Wonderland Eurasia, billed as “Europe’s biggest theme park,” opened in Ankara, Turkey, in March 2019. Political turmoil, uneven ride quality, and a lack of attendance caused the massive park to close its doors permanently after less than a year of operation. According to an AFP story, the park’s abandoned dinosaur statues now piled in fields tell a “tale of grand ambition, waste and troubles facing the long-ruling party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.” The project, built by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and featured 17 roller coasters and dozens of other attractions spread over a 320-acre park, which now sits empty.
Wonderland Abandoned: The Swift Fall of “Europe’s Biggest Theme Park”
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![Decaying dinosaur statues sit, dumped in a field; an apartment building is visible in the background.]()
Read moreDecaying dinosaur statues sit, dumped in a field outside the abandoned Wonderland Eurasia theme park, near the Turkish capital of Ankara, on July 5, 2021. #
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![Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech in front of a large dinosaur statue.]()
Read moreOn March 20, 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of Wonderland Eurasia. #
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![A crowd of people cheer in front of a large statue of a dinosaur.]()
Read morePeople gather to listen to Erdogan's speech during Wonderland Eurasia's opening ceremony. #
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![A small crowd of people walk in an amusement park.]()
Read morePeople visit Wonderland Eurasia on August 13, 2019. #
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![Circus performers put on a show for a small group of people in a theme park.]()
Read morePerformers put on a show in Wonderland Eurasia on August 13, 2019. #
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![A statue that resembles the alien from the "Alien" movies stands in a theme-park attraction.]()
Read moreA statue of a creature, part of an attraction at Wonderland Eurasia, seen on March 20, 2019 #
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![People play large video games in an arcade.]()
Read moreOpening day at Wonderland Eurasia, on March 20, 2019 #
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![A wide view of an amusement park featuring a Ferris wheel]()
Read moreA Ferris wheel and other attractions of Wonderland Eurasia, seen on March 20, 2019 #
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![A small group of people float down a river in a theme-park attraction.]()
Read morePeople enjoy a water ride in Wonderland Eurasia on August 13, 2019. #
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![A dinosaur's head sticks out of the wall of a theme-park attraction]()
Read moreA dinosaur's head sticks out of the wall of a theme-park attraction in Ankara on March 20, 2019. #
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![Theme-park features are seen piled in a field.]()
Read moreThis picture, taken on July 5, 2021, shows abandoned items from the closed Wonderland Eurasia theme park. #
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![A broken-down triceratops model sits in a scrapyard.]()
Read moreA broken-down triceratops model sits in a scrapyard on July 5, 2021. #
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![Several abandoned dinosaur hatchling statues]()
Read moreAbandoned dinosaur hatchlings from Wonderland Eurasia, seen on July 5, 2021 #
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![Abandoned theme-park-ride features sit in a field.]()
Read moreAbandoned theme-park-ride features sit in a field in Ankara on July 5, 2021. #
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![A headless robotic feature stands in a field.]()
Read moreA headless robotic feature from Wonderland Eurasia stands in a field on July 5, 2021. #
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![Decaying dinosaur models sit in a field.]()
Read moreDecaying dinosaur models from Wonderland Eurasia, seen on July 5, 2021 #
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![Abandoned amusement-park materials sit in a field.]()
Read moreAbandoned amusement-park materials sit in Ankara on July 5, 2021. #
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![An aerial view of some of the objects from an abandoned theme park]()
Read moreAn aerial view of some of the objects from the abandoned Wonderland Eurasia theme park, seen on July 5, 2021 #
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![Piles of abandoned dinosaur models sit in a scrapyard.]()
Read morePiles of abandoned dinosaur models from Wonderland Eurasia sit in a scrapyard in Ankara on July 5, 2021. #
Adem Altan / AFP / Getty -
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