When we think of Nazi Germany prior to the Second World War, there’s tons of images that come to mind. But out of all those ideas, resorts and tourism are the unlikeliest. However, in the years prior to the war, Hitler’s government created the Strength Through Joy initiative. Aside from its main goal, which was to unify the people regardless of their social class, it also attempted to boost the German economy by promoting national tourism. By 1939, when holiday travel was interrupted because of the war, they had sold 45 million vacation packages.
One of the projects Hitler wished to fulfill with this initiative was Prora, a tourist resort on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. Construction began in 1936, and would’ve been finished in 1939, but the war changed the plans of its creators. To this day, it remains where it was all those years ago. But now it will be turned into a luxury hotel.
This massive structure has eight huge buildings which experts claim as the perfect example of the architecture style of the Third Reich. Hitler’s lead architect, Albert Speer, supervised Clemens Klotz’s project. The resort was designed to lodge 20 thousand people, not unlike the British holiday camps. However, the Führer wanted something bigger and better. He also planned for it to become a makeshift hospital in case of war. With more than 20 thousand beds, an auditorium, cinema, theater, and two planned pools, it was all there ready to be used.
The Nazi Party hired the biggest construction companies and nine thousand laborers to make it happen. Yet the project was never completed. Despite the eight blocks of dorms being finished, all the extra details never happened. The outside structures of the cinema and theater were done, but when the war began, the workers were then transferred to their war deployment.
The buildings were abandoned until the bombing began in Hamburg. Inhabitants took shelter at Prora until the worst had ended. Then the female personnel of Luftwaffe, the Nazi air force, lived there during the last days of the war.
In 1945 the Soviet army made Prora one of their bases. Under their control, any usable materials were taken and two blocks were destroyed. Eastern Germany repaired the damage and started to use it as a military facility. When both sides of the country were united again, the government decided not to destroy it. Instead, it was used to house refugees from the Balkans as well as a military school. It has endured the weathering of time, but in recent years it has been a museum for special exhibits and a youth hostel.
The buildings have been sold to different buyers, yet all of them have agreed to create a massive resort. In 2008 the redevelopment began, and the people behind it hope it will be a vacation spot for almost three thousand people. Some locals remain skeptical about the use of a Nazi creation to become a summer home, yet developers have ignored all criticism and continue building.
There is still no set date for when it will be open to the public. Some have claimed it’s similar to the resorts in the Caribbean. It’s a little bizarre to consider heading to the Führer’s for our holiday break, especially considering how many of us were never in his plans to enjoy the place. However, it seems there’s always a market for someone.
Source: This is Insider
Translated by María Suárez
