Tropical Islands Resort
Tropical Islands Resort is a tropical theme park located in the former Brand-Briesen Airfield in Halbe, municipality in the district of Dahme-Spreewald in Brandenburg, Germany, 50 kilometres from the southern boundary of Berlin. It is housed in a former airship hangar (known as the Aerium), the biggest free-standing hall in the world. The hall belonged to the company Cargolifter until its insolvency in 2002.
Tropical Islands has a maximum capacity of 8,200 visitors a day. In its first year of operation it attracted 975,000 visitors, according to the operators. The Tanjong company reported 155,000 visitors in the business year February 2004 to February 2005. Approximately 600 people work at Tropical Islands.
Tropical Islands has a world record for the largest indoor waterpark. It is bigger than Canada's World Waterpark at West Edmonton Mall. It is also the fourth-largest building in the world by usable volume.
Parques Reunidos acquired Tropical Islands in December 2018.
Location
Tropical Islands is located approximately 60 kilometres south of the centre of Berlin and 50 kilometres from the southern boundary of the city. It is close to Briesen/Brand in the south of the municipality of Halbe. The theme park is on the site of the former Soviet airfield Brand, in the Aerium hangar.
Access
It can be reached by taking the A13 autobahn. It can also be reached taking a train to Brand Tropical Islands, followed by a free shuttle bus.
Background
In 1938, Germany began development of Brand-Briesen Airfield for the Luftwaffe. The Red Army overran the site in May 1945, and occupied the site after World War II, adding a second runway and nuclear-resistant command and control facilities for the fighter aircraft regiment.
With the reunification of Germany in 1989/1990, the Soviet Army agreed to return all military bases by 1994. Returned to the Federal Government of Germany in 1992, Cargolifter AG bought the former military airfield to construct airships. It began development of a new construction hall, 360 metres long, 210...
