Discordant Themes

By Lauren Goldstein/Wolfsburg

Whatever 2000 will eventually be known for, it won't be world-class theme parks. The turn of the millennium will go down as the year that the earth's fun-seeking public, at least outside the U.S., soundly rejected their governments' efforts to keep them entertained. Take Britain's Millennium Dome--please. It was conceived as a symbol of Cool Britannia. The government spent $1 billion on it, then sold it last July for just $158 million to Japanese financial group Nomura amid a flurry of bad press, worse reviews and lousy attendance reports. The heads of chief executive Jennie Page and Bob Ayling, chairman of the Dome's operators, the New Millennium Experience Company, had already rolled. The British government announced that about $65 million of sale revenues will go toward keeping the Dome running through the end of the year. This month, Dome managers asked for an additional $68 million to keep its doors open through December. Each Dome ticket sold has been subsidized by about $185.

Things haven't been much better for the organizers of Expo 2000, the world's fair in Hanover, Germany. Meant to showcase a united Germany, it is attracting a third of the expected number of visitors so far, and a number of hoped-for corporate sponsors have yet to sign on. Organizers have fired hundreds of workers and cut ticket prices, but Expo may still leave the German government with some $1 billion in debt.

Just down the autobahn in Wolfsburg, however, Volkswagen has built a theme park that is drawing twice as many visitors as expected, along with rave reviews. Autostadt, or Auto City, is the brainchild of VW chairman Ferdinand Piech. Conceived as a place for VW customers to pick up their new cars, the center quickly grew into the EuroDisney of the automobile. Unlike other theme-park planners, Piech never intended Autostadt to become profitable. The $400 million cost was written off as a marketing expense. Piech hopes Autostadt's revenues will cover its operating expenses next year.

What makes Autostadt a better draw? Architect Gunter Henn took an industrial wasteland and turned it into a magnificent park with shapely modern buildings, bridges and lots of grass. The attractions aren't bad either. There's a 360-degree theater showing a safety film by German director Dani Levy, rides that simulate a fraction of the force of a car crash, and pavilions for each VW brand. John Lennon's white Beetle, featured on the cover of Abbey Road, is a centerpiece of the VW museum. But perhaps the smartest thing VW did was to keep prices low and focus on fun--not hype. Whaddya know, it works.

--With reporting by Ursula Sautter/Bonn and Elinor Shields/London

With reporting by Ursula Sautter/Bonn and Elinor Shields/London