Originally built by the Luftwaffe in 1938, the Red Army captured the field in May 1945, not returning it to the German government until 1992. The airfield on which it stands has weathered its share of history. On the horizon: a giant dome, 107 metres tall and 360 metres across, it is as high as the Statue of Liberty and as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall. Soon, the shuttle arrives and I am the solo traveller on an empty ghost bus to paradise, kitted out with lime and fuchsia seats sporting exotic bird patterns. Who goes to Tropical Islands on a Monday morning? So far, just me, it would seem. As the train pulls into the station, I eagerly look around to identify my fellow tropical tourists only to alight to an empty platform. The lodge that is to be my refuge for the next 24 hours comes in at €140. While day tickets start from €42 (unless it’s your birthday, in which case its free), there are also a variety of tents and cabins in and outside the dome, available for overnight stays. Entry will cost you more than a smile, though. I’m struck by how prescient the lyrics are, as if George Michael himself could have foreseen the logical inevitability of late-stage capitalism producing a humungous, artificial oasis in central Europe: “Fun and sunshine, there’s enough for everyone / All that’s missing is the sea”. As the Regio chug chugs through forests and fields en route to Cottbus, I put on Wham’s 1983 hit single “Club Tropicana”. Destination: a former airship hangar in the Brandenburg countryside that now houses the world’s largest indoor waterpark. Nicholas Potter goes on an overnight expedition to find out why one would hang out in a former airship hangar filled with tropical kitsch, flamingos and squealing brats – aka Tropical Islands.Ĭould Tropical Islands provide a sunny beach break without a Caribbean-sized carbon footprint? And on a post-apocalyptic planet, could we eventually all live in isolated domes with artificial climates? These are my thoughts as I board the 09:51 regional train from Ostkreuz to take me on what promises to be an exotic getaway right on Berlin’s doorstep.
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