Wunderland Kalkar

Wunderland Kalkar is a family amusement park occupying the grounds of a nuclear power plant that never generated a single watt of electricity. The Schneller Brüter fast-breeder reactor cost billions of Deutsche Marks to construct before being abandoned in 1991, then sold in 1995 to Dutch entrepreneur Hennie van der Most for the bargain price of roughly four million DM. He converted the site into Kernie's Familienpark, where the iconic cooling tower now looms over carousels and children's rides as one of Europe's more surreal backdrops. Visitors today get go-karting, a climbing wall, circus shows featuring camels and horses, and fairground rides aimed squarely at younger children — with fries, drinks, and ice cream included in the admission price. The on-site congress centre with 20 meeting rooms underlines that this is a peculiar hybrid venue: part Cold War monument, part budget family day out.