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Tropical Island
All photos courtesy Tropical Islands
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History and ideology still define nearly every spot in and around Berlin, even an otherwise totally inconspicuous plot of land in the middle of the Brandenburg steppe near Krausnick, on the way to Dresden. The shiny silver dome that looms over the landscape here – one of the largest buildings on earth, and the largest single hall without supporting pillars – would most probably never have been built if Nazi Germany had not created an airfield for the Luftwaffe on this site, one later occupied by the Red Army. After reunification and privatisation this humongous hangar, 360 metres long, 210 metres wide and 107 metres high, was built by Cargolifter AG as a hangar for giant airships, intended to transport extremely heavy and outsized loads.
When in 2002 the company went bankrupt without a single giant zeppelin ever being built, the 5.5 million cubic metre hangar fell into disuse. That is until some Malaysian investors bought it for a project that at first seemed even more crackpot: creating a tropical paradise where one would least expect it. Yet since then, after some initial difficulties, “Tropical Islands” has grown into a project bursting with superlatives: the world’s largest indoor beach and tropical indoor pool – able to accommodate up to 8,000 visitors a day, with the highest waterglide and biggest “tropical sauna-landscape” in Europe; and in between the resort’s “South Sea” and “Bali” lagoons is the world’s biggest indoor “rainforest” featuring over 50,000 plants, and ten flamingos.
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The 5.5 million cubic metre former airship hangar in Germany was converted into a tropical paradise capable of accommodating up to 8,000 visitors per day.
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Under its steel and glass firmament, Tropical Islands further boasts a myriad of shops, restaurants, bars, hotels, tents, and lodges, a whirlpool, a waterfall and even a hot air balloon. Recently a preliminary expansion plan was unveiled in which four villages would be built next to the hall, each devoted to one specific theme, from the Middle Ages to the fifties, which will turn the whole area into Germany’s largest amusement park. This is certain to boost the annual visitor figures already claimed to be more than a million: all holidaymakers enjoying an unchanging experience, where everything, from temperature to humidity remains the same 24/7, 365 days a year, safely removed from what some might still consider to be the essence of travelling – the risk of the unknown. I (Max Borka)
The “Aerium” hanger, originally built to accommodate giant airships for a failed transport scheme, is the largest free-standing hall in the world.
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»Tradition is a dare for innovation.«
Alvaro Siza
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