Spreepark

Berlin, Germany

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Spreepark in Berlin, Germany, opened in 1969 as Kulturpark Plänterwald, East Germany's only permanent amusement park on 29.5 hectares in the Plänterwald forest beside the Spree River, drawing up to 1.7 million visitors yearly with a 40-meter Ferris wheel upgraded to 45 meters in 1989, carousels, roller coasters, and open-air events.

After reunification, private operator Norbert Witte rebranded it Spreepark in 1991, adding Western-style attractions like a Wild West town, water rides, and a circus tent that initially boosted attendance to 1.5 million before debts, high fees, and parking issues caused visitor numbers to plummet to 400,000 by 2001, leading to bankruptcy and closure.

Now an overgrown abandoned site with rusted rides including the iconic Ferris wheel, it attracts urban explorers despite fencing and security, while city plans explore revival as a cultural space amid its scandalous history involving Witte's flight to Peru with smuggled rides.