 The Terrasses at Luna Park, 1904 | |
| Location | Berlin |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°29′46″N13°16′55″E / 52.496°N 13.282°E |
| Status | Closed |
| Opened | 1909 |
| Closed | 1933 |
Luna Park in the Halensee area of Berlin, Germany was an amusement park in operation from 1909 to 1933. At that time, it was Europe's largest. The park was closed for World War I but reopened after Armistice. Luna Park closed for the last time in October 1933. [1]
Around 1900 the businessman Saeger operated the Wirtshaus (guest house) am Halensee near the popular outdoor swimming pool on the east shore of Halensee Lake. At that time, the shopping district Kurfürstendamm was a forest path where on Sundays families took carriages from the nearby Grunewald train station (now Halensee) and drove in the Grunewald forest. Here rest breaks were made and there was a motto: "Families can make coffee here." On the grounds of the inn there was already a fairground with carousel, shooting dice and stalls, and a water slide, where a similar pontoon-like barge rolled down the mountain into the lake.
On 14 May 1909 the gourmet August Aschinger together with the former chef at the Kempinski Hotel, Bernd Hoffmann, opened the terraces at Halensee, which were renamed that year Luna Park. It was a modern fairy-tale palace, with magnificent towers and a large staircase down to the lake.
The park attractions included all the typical fairground attractions of the time, like a water slide that ended in the lake. It had as a special feature a water chute, which the Berliners called the "tart aquarium" because the ladies in the newest bathing attire presented themselves to the sitting gentlemen on the rim.
Other attractions were a loose staircase (Shimmy-Treppe) with a fan at the end that hoisted the skirts of the ladies, as well as a mountain train or a hippodrome. Following the example of Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, an amusement park was established, offering sensations, adventures, and dangers, as well as the illusion of the big wide world and the experience of the seemingly limitless possibilities of technology.
Luna Park offered anthropological human shows ("Völkerschauen"); an early escalator; a large, nightly fireworks display; theater, revues, jazz, and cabaret; dance tournaments, and boxing matches. In 1926 the young Max Schmeling won his first title fight here. The restaurants had a capacity of 16,000 seats. There was a Bavarian-themed village where beer flowed in streams and the Luna Palace for more the lofty clientele. In its early years, the park counted 50,000 visitors a day and on weekends substantially more. As early as 1910, the millionth visitor was received.
During the first World War and in the following period of hyperinflation in Weimar Germany, visitor numbers declined and the physical plant was in desolate condition. On May 9, 1929, the amusement park reopened after a major renovation. It succeeded; however, it did not attain its former grandeur.
In October 1933 the amusement park had to permanently close, and in 1934 the entire complex was demolished. The puppeteer Alfredo Bannenberg, being chased by Nazis, used the closed facility as a hideout for a short time.
The Nazis considered the park to be an eyesore. Soon it was found to be in the path of the required Halenseestraße, which was opened for the 1936 Summer Olympics to create a fast link between the Olympic Stadium, the Deutschlandhalle, the Berliner Funkturm, and southern venues.
The Kurfürstendamm is one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street takes its name from the former Kurfürsten (prince-electors) of Brandenburg. The broad, long boulevard can be considered the Champs-Élysées of Berlin and is lined with shops, houses, hotels and restaurants. In particular, many fashion designers have their shops there, as well as several car manufacturers' show rooms.
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often featuring multiple areas with different themes. Unlike temporary and mobile funfairs and carnivals, amusement parks are stationary and built for long-lasting operation. They are more elaborate than city parks and playgrounds, usually providing attractions that cater to a variety of age groups. While amusement parks often contain themed areas, theme parks place a heavier focus with more intricately-designed themes that revolve around a particular subject or group of subjects.
Knoebels Amusement Resort is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is America's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including three wooden roller coasters, three steel roller coasters, a 1913 carousel, and a haunted house dark ride.
Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure is a water park and amusement park in Bessemer, Alabama. It is owned by Koch Family Parks, which consists of members of the family who formerly had minority ownership in Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.
Luna Park was an amusement park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. The park was located on a site bounded by Surf Avenue to the south, West 8th Street to the east, Neptune Avenue to the north, and West 12th Street to the west. Luna Park opened in 1903 and operated until 1944. It was located partly on the grounds of the small park it replaced, Sea Lion Park, "the first enclosed and permanent amusement park in North America", which had operated between 1895 and 1902. It was the second of the three original, very large, iconic parks built on Coney Island; the other were Steeplechase Park and Dreamland. At Coney Island's peak in the middle of the 20th century's first decade, the three amusement parks competed with each other and with many independent amusements.
Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Island parks. Luna parks are small-scale attraction parks, easily accessed, potentially addressed to the permanent or temporary residential market, and located in the suburbs or even near the town center. Luna parks mainly offer classic funfair attractions, newer features and catering services.
Luna Park Melbourne is a historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria. It opened on 13 December 1912, with a formal opening a week later, and has been operating almost continuously ever since.
Conneaut Lake Park is a summer resort and event venue located in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, United States. It has long served as a regional tourist destination, and was noted by roller coaster enthusiasts for its classic Blue Streak coaster, which was classified as "historic" by the American Coaster Enthusiasts group in 2010. Conneaut Lake is Pennsylvania's largest natural (glacier) lake, and is a popular summer destination for recreational boaters due to there being no horsepower limit on the lake.
Libertyland was an amusement park located in Memphis, Tennessee. Opened on July 4, 1976, it was located at 940 Early Maxwell Blvd. It was structured under the nonprofit 501(c)4 US tax code. It closed due to financial reasons in 2005.
Barry Island Pleasure Park is an amusement park situated on the coast at Barry Island in the Vale of Glamorgan, about 10 mi (16 km) south west of the capital city Cardiff, Wales.
Astroland was a 3.1-acre (1.3 ha) amusement park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City that first opened in 1962. It was located at 1000 Surf Avenue on the boardwalk. It ceased operations on September 7, 2008.
Spreepark is a former amusement park in the north of the Plänterwald in the Berlin district Treptow-Köpenick. It was also known by its earlier name Kulturpark Plänterwald Berlin.
Berlin Westkreuz is a station in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. It is served by the S-Bahn lines S3, S41, S42, S46, S5, S7 and S9 and so represents a major interchange point on the Berlin S-Bahn network. It lies at the opposite end of the Stadtbahn to Ostkreuz and is one of the four main stations on the Ringbahn.
The Gold Coaster is a steel roller coaster operating at Dreamworld. The roller coaster is one of the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere, after originally being the tallest when it was first built. Designed by Arrow Dynamics, built in Melbourne by Able Leisure Pty. Ltd the ride was originally installed at Luna Park Sydney in 1995 as the Big Dipper before being sold and relocated to Dreamworld on the Gold Coast in 2001. When it was brought to Dreamworld, the ride was the first roller coaster to be opened on the Gold Coast since 1997. The roller coaster was named Cyclone from 2001 until 2015 when it was refurbished and named Hot Wheels SideWinder as part of the new Motorsport Experience themed land from 2015 to 2020.
Luna Park Hamburg-Altona was an amusement park in Altona, Hamburg, Germany. At its opening in 1913, it was the largest in Germany; it closed after the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 and reopened for less than a year in 1923.
Europark Idroscalo Milano is an amusement park in Segrate, Italy, near Milan. Opened to the public for the first time in 1965, the park is a popular stop on Via Rivoltana near Idroscalo Lake. It is open seven days a week from March through September and on weekends throughout the year.
Amusement park in Prague, is situated in the territory of the Prague Fairground Výstaviště Praha in Prague-Bubeneč, nearby Holešovice. It was one of the few grounds in the Czech Republic that permanently hosted amusement attractions like roller coaster and ferris wheel, however, since 2018, those two permanent attractions were removed and are present only during the funfairs seasons. The park host funfairs in spring and autumn seasons.
The Kursaal is a Grade II listed building in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which opened in 1901 as part of one of the world's first purpose-built amusement parks. The venue is noted for the main building with distinctive dome, designed by George Campbell Sherrin, which featured on a Royal Mail special stamp in 2011.
Media related to Luna-Park Berlin at Wikimedia Commons