegal grain trading.

Ilie says most of his business was financed with loans from the troubled Credit Bank, whose former president is imprisoned on charges of fraud and of making preferential loans.

In July, the bank threatened to sue Ilie for not repaying a $6-million debt, prompting him to seek partners for his ranch resort.

“I can no longer deal with it alone,” Ilie said.

But at his 30-room villa, watched over by bodyguards and video cameras, Ilie revels in his role as the local J.R.

“People adapt to all sort of situations, and we got used to a life like this a long time ago,” he said, sitting at a giant dinner table lined with family and guests.