{"id":143367,"date":"2023-09-22T10:20:42","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T10:20:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebritywshow.com\/?p=143367"},"modified":"2023-09-22T10:20:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T10:20:42","slug":"inside-creepy-theme-park-that-became-apocalyptic-wasteland-and-the-shocking-reason-it-was-left-to-rot-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebritywshow.com\/world-news\/inside-creepy-theme-park-that-became-apocalyptic-wasteland-and-the-shocking-reason-it-was-left-to-rot-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside creepy theme park that became apocalyptic wasteland \u2013 and the shocking reason it was left to rot | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A THEME park that once welcomed millions of visitors has been left to rot for decades after a shocking drugs bust.<\/p>\n<p>Spreepark in Berlin has become a decaying, apocalyptic playground with a complicated history hidden behind its eerie gates.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/drone-shot-today-renovation-work-845971987.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/aka-spreepark-ex-east-berlin-508449153.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/w8g0f9-teacup-carousel-abandoned-spreepark-845971930.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/de5fp9-spreepark-berlin-660062688.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The 75-acre site, closed in 2002, is now covered with graffiti and mostly visited by curious thrill-seekers, party-goers and musicians.<\/p>\n<p>Taken over in the 90s by someone most people found &quot;eccentric&quot;, the new owner of the theme park didn&#x27;t just plan to fly high on adrenaline or a candyfloss sugar rush.<\/p>\n<p>Shockingly, the once popular spot was forced to close under his ownership after enormous amounts of cocaine were found buried inside parts of the rides.<\/p>\n<p>The following year, he and his son were arrested for trying to smuggle 167kg of the drug back into Germany inside the dismantled Flying Carpet ride.<\/p>\n<h2><span>READ MORE WORLD NEWS<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-24005735-1695049925900.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3>Putin attack dog\u2019s lackeys &#8216;circle like vultures&#8217; as &#8217;cause of coma revealed&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/RW-COMP-zombie-planes-2.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3>How ghost war jets flew without pilots for hours &#038; LANDED in one piece<\/h3>\n<p>Nowadays, bordering the river Spree, the park&#x27;s once iconic giant red Ferris wheel stands rusting and ignored.<\/p>\n<p>Carriages of abandoned seats, empty tunnels and decaying frames make up the wreckage of the once-impressive site.<\/p>\n<p>An enormous T-Rex lies on its side, where it has been for years. <\/p>\n<p>Likely once quite a captivating feature of the park, the dinosaur lies on its back with most of its teeth ripped out.<\/p>\n<h2>Most read in The Sun<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2018-premier-leagues-broadcast-deal-426607226.jpg\"><\/picture><span>FINAL WHISTLE <\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Fears iconic BBC football show could be axed after dramatic drop in viewers<\/h3>\n<p><\/span><span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/GIF-Boxing-Hancock.gif?strip=all&amp;w=300&amp;h=192&amp;crop=1\"\/><\/picture><span>JAB-INET MINISTER <\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Matt Hancock PUNCHED in face by footie star in first episode of Celeb SAS<\/h3>\n<p><\/span><span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/msemail_GettyImages-483821279jpg-JS846540096.jpg\"><\/picture><span>DEAR DEIDRE <\/span><\/p>\n<h3>I had a foursome on holiday &#8211; now I&#8217;m so confused about my sexuality<\/h3>\n<p><\/span><span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-24072479-1695313386949.jpg\"><\/picture><span>FIONA&#8217;S FIGHT <\/span><\/p>\n<h3>TV star Fiona Phillips gives heartbreaking update after Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis<\/h3>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Greenery has crept in around the rusting, grubby rides and a blanket of moss covers most surfaces.<\/p>\n<p>An algae-covered pond even sits quietly still &#8211; with a swan-shaped boat rusting on its surface.<\/p>\n<p>The park&#x27;s heyday came in the 1960s and 70s when, under the Communist government of East Germany, it was well taken care of and very popular.<\/p>\n<p>In 1991, following the fall of the Berlin Wall, an eccentric amusement park operator called Norbert Witte took it over, changing its name from Kulturpark Pl\u00e4nterwald to Spreepark.<\/p>\n<p>As other theme parks became more common, and the government grew less and less inclined to finance it, the number of visitors to Spreepark had plummeted.<\/p>\n<p>The hope was that Witte, along with his wife Pia, would breath a new lease of life into the once glorious attraction.<\/p>\n<p>Changing the landscape of the park, he brought in new rides and changed the scenery, added a lake, canals, an amphitheatre with daily shows and even an English village.<\/p>\n<p>But in a bizarre twist, Witte turned out to be involved in smuggling cocaine, and his funfair rides served as the chosen method of drug transportation between Germany and Peru.<\/p>\n<p>Working with his son, Marcel, the businessman would smuggle drugs between the countries by hiding them inside parts of the rides.<\/p>\n<p>The visitor rates had also never fully bounced back from their pre-Witte dip.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually a combination of the less-than-ideal numbers, and Witte&#x27;s criminal activities, led to Spreepark&#x27;s closure in 2002.<\/p>\n<p>After the park filed for bankruptcy, it was revealed that they had racked up debts of almost \u00a313million.<\/p>\n<p>Several of the rides were also in sore need of some repairs.<\/p>\n<p>The year the park closed, Witte decided to pack up his six most popular rides as part of a plan for a &quot;new Spreepark&quot;.<\/p>\n<p>Baby Flight, Butterfly, Fun Express, Jet Star, Spider and Flying Carpet were stowed away into shipping containers.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of finding their intended owners in Lima, Peru, the rides were shipped back to Germany.<\/p>\n<p>And in an unfortunate twist of events for Witte, German police found 167kg of cocaine hidden inside the mast of the Flying Carpet.<\/p>\n<p>Witte was caught in Germany, while his son was detained in Peru.<\/p>\n<p>He served four years in prison, but his son remains locked up even today, serving a 20-year sentence.<\/p>\n<h2><span>READ MORE SUN STORIES<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/GIF-Boxing-Hancock.gif?strip=all&amp;w=360&amp;h=240&amp;crop=1\" role=\"img\"\/><\/p>\n<h3>Matt Hancock PUNCHED in face by footie star in first episode of Celeb SAS<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/newspress-collage-24076898-1695323009643.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3>MAFS UK\u2019s Laura was on another HUGE reality show before E4 programme<\/h3>\n<p>Witter even reportedly chose to live in a caravan on Spreepark&#x27;s grounds after his release from prison, although it is not clear whether he does any more.<\/p>\n<p>While the park never recovered from Witte&#x27;s extra-curricular activities, it still stands eerily in East Berlin, playing host to the odd music festival, urban explorers and all manner of wildlife.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2afbewd-einfahrt-den-tunnel-einer-660062496.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/drj58r-spreepark-amusement-park-abandoned-845971781.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/ddk46f-abandoned-former-amusement-park-660062645.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/dca8cd-abandoned-former-amusement-park-845971793.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/abstract-details-iconic-abandoned-structures-845971888.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/ddk4dk-abandoned-former-amusement-park-845971902.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/aka-spreepark-ex-east-berlin-845971920.jpg\"><br \/>\nSource: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/news\/24001825\/creepy-abandoned-theme-park-bizarre-reason-shut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A THEME park that once welcomed millions of visitors has been left to rot for decades after a shocking drugs bust. Spreepark in Berlin has&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143366,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Inside creepy theme park that became apocalyptic wasteland \u2013 and the shocking reason it was left to rot | The Sun - Celebrity WShow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/celebritywshow.com\/world-news\/inside-creepy-theme-park-that-became-apocalyptic-wasteland-and-the-shocking-reason-it-was-left-to-rot-the-sun\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inside creepy theme park that became apocalyptic wasteland \u2013 and the shocking reason it was left to rot | The Sun - Celebrity WShow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A THEME park that once welcomed millions of visitors has been left to rot for decades after a shocking drugs bust. 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