Transvaal Park

Transvaal Park

Former Transvaal Park building
Location Yasenevo, Moscow, Russia
Coordinates 55°35′53″N 37°31′46″E / 55.59806°N 37.52944°E / 55.59806; 37.52944Coordinates: 55°35′53″N 37°31′46″E / 55.59806°N 37.52944°E / 55.59806; 37.52944
Theme African
Opened June 2002 (2002-06)
Closed February 14, 2004 (2004-02-14)
Website Official website

Transvaal Park was a popular waterpark in Yasenevo, a south district of Moscow, Russia. With several large, heated pools, including a wave pool and twisting "river" for tubing, it became one of the most popular attractions in the Moscow area and a symbol of the country's bloom of private enterprise. It was based on an African theme, and its name came from the South African province of Transvaal. It also included a sauna. When the water park had been open for two years, the roof collapsed with fatalities.

History

The park opened in June 2002.[1] At 7:15 p.m. on February 14, 2004 the roof of the park collapsed, killing 28 people, including 8 children, and injuring 193, including 51 children.[2]Architect Nodar Kancheli, who had designed the structure, claimed that terrorists likely attacked the attraction, but the cause turned out to be a faulty design.[3][4]

In a Dutch publication (2015) "stress corrosion cracking" of stainless steel fasteners or other loaded stainless steel elements was suggested as being the cause of this accident. This still is an open secret and for such behaviour an accident in Chusovoy RU could occur (14 fatalities, 2005) and one in Tilburg NL (1 fatality, 2011). The Dutch swimming pool branch is involved in these accidents. By not investigating these stainless steel related accidents, any moment a new accident can happen.[5]

On April 2, 2013 a new water park – Moreon – was opened on the former site of Transvaal Park.[6]

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.