Germany’s Freizeitpark Turisede Draws Positive Half-Year Results

“Today, we have the latest park revenue statistics, including the results through the end of July,” says Doreen Stopporka, Managing Director of Turisede, the German leisure park located near the Polish border. According to Stopporka, cumulative park revenue at the end of July 2026 had reached a record level compared with the two previous years: “And this year, despite a later start to the season, we have even recorded an increase in revenue of almost 100,000 euros, with the rise in overnight stays accounting for a significant share.” Only in July, the park opened a new accommodation offer for guests, the luxury treehouse “Überseeempore”.

Despite these demonstrably positive results, Doreen Stopporka and Jürgen Bergmann – the creative minds behind the leisure park and their Künstlerische Holzgestaltung Bergmann company – have faced a highly unwelcome media campaign in recent weeks. It began in July with the broadcast of an episode of the RTL docu-soap “Goodbye Deutschland – Die Urlaubsmacher”, in which Turisede was presented as an unusual destination for holidaymakers. “The unfortunate thing is that the footage, in which we also spoke, among other things, about the challenges involved in operating a leisure park in general and, in particular, at our specific location on the German-Polish border in Neißeaue, had already been recorded three years ago (!),” explains Jürgen Bergmann. “To take statements made back then – at a time when we were still working to win our guests back following the difficult pandemic years – and project them, without any comment, onto our highly successful reality in 2026 strikes me as highly questionable media practice, for which RTL should at the very least apologize,” Bergmann says. The broadcast of the old feature was only the beginning. Individual German tabloid media outlets subsequently picked up the story. With sensational headlines such as “Cult leisure park in eastern Germany faced closure: Owners feared for their future” or “Existential Fears: Leisure park in eastern Germany fought for survival”, these publications painted a completely false picture and created the impression that Turisede was on the verge of closing. “The actual reports were, in some cases, considerably less negative – but the headlines alone had an immediate and toxic effect,” Doreen Stopporka explains to EAP.

Fortunately, the unwanted media attention has so far no impact on visitor numbers, according to Stopporka and Bergmann. “Nevertheless, the false headlines did have noticeable consequences – above all within the company itself, for example among employees who became unsettled,” Bergmann says. Legal action has since been initiated, although the uncertainty caused by the reports can only be addressed slowly and to a limited extent. “Fortunately, our current figures for 2026 tell a positive story. And if this beautiful summer is followed by a successful autumn, we’re on track for another stable and outstanding result this year,” says Bergmann. Through Künstlerische Holzgestaltung, he produces unique wooden structures and play equipment that are in demand across Europe, particularly for colorful and unconventional recreational environments.

Through proactive communication, the entrepreneurs aim to strengthen and deepen the trust built up over many years of cooperation, particularly among their employees and business partners. Park guests and employees were promptly informed about the background of the media coverage, while the media outlets concerned were asked to issue corrections. In addition, the company recently published its own statement, which can be found here (in German language).

And there is one point that Jürgen Bergmann considers particularly important following what he describes as this “unbelievable incident”: “I would also like to make other colleagues in the industry aware of the need to be cautious when dealing with the media. In my view, our example shows that some media outlets do not shy away from distorting facts or exaggerating them in a negative way in order to make a story more marketable.” ■