Wunderland Kalkar, Amusement park in Kalkar, Germany
Wunderland Kalkar is a leisure park in Kalkar, Germany, built on the grounds of a nuclear power plant that never became operational. The site uses existing industrial buildings to house various rides such as roller coasters, a Ferris wheel, a log flume, and a pirate ship spread across the expansive area.
Construction began in 1972 for a nuclear reactor called SNR-300, but the project was abandoned before it could produce electricity. Dutch entrepreneur Hennie van der Most bought the site in 1996 and transformed it into a leisure destination that opened to the public.
Inside the cooling tower, a swing ride spins beneath the structure's original concrete dome, and a climbing wall rises along its curved interior surface. The technical past remains visible as visitors move between attractions built into the former industrial shell.
The complex offers six hotels for guests who want to stay overnight, along with four restaurants and eight bars distributed across the grounds. Visitors who spend more than a day can explore different sections at their own pace without needing to leave the site.
Around 600,000 people visit each year to experience rides installed inside structures originally designed for nuclear energy production. The conversion represents one of the most unusual reuses of industrial infrastructure in Europe.
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