Infamous theme park abandoned for 24 years to be completely transformed | World | News
The park has sat abandoned for more than two decades (Image: Getty)
An infamous theme park that has sat abandoned for more than two decades is now set for a complete transformation. The site has been left to decay since the early 2000s. Over the years, it has attracted attention from urban explorers and filmmakers, with rusting rollercoasters and an old Ferris wheel left standing among overgrown trees.
But now, plans are underway to turn it into something completely different. Spreepark, located in Berlin, Germany, sits in the Plänterwald area, close to the River Spree, and was once one of the most popular attractions in the city. It first opened in 1969 as Kulturpark Plänterwald in East Germany.
READ MORE: Major boost for UK theme park from 1969 as owner admits ‘Disneyland vision’
READ MORE: Beloved theme park open for 53 years abandoned and now something very different
The Ferris wheel was dismantled in 2021, although parts have been kept for possible reuse (Image: Getty)
At the time, it was the only permanent amusement park in the country and welcomed huge numbers of visitors each year.
After German reunification, the park was taken over by a private company and rebranded as Spreepark Berlin.
New rides and attractions were added, and at one point it attracted around 1.5 million visitors annually.
However, problems soon began to build. Rising ticket prices and limited parking led to a drop in visitor numbers, and by 2001 the park had fallen into serious financial trouble.
That same year, the company running it declared insolvency, leaving behind debts of around €11million (£9.5million).
Spreepark sits in the Plänterwald area, close to the River Spree (Image: Getty)
After the closure in 2002, the park became even more infamous for a bizarre reason. Former owner Norbert Witte later moved to Peru and was jailed in 2004 for attempting to smuggle cocaine hidden inside parts of a ride that had been shipped from the park.
Since closing, Spreepark has never reopened to the public. Parts of the site were damaged in a 2014 fire, and many of the rides have been left to rot.
The Ferris wheel was dismantled in 2021, although parts have been kept for possible reuse.
Despite this, the site has remained a well-known landmark in Berlin, and now the city is working on a long-term plan to bring the area back to life.
The city of Berlin took ownership of the park in 2014 and has since been developing plans to transform it into a new public space.
The aim is to turn Spreepark into a park focused on art, culture and nature (Image: Buro Happold/Spreepark)
Rather than reopening it as a traditional theme park, the aim is to turn it into a park focused on art, culture and nature.
Some of the old rides and buildings will be kept and reused as part of the design. They will be turned into spaces for exhibitions, performances and events.
The redevelopment is expected to happen in stages and will focus heavily on sustainability. Plans include planting new greenery, improving biodiversity and using energy-efficient systems such as solar power.
There will also be efforts to reuse materials from the original park where possible.
