Abandoned Amusement Parks (part 1)
69Echoes of Fun, Silence of Decay
The day the music stopped, the fun ended, the rides halted and the gate closed up for good - that day the park fell into the brooding silence, deep and desolate, yet fraught with echoes and afterimages of former joy. Specters of happy crowds, romancing couples, over-active children, memories of devil-may-care atmosphere and addictive/indulgent food - all came to haunt the place, seemingly stronger with every passing year. As the forest grew and reclaimed its own, the grounds were sinking deeper into the "loud silence", a sentimental oblivion, leaving behind a tangible presence of the past, and a longing... and bringing scores of urban explorers to sample its past glory and savor its present decay.
Okpo Land in South Korea Southern Korean island of Geoje holds the remains of Okpo Land park.
"This amusement park sits on a ridge on the edge of Okpo City (pop. 200 000) in Geoje Island, for all to see. It has been closed since 1999, when the park's second fatality-causing accident saw a young girl fall off a chick-shaped skybike. The owner of the park shut it down and never paid the girl's family a cent (or won)"
"I believe this is where the accident occurred, or at least this is the ride that killed her:"
This was taken from the highest point on the roller coaster:
"The roller coaster was cute. Also, the building in the background turned out to be an abandoned swimming pool" -
"Flying to the Moon never looked so impossible:"
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Informative hub. Just goes to show the dow nside of amusement Parks. good pictures!
i dig man. i suppose that this is to be a series of hubs? i hope so. i go nuts for abandoned stuff.
looks like the Joker's next hangout
very good work that you are doing. I really like the topics you choose. Please go ahead and I´m glad.
I am glad it is closed...we are each one of us responsible for how we do our jobs...and it does not include the right to be lack...this poor child had no reason to die in the hands of people that seem to care about only themselves...I am glad to see this park die...God Bless the girl and her poor family...and me too...G-ma :O) Hugs & Peace
Very spooky feeling to see these abandoned places where nature has begun to reclaim the land. Great Hub.
That must've been a awesome exploratory trip! thank you for sharing! :)
Love this hub! Great pictures! Thanks for sharing!
Oh no but oh yes.
What an odd feeling looking at these pics- lifeless amusement parks (seems like an oxymoron). Great hub!
It's a little eerie to see these abandoned amusement park rides. Nevertheless, I like to see these kinds of pictures. They bring many thoughts and memories to mind.
WOW ! Great pic's. I can hear the laughter. Can you get somee of them to be wall size and sell on ebay. Thanks
Great photos. Who climbed up the abandoned roller coaster to get that pic from the highest point??
Love your photography, the story is very sad because a young life was lost but I think the relic of the closed amusement park is also very sad, makes me think of the end of the world. very thought provoking.
Of course laws differ throughout the world, but I can't help but think: what a waste. I am glad the owners are now longer operating, sorry for the loss of life. Moving forward, it would be nice to see this park recycled into something useful and safe.
Just amazing photos. Abandoned... Time and decay. In spite of how sad I would have been to see things in that state...I would have been thrilled at the photo opportunity. Well done!!
Nice pictures. Is sad to see that a colourful place can die...
i wanna go there :(. I agree with deestbie...'abandoned, decay....' there isnt anything better.
Nice pic's and what a shame - places that kids enjoye all abandon for something else. I wonder how many more there are that are very forgotten. Hey does anyone remember Whalom Park?
Great photos - nobody ever thinks of these places. Thanks for a great hub!
Wonderfully creepy photos. but i also worry that this increase of abandoned parks will only encourage more supervillian hideouts.
found it via your twitter. Love the pics. Keep up the good work!
fascinating
What haunted pictures.
Well done post.
every photographers dream location
Those parks pics were amazingly creepy...
Great pictures, very eerie, like a seaside town in winter
Is this a disney theme park?!
Reminds me of San Francisco's Playland at the Beach. It was torn down thankfully before it fell into such a state. This year's reunion of San Francisco Natives will have as it's theme, Playland at the Beach. It should be fun for people to reminisce and I believe we will have some memorabilia available for viewing.
That is an awsome hub... Those pictures are what nightmares are made of. I look forward to checking your other stuff..Thanks for the follow in twitter... Peace and scary dreams.
Wow, great pictures! A true paradise frozen in time as everything else grows around it.
Loved this hub and pics! Thanks! :)
What an interesting topic and great photos! Thanks! :)
It's one of the freakiest looking places I've been so I'm shooting a sieries of TWISTED/DARK/PSYCOTIC/HORROR <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=40244098%40N00&">pictures</a> there now :P
What fantastic pics! The shot of the toy clown laying on the ground is a little creepy tho'...but I supposed I've watched too many horror movies lol
lol
Awesome Hub! The pictures are weird, interesting, and sort of sad. ;)
The photos are very beautiful - and very melancholy. We really like amusement parks and it is sad to see that these have been left to rot.
I was just at this amusement park the other day. you can see more photos on my blog: http://rachelinbusan.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/aban
Comco erteza This would be a great setting for filming a horror movie or thriller!
Wow, great pictures! Did you take them yourself?
That picture of the care hanging off the track and the girl on the floor, is in very poor taste, that is the ride a little girl died on that caused the closure of the park, and that derailed car is the one that the girl fell out of a died.
“Okpo Land theme park was shut down in 1999 after a series of…”accidents.” After the first fatality in the ’90s, the park continued to operate without remorse. But after a second fatal accident where a young girl was killed after she was thrown from a chick-shaped kiddie ride, the park finally shut down. Although it’s unclear who was responsible for maintaining the park, one thing was clear: whoever they were, they weren’t interested in taking responsibility for the tragic deaths. The family of the young girl received no compensation (or even an apology), and the park’s owner disappeared overnight, leaving everything as it was the day the park closed. Although the story is tragic and the theme park owner’s response deplorable, the park itself is an absolute gem for urban explorers. Since Okpo Land’s cowardly owner didn’t have time to sell off the park’s rides, everything has been left intact to rot and rust…even the derailed car that killed the young girl is left suspended in the air.”
You were really cute lying out there pretending dead. really :)
You have some great photos there. In this economy I'm surprised amusement parks can stay open at all. The amusement parks in CA are constantly being inspected by government officials. I'm glad you had fun there and documented things before they are all gone some day.
Paraglider Level 5 Commenter 3 years ago
Great pics - enjoyed this one!