Inside a creepy abandoned theme park full of rides that have never been ridden – and the devastating reason why it has been left to rot
A SPOOKY abandoned theme park that never opened is full of rides that have never been ridden.
Enter the Pripyat amusement park Ukraine has become a disturbing icon of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
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Located just a few miles away, the attraction is a terrifying symbol of the tragedy that unfolded in the nearby city.
As it prepared for its opening on May 1, 1986, the residents of Pripyat prepared to be evacuated on that unforgettable day, just weeks earlier.
The theme park was so brand new that festive decorations are still hanging around the terrifying attractions of the planned grand opening.
Most of the attractions are still fully intact, including the looming Ferris wheel that has become part of Chernobyl’s outer skyline.
Visitors to the areas sometimes fill the carts with stuffed animals as a memorial.
That’s despite the fact that the area under the Ferris wheel has one of the highest radiation levels in the amusement park.
Although most of the attraction still contains varying levels of radiation, the concrete areas are largely safe.
There’s also an abandoned bumper car ride nearby, with images showing how Mother Nature has practically reclaimed it.
Old, rusted and a skeleton of what they once were, the bumper cars are a sad sight for sore eyes.
The Pripyat amusement park, located behind the Palace of Culture in the city center, was scheduled to open just a week after the disaster.
The attraction was built to celebrate May 1, 1986 and designed to entertain the 50,000 people who once lived in the city.
But it is now in ruins, as the rides that have never been ridden become rustier by the day.
Photojournalist and tourist guide Anton Petrus, 29, who took pictures of what remains of the amusement park, said: “None of the rides in the park have ever been ridden.
“For the past thirty years, the park has just been left to rust in the rain.
“When I first visited five years ago, the first thing I thought was, ‘This looks like our factory after humanity disappeared.’
“Everywhere I looked there were overgrown trees and cracked concrete, it was completely deserted – it was a very strange sight.
“Pripyat is the worst place I have ever been, but it is a very unique place for photographers.”
The four attractions include the iconic Ferris wheel, bumper cars, swing boats and a skydive ride.
Today, the fair and especially the Ferris wheel are a symbol of the Chernobyl disaster.
The theme park appears in video games such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfar and is referenced in the TV show Scorpion in the episode entitled Chernobyl Intentions.
Elsewhere, a creepy theme park once considered one of the best and biggest attractions in Venezuela has been left to rot.
Abandoned, looted and torn apart – Diversions Grano de Oro has become known as a haunted ‘cemetery of attractions“.
And in 1981, a theme park was opened “for the enrichment of humanity”. has been abandoned for the past 34 years.
Atlantis Marine Park, built in the suburb of Two Rocks on the northern edge of Perth, Australia, was the first element to transform the area into a premier recreational area.
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