Human beings have been building large structures around the world for thousands of years now.
Modern buildings that occupy a good amount of space are often taken down today in order to make way for something new. This is not always the case, however, and some structures are left standing for years or decades without any care.
This is exactly what you might think if you were traveling in a remote part of Brandenburg, Germany. An old hangar for massive blimps and airships called the Aerium stands by itself in a field often covered in snow.
The reality is that the hangar is not abandoned at all. It is a major tourist destination in Germany.
A company in Malaysia purchased the defunct hangar in 2003. The goal was to bring a tropical experience to the people of Europe. The company converted the 1,200-foot long, 700-foot wide and 350-foot high structure into the largest indoor rainforest in the world.
That includes trees and birds like flamingos and parrots. The interior is filled with tropical plants and large bodies of water. There are beaches for playing along with water slides and amusement park rides.
Visitors will find a complete small town off to the side. Several themed bars are spread between the beaches.
Visitors can stay overnight in a hotel in the hangar or camp out in a tent on one of the beaches.
The hangar is now called the Tropical Islands Resort. Guests to the location can spend a day in constant 78 degree Fahrenheit temperatures even if it is below freezing outside.
An added treat is that the resort has a hot air balloon offering people the chance to ride up to the top and marvel at the indoor rainforest landscape.
