The Prora Hotel, also known as the Prora Colossus, was a beach resort built on the German island of Rügen between 1936 and 1939 as part of Nazi Germany’s “Strength through Joy” project.
Adolf HitlerAfter taking over leadership of Germany, he embarked on a major infrastructure development initiative. In addition to the construction of roads and large buildings, he also wanted to establish a holiday village for the middle class. The real purpose of this holiday village, which seemed innocent at first, was quite different.
Construction of the Prora Hotel began in 1936. With this huge holiday village approach 20 thousand rooms It was planned. The dimensions of the rooms were 5 meters wide and 2.5 meters long, and each room would have two beds. Showers and toilets would be in common areas. Middle class people would be able to spend their holidays in this resort.
A complex stretching for kilometers along the Baltic Sea coast was planned to accommodate thousands of Nazis. However Nazis, they could never enjoy this hotel. It now stands majestically as an example of Nazi architecture. Although the real name of the hotel is Prora, today it is known by the local people as Prora. “monstrous” It is referred to as.
They Carried People to the Hotel by Trains
Public holiday organization company of Nazi Germany Kraft durch Freude (KdF) (Turkish translation: Strength Comes from Joy), was transporting people by train to this hotel on Rügen Island in northern Germany. Until 1939, Rügen Island25 million Germans came to this hotel for a holiday.
However, why was an almost identical hotel with 20 thousand rooms being built? Of course, the aim was for people to have a holiday, but the real goal was different. In this 4.5-kilometer hotel, which was Hitler’s personal project, Nazi ideology would be tried to be imposed on people even during the holiday season.
This building complex was planned to include a hall that could accommodate 20 thousand people at its very center. This was a place where propaganda activities would be organized for people. They would wake up together in the morning through loudspeakers, eat meals together and watch propaganda films together.
This building, which was intended to reinforce the admiration of the middle class for both Germany and themselves while on holiday, has gained an important place in history with its size and function. However II. world WarIt was never completed until the outbreak of 1939. Construction workers were diverted to factories to produce weapons in the war effort.
Germans Used Buildings as Shelters
Even though Prora was located by the sea, its rooms were quite simple. The rooms had only 2 beds, a closet and a sink. Toilets and showers were open to common use. 9000 people worked for 3 years in the construction of the giant complex. However Nazis The project was not yet completed when he invaded Poland. During the war, neither construction could continue nor it was possible to take a vacation. Unfinished structures II. It was not used much during World War II.
It served as a shelter during the attacks on Hamburg and later became a shelter for refugees from East Germany. When Germany was divided after the war, Prora became a location for the East German army. Berlin WallWith the collapse of , the armies abandoned the buildings and evacuated the complex.
Today, although some of it is still in use, most of it is empty and neglected. Four of them were purchased by contractors. One is used as a hostel, but the other three are abandoned. Some sold for around $200,000. This was how the fate of this once majestic structure was determined.
