First theme park on the site of a nuclear power plant

The first theme park to be built on the site of a former nuclear power plant is Wunderland Kalkar, near Dusseldorf, Germany. Situated in the grounds and buildings of the never-operational SNR-300 large breeder plant, in 1991 the facility was sold to Dutch businessman Hennie van der Most. In an incredible example of recycling, since 1995 the unused power plant has been progressively fitted out with a merry-go-round, roller coaster, Ferris wheel and other rides. The former cooling tower contains an enormous 58-m (190-ft 3.46-in) and 25-ton (55,115-lb) swing, a 40-m (131-ft 2.8-in) climbing wall and ‘Echoland’ section, and has been painted to depict a snowy mountain scene. Initially called Kernwasser Wunderland, and later renamed Wunderland Kalkar, the park also boasts four restaurants, eight bars, and six hotels. It attracts 600,000 visitors every year, and employs 550 staff in high season. SNR-300 was the first large breeding nuclear reactor in Germany. Construction started in 1972, and the controversial reactor design used plutonium 239 as a fuel and sodium for cooling – a more dangerous method than conventional nuclear reactors. However, significant local objections meant the scheme was constantly delayed, and then finally abandoned – without ever being fully operational. Covering the size of 80 soccer fields, the US$4 billion project used enough concrete to construct a motorway from Amsterdam to Maastricht and enough wire to circle the Earth twice.