See relics of Europe’s industrial past reimagined as amusement parks

Human activities have scarred the landscape in ways that could take decades or even centuries to repair, but some have found promise in the destruction.

Crowds dance at Ferropolis, a former open pit coal mine near the city of Gräfenhainichen in Germany that was turned into an open air museum and concert venue. Towering over the crowds illuminated in crimson is Gemini, an old coal excavator that's no longer in use. This is just one example of an industrial site reimagined for public use.

Hundreds of feet under Transylvania lurks a gaping hole where undulating layers of black, white, and gray wind along rocky subterranean walls. Millions of years ago, a sprawling sea once blanketed the region of Romania where this cavern now lies. But the water has long since dried up, leaving behind the mineral that gives the cave walls their stripes: salt.

This saline secret was a boon for the region and was mined for hundreds of years, starting as early as 1075. As miners extracted the mineral, they dug the magnificent cavern, expanding it until the mine, known as Salina Turda, closed in 1932. Now, the subterranean space has a fresh purpose, delighting visitors as an underground amusement park.

This is just one

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