Built from 1936-1939, the an expansive complex at Prora sat untouched and crumbling along the coast of the Baltic Sea for years. The complex, which measures almost 3 miles long, is north of Berlin. It was intended to fit 20,000 visitors, and the plans for the structure included a theatre for plays, two swimming pools, a banquet hall that could seat 25,000 people, and a movie theater, according to Yahoo. Along with ammenities, there would be political propaganda; the complex was to have on-site instruction about the Third Reich's ideology. When World War II started, construction stopped.
The Soviet Forces used the grounds for military purposes after the war, Germans briefly used the structure as an army base, too, after the Berlin Wall was taken down. It has been dorment since. The disrepair of the complex along with its massive size made it difficult to sell, and environmental and historical regulations prevent it from being demolished.
Now, however, the structure is starting to be revived. It's being sold in sections, and one of the sections was turned into a youth hostel that sleeps 400 people. "People are very, very curious and want to know what happened here -- it's great," said Dennis Brosseit, who runs the youth hostel. "Seeing this big block starting to live again is terrific." It cost 27 million euros -- the equivalent of approximately $34 million -- to create the new space, but wireless Internet and a plethora of ocean views make the hostel attractive to families and students.
Moreover, an investor from Berlin spent 2.75 million euros for one of the complex's five blocks in March. He plans to turn his purchase into a combination of a hotel, a spa, and a holiday apartment development. Work begins this month.
For his part, the town's mayor, Karsten Schneider, said that he hopes to see a tourism institute or an oceanography academy on the premesis. Though he said that the problem of what to do with the building was an issue that upset his stomach, things might be turning around.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
