Spreepark Berlin

A Ferris wheel creaking in the wind for years, toppled dinosaurs in the grass, an overgrown roller coaster: for more than two decades the Spreepark in Plänterwald was one of Germany's best-known abandoned places. Before that, as the Kulturpark Berlin, it was East Germany's only large amusement park. Since 2016 the state of Berlin has been turning it into a public art and culture park, with opening planned for spring 2027. Until then you can already visit part of it: the Eierhäuschen with its art space and beer garden on the river, and the building site on guided tours.

History: from "Kulti" to lost place

The park opened in 1969 for the GDR's 20th anniversary on about 30 hectares by the Spree, with fairground rides and stalls rather than a Western-style theme park. Up to 1.7 million visitors came each year. Its landmark was the Ferris wheel, renewed in 1989 with 40 gondolas and made famous by the 1979 TV series "Spuk unterm Riesenrad".

After reunification showman Norbert Witte took over in 1991 and rebuilt it as the "Spreepark", but visitor numbers collapsed and the operating company filed for insolvency in 2001. In 2002 Witte shipped six rides to Lima, Peru, and was later convicted of trying to smuggle 167 kg of cocaine to Germany hidden in the mast of the "Flying Carpet" ride. The site decayed into a magnet for photographers and film crews. Berlin bought it back in 2014, and the state-owned Grün Berlin has been developing the new park since 2016.

What to see

• Eierhäuschen: The historic riverside inn, restored and reopened in 2024, now home to the Spreepark Art Space, food and a beer garden with playground.
• Boat pier: Excursion boats, including a solar catamaran, call here from April to November.
• Ferris wheel: Restored in Poland and re-erected in October 2025; in future it will partly overhang a new water basin.
• Site tours: Learn how the wheel, the English Village, the workshop hall and the old "Spreeblitz" coaster are being reused.

Opening hours (as of October 2026)

The core site is a building site and closed. Open are the Spreepark Art Space (Wednesday to Sunday 11:00–19:00, third Thursday of the month until 21:00), the beer garden in season, and free site tours on selected Saturdays (max. 20 people, about 90 minutes, booking required, not step-free).

Getting there

The Spreepark lies in the north of the Plänterwald in Treptow-Köpenick. Come by public transport, bike, on foot or, best of all, by boat to the Eierhäuschen pier.

Tripto tip

Allow one to two hours for the Eierhäuschen, exhibition and beer garden, and book a site tour early.