On the German island of Rügen, in the town of Binz, there is a monumental building complex known as Prora. It was built between 1936 and 1939 on the initiative of Nazi Germany as part of the ‘Strength through Joy’ (Kraft durch Freude, KdF) programme. Its aim was to provide German workers with access to cheap holidays on the Baltic Sea, but the war thwarted these plans. Today, after decades of military use and progressive degradation, Prora is getting a new lease of life as a modern tourist complex.
History and construction of the complex
Prora was originally intended to consist of eight identical buildings with a total length of 4.5 km. Their design, by Clemens Klotz, envisaged accommodation for 20,000 holidaymakers. Each 5×2.5-metre room was to have two beds, a wardrobe and a washbasin. The plans also included swimming pools, a theatre, a cinema and a large performance hall capable of accommodating all the guests at the same time. The construction of the Prora consumed considerable financial resources and was one of the Third Reich’s most prestigious propaganda projects. The complex even won the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937. However, the outbreak of the Second World War interrupted construction work and the workers were relocated to the armaments plant in Peenemünde. Prora was never completed or used for its original purpose.
Prora during the Second World War and the Cold War
During the war, the buildings mainly served as a shelter for refugees and Luftwaffe auxiliary personnel. After 1945, the site fell into the hands of the Red Army and then the East German authorities, who turned it into a military base. Elite units were stationed here, including the 40th Parachute Battalion “Willi Sänger” and construction battalions for those refusing military service. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, the complex came under the control of the Bundeswehr, but the military finally left Prora in 1992.
Ralf Roletschek, CC BY-SA 1.0 FI, via Wikimedia Commons
Contemporary Prora
After German reunification, the Prora was placed under conservation protection, but it continued to fall into increasing disrepair, and ideas for its development changed like a kaleidoscope. Eventually, the complex began to be transformed into modern flats, hotels and resorts. In 2011, Germany’s largest youth hostel opened here, and other buildings are steadily undergoing renovation. Today, Prora attracts investors and tourists with exclusive flats and hotels. In 2019, several buildings were fully renovated and flats in Prora have become some of the most desirable real estate on the Baltic Sea.
Historic resort in culture
The history of Prora is an example of how monumental projects of totalitarian regimes can be transformed into symbols of modernity and luxury. The complex is also generating considerable interest in culture and the media. It has appeared, for example, in the computer game Civilization V: Brave New World as a wonder of the world and in David Young’s crime novels set in the reality of the GDR. In 2012, the short film Prora was made, which uses this unusual location as a backdrop for the story. Prora has come a long way – from an unfinished Third Reich propaganda resort to an East German military base to an exclusive tourist complex.
Source: proradok.de, labyrintharium.co.uk
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The building in 2009 and 2023. Photo by Dietmar Rabich/Wikimedia Commons and Vincent Eisfeld, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The building before and after the modernisation. Photo by Steffen Löwe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons and Lappländer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
