Treptower Park

Treptower Park (pronounced [tʁɛptoːɐ], with a silent w) is a park alongside the river Spree in Alt-Treptow, in the district of Treptow-Köpenick, south of central Berlin. It is a popular place for recreation of Berliners and a tourist attraction. On 14 July 1987 it was used by British band Barclay James Harvest for the first ever open-air concert by a western rock band in the German Democratic Republic.

Soviet war memorial

File:Relief illustration as part of Soviet War Memorial, Treptower Park.jpg

Illustration made in relief as part of Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park

File:Treptower Park Pedestal.JPG

A view into the pedestal of the memorial

File:Statue of Soviet soldier in Treptower Park, Berlin, Germany.jpg

Statue of kneeling Soviet soldier at the memorial

Its prominent feature is the Soviet War Memorial (sometimes translated as the "Soviet Cenotaph"), built to the design of the Soviet architect Yakov Belopolsky to commemorate the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who fell in the Battle of Berlin in April–May 1945. It was opened four years after the war ended on May 8, 1949.

Spreepark

Main article: Spreepark

Within Treptower Park is Spreepark, an abandoned amusement park, which operated from October 1969 until 2001.

The owner of Spreepark, Norbert Witte, went bankrupt and left Germany rather abruptly. He took several of the park's rides including the Jet Star and Fun Express with him to Peru where he was to open a small park called Lunapark at Jockey Plaza in Lima, Peru. Some of the rides were damaged in transit and then followed by legal discussions of who would pay for the damages.

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Website der Bürgerinitiative Treptower Park
• Rollercoaster Database - Spree-Park Info