Spree Park
29.5 hectares of parkland in East Berlin were turned into a static entertainment area, opened in 1969 this was the only one of its type on either side of the wall in Berlin. The park was originally called Kulturpark Plänterwald. During the times of the GDR it was immensely popular and attracted around 1.5 million visitors a year.
After the reunification of Germany, the tender for the park was to be sold and seven different applicants hoped that they would be the lucky ones. In the end the Wittes were chosen, there is speculation now that the references were not properly checked!
Things changed at the park new rides were brought in and the park was given a facelift and an overall entrance fee to bring it in line with “western” amusement parks. It was also given a new name Spree Park.
It appears that now Spree Park did not have a captive audience of East Germans to keep it busy the popularity of the park soon waned and when the parking for the park was dramatically reduced it appeared to be a death knell for the once popular attraction. The owners reported debts in 1999 and in 2001 they decided they could no longer continue and closed the park.
Norbert Witte decided to take some of the big rides to Peru, supposedly to get them fixed but in reality he was trying to open a similar theme park in Lima, when this didn’t pan out he had another plan up his sleeve, by now it was 2003 and obviously all other ideas exhausted this great idea was to smuggle drugs, namely 180 kg of cocaine, in the main mast of the large pirate ship. They were let own by their inside man and Norbert was arrested in Germany and his son Marcel in Peru. German drug sentences are a lot less tough than those in Peru, Norbert was out after 4 years, Marcel is not due for release until 2023 at the earliest.
The Wittes still own the park and at the moment are trying to get it up and running again and today the entrance of the park is open at weekends where you can get a coffee and a sausage. You can take a train ride through the grounds for €3 per person.
Update: In late 2014 the Berlin Goverment complusory purchased the site, the plans are unclear but it is unlikey to remain in its current state for much longer, and with demand accomadation in Berlin on the rise my guess is falts and houses.
After the reunification of Germany, the tender for the park was to be sold and seven different applicants hoped that they would be the lucky ones. In the end the Wittes were chosen, there is speculation now that the references were not properly checked!
Things changed at the park new rides were brought in and the park was given a facelift and an overall entrance fee to bring it in line with “western” amusement parks. It was also given a new name Spree Park.
It appears that now Spree Park did not have a captive audience of East Germans to keep it busy the popularity of the park soon waned and when the parking for the park was dramatically reduced it appeared to be a death knell for the once popular attraction. The owners reported debts in 1999 and in 2001 they decided they could no longer continue and closed the park.
Norbert Witte decided to take some of the big rides to Peru, supposedly to get them fixed but in reality he was trying to open a similar theme park in Lima, when this didn’t pan out he had another plan up his sleeve, by now it was 2003 and obviously all other ideas exhausted this great idea was to smuggle drugs, namely 180 kg of cocaine, in the main mast of the large pirate ship. They were let own by their inside man and Norbert was arrested in Germany and his son Marcel in Peru. German drug sentences are a lot less tough than those in Peru, Norbert was out after 4 years, Marcel is not due for release until 2023 at the earliest.
The Wittes still own the park and at the moment are trying to get it up and running again and today the entrance of the park is open at weekends where you can get a coffee and a sausage. You can take a train ride through the grounds for €3 per person.
Update: In late 2014 the Berlin Goverment complusory purchased the site, the plans are unclear but it is unlikey to remain in its current state for much longer, and with demand accomadation in Berlin on the rise my guess is falts and houses.
