See Germany's nuclear plant turned family playground
Hey, are you going to use that giant cooling tower? Why not add some swings?
In Germany, nothing says fun for all ages like an abandoned nuclear power plant cooling tower! That's the sentiment behind Wunderland Kalkar amusement park--formerly known as the Schneller Bruter cooperative energy project--where you're more likely to encounter cotton candy and motion sickness than Geiger counters and radiation poisoning.
Before you let those fashionably hip Cold War-meets-Steampunk visions in your head take hold, I should note that the nuclear facility was, for political reasons, never completed, so there's actually no danger of coming in contact with any radiation while taking a ride on the mechanical swings that have been installed in the cooling tower.
(Credit:
Wunderland Kalkar)
Germany recently decided to shutter its nuclear energy program, which could leave a number of similar facilities pondering their options for an encore career. If they opt for the amusement park route, they'll have an awful lot of cleaning up to do, and they'll have to play catchup with Wunderland Kalkar, which is about the size of 80 football fields and has planned upgrades including a spa and a rooftop pool.
Check out a few more shots below of what Three Mile Island could have been...
Apparently, some mutation of park employees is normal.
(Credit: Wunderland Kalkar)
Wunderland Kalkar's nightlife can be enjoyed without having to worry about uranium's half-life.
(Credit: Wunderland Kalkar)
While the nuke plant was never turned on, there still seems to be some unexplained threat from giant mutant spiders.
(Credit: Wunderland Kalkar)
