Berlin Dungeon and Bud Spencer Museum Both Announce Permanent Closure in the Same Week

Published October 15, 2026, Berliner Zeitung reported that two Berlin tourist attractions announced permanent closures in quick succession. The Berlin Dungeon, operated by the Merlin Group, announced on October 15 that it would close on November 7, 2026, ending more than 13 years of horror-themed entertainment in the city. Just days earlier, the Bud Spencer Museum on Unter den Linden — dedicated to the Italian comic actor and wrestler beloved in Germany and Italy — also announced it would shut by year-end 2026. The rapid double announcement prompted Berliner Zeitung to ask whether Berlin faces a systemic tourism problem, with rising commercial rents, post-pandemic visitor fatigue, and shifting entertainment preferences cited as possible factors. The Berlin Dungeon's international sister venues in Hamburg, London, Amsterdam, and Edinburgh are not expected to close. Berlin's tourism authority noted individual closures do not indicate a structural trend and pointed to the strength of Berlin's wider cultural and leisure landscape.