The colossus of Prora: Historical building shocked and fascinated!

The colossus of Prora: Historical building shocked and fascinated!

If you visit the picturesque Baltic Sea island of Rügen, you cannot avoid an impressive building: the "Colossus of Prora". This historic holiday complex extends over four and a half kilometers and consists of eight identical blocks of houses. What was once intended as a resort for 20,000 German workers is now a controversial relic from the time of National Socialism. The foundation stone was laid on May 2, 1936, but the Second World War put the ambitious plans of the Nazis on ice. Moin.de reports that the system was originally designed by the Nazi organization "Kraft through Joy" (KDF) as the "seaside resort of the 20,000". The architect Clemens Klotz designed the building, which was awarded the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937.

The noble plans for Prora provided for around 10,000 rooms, all with a sea view, and an investment of impressive 237 million Reichsmarks, which would correspond today to around 850 million euros. ndr reveals that the shrewer was completed in 1939, but could never be used for its original purpose. Instead, the system was used as a training center and hospital during the war.

a memorial of history

The consequence of the turmoil of war was the partial loss of the structure. In 1945 the Red Army blew up parts of the north wing of the complex. After the war, Prora of the Soviet Union served to internage displaced persons and later as a military location for the National People's Army (NVA) of the GDR, which used the facility until reunification in 1990. In 1994 Prora finally received monument protection and gradually turned into a place of remembering, with a museum mile that presented various exhibitions on the Nazi and GDR history.

The past few years have been shaped by a mixture of historical appreciation and economic steps for the colossus of Prora. From 2004 the sale and renovation of parts of the buildings, including modern apartments and a hotel, began. But not everything runs smoothly: the Prora Center, which dealt with the history of National Socialism, reported bankruptcy in 2024. Despite these challenges, Prora is attracting more and more tourists who are looking for a combination of history and modern comfort. Some of the apartments reach prices of up to 6,500 euros per square meter. wikipedia adds that the early Nazi architecture was often shaped by monumentality and power. Prora is a remarkable example of this.

split opinions

The relevance of the colossus is hotly debated on social media. Current pictures in the Facebook group "Welcome to Germany" provide lively debates, whereby US citizens in particular are shocked to the building and leave negative comments. On the other hand, some Germans and Rügener defend the facility and emphasize the emergence of beautiful holiday apartments. It remains to be seen whether the history of the colossus is perceived disturbing or fascinatingly.

In any case, Prora remains a memorial for the young and old generations, a place that stimulates thinking and represents a wild mix of past, inheritance and current efforts.