The Enchanted Amusement Park in Kirchhorst

© Matthias Kothe

After just 14 years, the amusement park was closed again. Today, some of the attractions from the past lead a lonely and mysterious existence in the shadows of the former amusement park. 

The wonderland at the gates of the city

A Wild West town with jungle gyms, a stream with electric boats, a bouncy castle, a model train set, a vintage car track, a pony ride, and later a go-kart track—these were the main attractions at the amusement park, which opened in 1971 on the eastern edge of the Kirchhorst district of Hannover under the somewhat misleading name “Blumenland.” Apart from its location surrounded by greenery and its immediate proximity to a large nursery, neither the park nor its restaurant—which boasted what was then Europe’s largest parasol—nor the terrace café actually had much to do with flowers, which is why, following its expansion from an initial 80,000 to around 100,000 square meters in 1977, the park was also renamed “Wunderland.” This name was now a much better fit for the attractions that visitors could enjoy from then on.

The stars of the show back then were the roller coaster with a giant loop and the Ladybug roller coaster for children, as well as other high-speed rides that were otherwise only found at state fairs or Marksmen's Fairs: Monster II (with five arms, each ending in four gondolas that spun around individually), Round-Up, and Graf Zeppelin. The large grounds also featured a bumper car track, a chain carousel, a mini-golf course, a giant slide, and shooting galleries. In 1984, admission for adults cost 10 DM; the following year, it was only half that. However, the fun didn’t last long: just 14 years after it opened, the “Freizeitpark Kirchhorst” (as it was last known) had to close again—the lease fees were ultimately too high and visitor numbers too low.

From Altwarmbüchen to Rome and Colorado

© Matthias Kothe

Since then, large parts of the park grounds have remained unused for many years. Most of the attractions and rides were dismantled after the park closed and sold to other parks around the world: the "Looping Star" roller coaster, for example, is now known as "Vertigo" at the "Zoomarine" amusement park in Torvainica, south of Rome, and the Ladybug Coaster (the "Tivoli" model) is said to have found a new home at "Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park" in the U.S. state of Colorado under the name "Wild West Express." Smaller attractions, as well as service buildings, bridges, and signs, were simply left behind in the closed park. They are slowly weathering and decaying over the years and can still be seen here and there through the chain-link fence surrounding the grounds, where Tertu Waldschmitt now runs a riding school, teaching show jumping and dressage to beginners and advanced riders of all ages.