A SPOOKY abandoned theme park that never opened is full of rides that have never been ridden.
The Pripyat Amusement Park in Ukraine has become an unsettling icon of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
The Ferris wheel at the abandoned Pripyat Amusement Park can be seen from miles away
AlamyThe rides were never used prior to the Chernobyl disaster[/caption]
The forest around the bumper cars has taken over the enclosure
Located just a few miles away, the attraction is a haunting symbol of the tragedy that occurred in the nearby city.
As it prepared to open on May 1, 1986, residents of Pripyat prepared to evacuate on that unforgettable day just weeks earlier.
The theme park was so brand spanking new that festive decorations still linger near the haunting rides from its planned grand opening.
Most rides are still fully intact, including the looming Ferris wheel that’s become a part of the outer Chernobyl skyline.
Visitors to the areas sometimes fill its carts with stuffed animals as a memorial.
That’s despite the area under the Ferris wheel having some of the highest levels of radiation in the amusement park.
While the majority of the attraction still contains varying levels of radiation, its concrete areas are mostly safe.
There is also an abandoned bumper-car ride in the vicinity, with images showing how its practically been reclaimed by mother nature.
Old, rusted and a skeleton of what they once were, the bumper cars are a sorry sight for sore eyes.
Pripyat amusement park, located behind the Palace of Culture in the centre of the city, was due to be opened just a week after the disaster struck.
The attraction was built to celebrate May Day in 1986 and designed to entertain the 50,000 people who once lived in the town.
But it now lies in ruins as the rides that have never been ridden become rustier day-by-day.
Photojournalist and tourist guide Anton Petrus, 29, who took pictures of what remains of the amusement park, said: “None of the rides at the park have ever been ridden.
“For the past 30 years, the park has just been rusting in the rain.
“When I first visited five years ago the first thing I thought was, ‘this looks like our plant after humanity disappears’.
“Everywhere I looked there were overgrown trees and cracked concrete, it was completely abandoned – it was a very strange spectacle.
“Pripyat is the worst place I’ve ever been – but it’s a very unique place for photographers.”
Its four attractions featured the iconic Ferris wheel, bumper cars, swing boats and a paratrooper ride.
Today, the funfair and in particular the Ferris wheel, are a symbol of the Chernobyl disaster.
The amusement park appears in video games such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfar and is referenced in the TV show Scorpion in the episode titled Chernobyl Intentions.
Elsewhere, a spooky 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 ghostly “cemetery of attractions“.
And a theme park opened “for the enrichment of mankind” back in 1981 has sat abandoned for the last 34 years.
Built in the outer suburb of Two Rocks at the northern edge of Perth, Australia, Atlantis Marine Park was the first element in turning the area into a premier leisure recreation region.
GettyThe abandoned bumper cars haven’t moved in almost 40 years[/caption]
EPAVisitors to the areas sometimes fill the Ferris wheel’s carts with stuffed animals as a memorial[/caption]
Getty – ContributorThe majority of the attraction still contains varying levels of radiation, although its concrete areas are considered mostly safe[/caption]
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