Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Hangar Now Serves As A Sunny Escape (PHOTOS)
In the middle of snowy Germany, a former aircraft hangar serves as a sunny escape from the cold. Inside the mammoth building – which is tall enough to enclose the Statue of Liberty – is a Caribbean-influenced resort, Tropical Islands.
Besides a beach, a rainforest and a lagoon, Tropical Islands has seven spa zones inspired by various regions of the world, 13 bars and restaurants, and a golf course. There are also 200 rooms, plus an area on the beach for camping. On their website, the complex claims to be "Europe's largest tropical holiday world."
Located about 37 miles south of Berlin, Tropical Islands has a maximum capacity of 6,000 visitors per day. The hangar is the largest freestanding hall in the world, originally designed to protect large airships from the elements. It was purchased by the Malaysian corporation Tanjong in 2003, and officially opened its doors less than a year later.
The flora inside Tropical Islands makes up the biggest indoor rainforest in the world. It it home to around 50,000 plants representing 600 different species, some of which are rare.
Although the resort first opened in 2004, these photographs were taken just last week and were first brought to our attention by USA Today. Click through the gallery to see more.
Editor's note: A former version of this story mistakenly referred to the hangar as Soviet owned. Although the land was owned by the Soviet Army from 1945 until 1992, Cargolifter AG bought the former military airfield to construct airships, but the company went bankrupt in 2002.
Besides a beach, a rainforest and a lagoon, Tropical Islands has seven spa zones inspired by various regions of the world, 13 bars and restaurants, and a golf course. There are also 200 rooms, plus an area on the beach for camping. On their website, the complex claims to be "Europe's largest tropical holiday world."
Located about 37 miles south of Berlin, Tropical Islands has a maximum capacity of 6,000 visitors per day. The hangar is the largest freestanding hall in the world, originally designed to protect large airships from the elements. It was purchased by the Malaysian corporation Tanjong in 2003, and officially opened its doors less than a year later.
The flora inside Tropical Islands makes up the biggest indoor rainforest in the world. It it home to around 50,000 plants representing 600 different species, some of which are rare.
Although the resort first opened in 2004, these photographs were taken just last week and were first brought to our attention by USA Today. Click through the gallery to see more.
Gallery: Hanger Turned Tropical Resort in Krausnick, Germany
Editor's note: A former version of this story mistakenly referred to the hangar as Soviet owned. Although the land was owned by the Soviet Army from 1945 until 1992, Cargolifter AG bought the former military airfield to construct airships, but the company went bankrupt in 2002.
[Photo credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images]
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
Blair Warner Feb 21st 2013 4:45PM
The sun IS there; they get the solar rays and energy, but they deep six the cold temps, silly goose! That's why you see a sunny day on their beach-like environment!
Kyle Feb 21st 2013 5:36PM
I am not impressed how hard is it to turn 1 building in the middle of a waste land into a paradise; we have a man here that can turn an entire country from a paradise into a waste land, and with the help of the media, he is able to convince the masses to vote for it.
meteorman Feb 21st 2013 6:02PM
Looks like an ex-zeppelin hangar but the soviets had none while in Germany. Perhaps it was a zeppelin hangar from the 1920's that was upgraded after the fall of the wall.
Paula Feb 21st 2013 6:44PM
The hangar is the largest freestanding hall in the world, originally designed to protect large airships from the elements.
Rothhammer1 Feb 21st 2013 9:07PM
Airships did not go completely extinct in 1937. There was Soviet airship passenger service, aboard the Patriot, as late as 1950. In addition there were several military ships.
By reading the article, one can surmise that the soviet airship hangar purchased from a Malaysian firm was likely disassembled in the former USSR and shipped to Deutschland. It would be nice if the article were more specific, though.
The building looks rether similar to the twin Goodyear hangars at Moffett Field in CA.
Steve Feb 21st 2013 6:49PM
Libby
Get your facts straight, This is not a Soviet hangar But the Cargolifter Airship hangar built in 1996, Cargolifter went bankrupt in 2002 and they converted the facility after that. Cargolifter was designed to be a heavy lift airship but investors and cost overruns drove it out of business. This was an old German Luftwaffe airfield that fell into Soviet hands in 1945. In 1994 They turned all military installations in the former East German areas back to the German Government
Joe Feb 21st 2013 7:47PM
thanks for the concise info Steve
JAY R Feb 21st 2013 7:24PM
I say its an excellent idea its about time something like this only bigger and better is build in manhattan instead of the giant malls we see erected every day in our neighborhoods only to fill them with ice creams and short skirts
Steve Feb 21st 2013 8:12PM
Never heard of the Russians having airships...however, Germany did, prior to WWll perhaps this is a Zeppelin hangar, left over from the elegant days of travel by airship.
Steve Feb 21st 2013 8:28PM
If you search Zeppelin hangar converted to resort, you'll pull up several related subjects, one of which is Giant Zeppelin Hangar converted to resort, with interesting article.
There are several similar hangars about our own country similar in size, used for parking blimps when not in use. There were some huge ones near the Goodyear plant in Akron, those may be gone now.
Ken Feb 21st 2013 8:57PM
Wait, theres no way they can fit a golf course in there.
navalphoto Feb 21st 2013 9:55PM
Ever hear of miniture golf?
Audrey Booth Feb 22nd 2013 1:35PM
The article says it has golf course, but I can't see any sign of it, can anyone tell me where its hiding? I'm so glad we don't need a giant hangar for all of those things, we have beautiful beaches and mountains and rivers and lakes and great seasons to enjoy these things like golf and surfing and mountain climbing and ocean fisning. Aren't we the luckiest people on earth?
bob Feb 21st 2013 11:56PM
Who did the so called reporting on this?? It is not a former soviet hangar. It was built by a company called cargolifter for airship use. It was built on a former soviet aircraft base. Cargolifter went under so the hangar - which is only a few years old - is now used for this. Very cool, but for crying out loud, don't publish your report without having never doing your job and finding out what the facts are.
Mireya Feb 22nd 2013 2:14AM
This never was a Soviet Hangar ! It was build by Cargo Lifter a company who tried to build blimps to transport heavy loads etc. But they went belly up sadly ! The Hangar was build in the 90, s the Russian army was already gone !
Donatella Feb 22nd 2013 2:31AM
Please get better informed: this is NOT a former soviet hangar!!!!!! It was built by CargoLifter in 1999-2001 and was meant to serve as a real hangar for a 250 m long airship, for cargo transportation.
The company bankrupted and we were all fired....
SP Feb 22nd 2013 3:03AM
The Soviets had nothing to do with it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Islands_Resort
andre von Schoenebeck Feb 22nd 2013 5:49AM
The "SOVIET Hangar" was built in 1999 long after the soviets had gone. It was intended to be the construction facility of the Cargo Lifter airship, designed to carry up to 160 tonnes of load up to 6000 ft altitude. The hall design was won by a 28 year old girl that had just finished her architectural degree. It is virtually self acclimatizing.
The project went public but shortly thereafter failed due to un surmountable red tape that is usual for anything that flies in Germany. Had this been started in the US it would have been a success.
After it had gone bust an Investor from Malaysia bough it foe a song and turned it into a TROPICAL ISLAND success.
archman Feb 22nd 2013 9:10AM
german women and there hairy arm pits.?? I'll stay away from that place
skeptic Feb 22nd 2013 12:03PM
I think this is an aberration. Creating a false Nature? And just for the money spent by gullible, not-too-bright people? I wonder what percentage of the profits goes to the hosts.