10 amazing theme parks that have closed forever

(CNN) – Although there are hundreds of amusement parks around the world, many of them have been relegated to the history of attractions.

They were abandoned by their owners and operators for various reasons: declining crowds, natural disasters, financial difficulties, or simply because they are no longer relevant to today’s visitors.

But they retain their charm, they are ghostly places that attract urban explorers, social network divas and people looking to relive memories of a visit with family or friends.

There’s also something post-apocalyptic about places ravaged by decay, a frightening but intriguing vision of what Earth would be like if humans disappeared.

“We think of parks as vibrant, colourful, bustling and happy places” it states Jim Futrell of the National Amusement Park Association. “But an abandoned amusement park is the complete opposite. It’s broken. It’s empty. It’s quiet.”

“For the people looking for them, there is a sense of discovery, of finding the remnants of the park and trying to piece together what you had in mind.”

These are 10 of the most captivating abandoned theme parks in the world.

Berliner Spreepark, Germany

Named after the nearby River Spree, this park was in operation from 1969 to 2001. Credit: Daniel Bockwoldt / dpa / picture-alliance / AP

The most surprising thing about this long-defunct German amusement park is not the decaying ruins of the old attractions that can be seen today, such as the giant Ferris wheel or the graffiti-covered Spripeltz train, but the fact that it was created by the communist authorities in East Germany as amusement for the proletariat. .

Named for the nearby River Spree, the park was in operation from 1969 to 2001. Today, the grounds are a large public park with trails leading to several abandoned attractions or the chance to paddle on guided boat tours. background tourism.

The municipal government has announced plans to preserve and “artistically reinterpret” some of the old landmarks, especially the famous Ferris wheel.

Memaland, Malaysia

Memaland outside Kuala Lumpur. Credit: Adi Abd Rufa/Pacific Press/ZUMAPRESS.com

Located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was active in a miniature land (Mimaland) from 1975 to 1994.

Considered the first amusement park in Southeast Asia, it includes an artificial lake, a huge pool with giant slides, and a prehistoric animal kingdom.

Mimaland has been forced by the government to close down after a devastating landslide and other security issues.

Thirty years later, the jungle is flooded with life-size dinosaurs and massive animals in the park.

Camelot Park, England

Camelot is now a horror theme park. Credit: Peter Thomasson/Alamy Stock Photo

Set in the lush Lancashire countryside, near Manchester and Liverpool, the magical kingdom of Camelot has recreated the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table on the site of an ancient lake the subject of medieval legend.

The park once featured knightly jousting on horseback, the Merlin Magic Show, Dragon Flyer and Knightmare, and other medieval-themed rides and shows.

After his disappearance, the canister served as a zombie attraction prior to his current reincarnation in Fear CityA terrifying walk through the eerie ruins of Camelot.

Six Flags New Orleans, Louisiana

Six Flags New Orleans has been closed since it was inundated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Credit: Chris Granger/The Times Picayune/AP

A victim of Hurricane Katrina, this theme park in Louisiana had only been open for five years (2000-2005) before the ground was flooded with nearly two meters of water that took over a month to evaporate or drain.

Before the storm, the park was divided into six themed areas, including areas dedicated to DC Comics superheroes and Looney Tunes cartoon characters.

More than two dozen ramshackle rides can still be seen, including former stars like the Ozark Splash slide and Zydeco Scream roller coaster.

In March of this year, the City of New Orleans announced an agreement with private developers to convert the site into a movie studio, sports complex, and family entertainment center.

Nara Dreamland, Japan

Nara Dreamland Japanese Garden. Credit: Media Drum World / Alamy Stock Photo

Never mess with the mouse is the lesson of the lost Nara Dreamland. Located in the northern suburbs of the historic Japanese city, the park was opened in 1961 to serve as California’s Disneyland.

It even featured Disney-themed attractions like Sleeping Beauty Castle, Tomorrowland, and the Adventure Jungle Cruise. Dreamland did well until the opening of Tokyo Disneyland in 1983, when attendance began to drop.

The park lasted until 2006 and was a popular destination for urban explorers until it was demolished a decade later.

All that remains are a chain of American-style restaurants, such as Coco’s and Il Bene Italian Buffet, that once catered to theme park guests, and two sports arenas built in the 1980s to complement Dreamland.

Tivoli Garden, France

Tivoli Park became a public park at the end of the eighteenth century.
Photo credit: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

The Jardin de Tivoli in Paris, one of the original theme parks in the world, became a public park at the end of the eighteenth century on the initiative of Simon Gabriel Boutin. Its attractions included water games, mime shows, an animal exhibit, and a mineral collection.

Putin ended up on the guillotine during the French Revolution, accused of flaunting wealth. However, the park has outlasted itself under new ownership, adding attractions such as a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, mazes and acrobatic shows, including the “Coco the Deer” pedestrian tightrope championship.

The park closed in 1842, an early victim of urban zoning. The only remnant of the lush gardens is Hector Berlioz Square, originally called Novo Tivoli when it opened in 1859.

Pripyat Amusement Park, Ukraine

Pripyat Amusement Park was built just before the Chernobyl disaster. Credit: Claudia Himmelrich/Mcclatchy DC/Tribune News Service/Getty Image

Hardly anyone outside Ukraine had heard of this theme park until it was orphaned in 1986 after the Chernobyl meltdown, just five kilometers away.

Construction of the park just finished and Pripyat never opened due to the disaster.

Even more than the infamous power plant, the park’s fearsome Ferris wheel and bumper cars epitomize the worst nuclear disaster in history.

Yeongma Land, South Korea

To visit this abandoned park, you have to pay an entrance fee. Credit: Ann Jones/Alamy Stock Photo

From time to time, abandoned amusement parks find new life by taking on entirely new features.

Like Yongma Land in Seoul, now a popular location for TV productions, fashion recordings, and wedding photography, the bride and groom perch on decadent carousels, bumper cars, and other attractions.

Active from 1980 to 2011, it is one of the few abandoned amusement parks where visitors have to pay a small fee (10,000 won) instead of sneaking inside.

Cypress Gardens, Florida

Members of the Cypress Gardens skate show perform in a pyramid in 2003. Credit: Scott Audette/AP

And every now and then, an old amusement park gets taken over by another body. Such was the case at Cypress Gardens in Florida.

Dick and Jolly Bob opened in 1932, and the theme park was a family-run business that drew ever-growing crowds to watch its giant animals, acrobatic water-skiing shows, and Southern Belle hostesses.

Facing increased competition from modern theme parks in Orlando, Cypress Parks closed in 2009 and was absorbed into Legoland Florida. Parts of the old gardens remain, including a giant banyan tree, but the world-famous waterslide show has been replaced by a pirate-themed water stunt show.

Hồ Thủy Tiên, Vietnam

The huge concrete dragon in this park looks like a relic from the old world. Credit: dragoncello/Alamy Stock Photo

A huge concrete dragon with an aquarium still guards a lake that was the centerpiece of the Hồ Thủy Tiên Water Park near Hue.

Financial problems caused the park to open only sporadically between 2004 and 2011.

Today it is an unofficial tourist attraction, and the decaying dragons, water slides, and other elements look more like a 1,000-year-old relic than a 21st-century attraction.