Editing Prora

{{Short description|Building complex in Rügen, Germany}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Expand German|topic=struct|Prora|date=June 2020}}
{{coord|54|26|21|N|13|34|32|E|region:DE-MV_type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Prora
| architectural_style = [[Nazi architecture|Nazi]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.proradok.de/en/startseite-2/}}
| awards = Grand Prix (1937 Paris World Exposition)
| cost = {{Reichsmark|237.5 million|link=yes}}
| building_type = Beach resort
| stop_date = 1939 (onset of [[WWII]])
| start_date = 1936
| map_type = Germany
| alternate_names = Colossus of Prora
| architect = {{ubl|[[Clemens Klotz]]|Erich Putlitz (further unrealized plans)}}
| location_country = [[Germany]]
| location = [[Prorer Wiek]], [[Rügen]]
| caption = Aerial view of Prora (2020)
| image_size = 300
| image = 20-07-06-Prora-RalfR-DJI 0120.jpg
| owner = Metropole Marketing
}}
[[File:ProraLandseite.jpg|thumb|267px|"Koloss von Prora" or the Colossus of Prora]]

The '''Colossus of Prora''', commonly known as simply "'''Prora'''", is a building complex in the municipality of [[Binz]] on the island of [[Rügen]], [[Germany]]. It was built by [[Nazi Germany]] between 1936 and 1939 as part of the [[Strength Through Joy]] (Kraft durch Freude or KdF) project. It consisted of eight identical buildings and was {{convert|4.5|km|mi|frac=8|abbr=on}} in length parallel to the beach, with the surviving structures stretching {{convert|3.0|km|mi|frac=8|abbr=on}}.

Although the buildings were planned as a holiday resort, construction was not completed, and they were not used for this purpose. Prora, as it was known, was however used largely by the [[Nazi Party]] for propaganda, with the supposed strength and power displayed in the construction effort of the complex likened by the party to that of themselves.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Harrison |first=Benjamin |title=Cambridge IGCSE and O Level History Option B: The 21st Century |publisher=[[Hodder Education]] |date=26 July 2019 |isbn=978-1510421196 |language=en}}</ref> After World War II, the complex found various military uses, first by the [[Soviet Army]], then by the East German [[National People's Army|Volksarmee]], and then by the German [[Bundeswehr]]. Today, it houses a large youth hostel, a hotel, and holiday apartments.

==Location==
Prora lies on an extensive bay between the [[Sassnitz]] and [[Binz]] regions, known as the [[Prorer Wiek]], on the narrow heath (the ''Prora'') which separates the lagoon of the [[Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden]] from the [[Baltic Sea]]. The buildings extended over a length of {{convert|4.5|km|mi|frac=4}}<ref name="dw">{{cite news|author=Staff|url=http://www.dw.de/nazi-colossus-has-new-owner/a-1337831 |title=Nazi Colossus Has New Owner |newspaper=Deutsche Welle |date=24 September 2004 |accessdate=10 August 2014}}</ref> and are roughly {{convert|150|m|yd}} from the beach. The coast offers a long flat sand beach which stretches from Binz to the ferry port. This beach was thus an ideal location for the establishment of a seaside resort.

==Plans==
[[Image:Prora Zimmer mit Seeblick.jpg|thumb|267px|Typical room (December 2010)]]
[[Image:Flur Zerstoerungen.JPG|thumb|267px|Corridor in building "Nordflügel 1", 4th level (2011)]]

The [[Strength Through Joy]] program was designed to attract the working class{{snd}}who had during the [[Weimar Republic]] been the power base of the [[German Social Democratic Party|Social Democrats]] and, to a lesser extent, the [[Communist Party of Germany|Communists]]{{snd}}to the Nazi Party by offering numerous cultural events and mass tourism at affordable prices.  They also presented an opportunity for the inculcation of Nazi ideology through constant indoctrination by propaganda. Founded in November 1933, in the year 1934, 400,000 people took Strength Through Joy package tours, a number which rose to 1.7 million by 1937, not to mention 7 million who availed themselves of weekend excursions and 1.6 million who participated in organized hikes.<ref>[[Richard J. Evans|Evans, Richard J.]] (2005) ''[[The Third Reich in Power]]'' New York: [[Penguin Books]]. pp.465–70. {{isbn|0-14-303790-0}}</ref>

[[Robert Ley]], head of the [[German Labour Front]]{{snd}}of which Strength Through Joy was a subsidiary{{snd}}envisioned Prora as a parallel to [[Butlins]], which were British "holiday camps" designed to provide affordable holidays for the average worker. Prora was designed to house 20,000 holidaymakers, under the idea that every worker deserved a holiday at the beach. Designed by [[Clemens Klotz]], who won a design competition overseen by [[Adolf Hitler]]'s chief architect [[Albert Speer]], all rooms were planned to overlook the sea, while corridors and sanitation are located on the landward side.<ref name="smh">{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Mein-camp-holiday-retreat-for-Nazis-gives-Germany-a-hangover/2005/03/28/1111862323509.html |title=Mein camp: holiday retreat for Nazis gives Germany a hangover|author=Rose, Steve|newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=28 March 2008 |accessdate=10 August 2014}}</ref> Each room of {{convert|5|by|2.5|m|ft|0}} was to have two beds, a wardrobe, and a sink. There were communal toilets, showers, and bathrooms on each floor.

Hitler's plans for Prora were much more ambitious. He wanted a gigantic sea resort, the "most mighty and large one to ever have existed", holding 20,000 beds. In the middle, a huge building was to be erected, which would be a grand hall for speeches and concerts. At the same time, Hitler wanted the complex to have the ability to be converted into a military hospital in case of war. Hitler insisted that the plans of a giant indoor arena by architect [[Erich zu Putlitz]] were to be included. Putlitz's Festival Hall was intended to be able to accommodate all 20,000 guests at the same time. His plans included two [[Wave pool|wave-swimming pools]], a cinema, and a theatre.<ref name="dw" /> A large dock for passenger ships was also planned.

The designs won a ''Grand Prix'' award at the 1937 [[Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne|Paris World Exposition]].<ref name="businessweek">{{cite news|author=Fahmy, Dahlia|url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-16/for-sale-vacation-condos-with-a-nazi-past |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521074821/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-16/for-sale-vacation-condos-with-a-nazi-past |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 May 2013 |title=For Sale: Vacation Condos With a Nazi Past |newspaper=[[Business Week]]|date=16 May 2013 |accessdate=10 August 2014}}</ref>

== Construction ==
[[File:ProraSeeseite.jpg|thumb|267px|Seaside view of Prora in 2004]]

Construction began in 1936 and during the few years that Prora was under construction, all major construction companies of the Reich and nearly 9,000 workers were involved in this project.<ref name="dw" /> By 1938, construction costs had reached {{Reichsmark|237.5 million|link=yes}} (equivalent to [[€]]{{Format price|{{Inflation|DE|237500000|1938}}}} in 2009).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ndr.de/kultur/geschichte/schauplaetze/Prora-Der-Koloss-von-Ruegen,prora113.html |title=Prora – Der "Koloss von Rügen" |language=de |publisher=NDR |website=ndr.de |date=2 January 2018 |accessdate=21 November 2018}}</ref> 

With the onset of [[World War II]] in 1939, building on Prora stopped and the construction workers transferred to the [[V-weapons|V-Weapons]] plant at [[Peenemünde]]. The eight housing blocks and the theatre and cinema remained empty shells. The swimming pools and festival hall never materialised. If the complex had been completed, it would have been the largest holiday resort in the world.<ref>[[Louis P. Lochner|Lochner, Louis P.]] (1942) ''What About Germany?'' New York: Dodd, Mead. p.32</ref><ref name=hatherly>Hatherly, Owen (6 November 2017) [https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/06/hitler-holiday-camp-prora-nazi-development "Hitler's holiday camp: how the sprawling resort of Prora met a truly modern fate"] ''[[The Guardian]]''. Retrieved 15 January 2019</ref>

== Usage ==
===World War II===
During the Allied bombing campaign, many people from [[Hamburg]] took refuge in one of the housing blocks, and later refugees from the east of Germany were housed there.<ref name="dw" /> By the end of the war, these buildings housed female auxiliary personnel for the [[Luftwaffe]].{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

=== Cold War===
In 1945 the [[Soviet Army]] took control of the region and established a military base at Prora.<ref name="dw" /> The Soviet Army's 2nd Artillery Brigade occupied block 5 of Prora from 1945 to 1955.  The Soviet military then stripped all usable materials from the building.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}} In the late 1940s two of the housing blocks{{snd}}one at the North and one at the South{{snd}}were demolished and the remains  were mostly removed.

In the late 1950s, the East German military rebuilt several of the buildings. Since the buildings had been stripped to the bare brick in the late 1940s, most of the exterior and interior finish that can now be seen was done under East German control. After the formation of the [[East Germany|German Democratic Republic]]'s (GDR's) [[National People's Army]] in 1956, the buildings became a restricted military area housing several East German Army units.  The most prominent were the elite [[40. Fallschirmjägerbataillon Willi Sänger]] (40th Parachute Battalion "Willi Sänger") which was housed in block 5 from 1960 to 1982.  Block 4 on the north side was used for urban combat training by the Parachute Battalion and others. Large sections remain as ruins to this day.{{when|date=November 2014}} 

Also housed in the building from 1982 to 1990 was the East German Army Construction Battalion "Mukran", where conscientious objectors served as noncombatant [[Construction soldier|Construction Soldiers]] ([[w:de:Bausoldat|Bausoldaten]]) to meet their military service obligation. A part of the building also served as the East German Army's "[[Walter Ulbricht]]" convalescent home.

===Unified Germany ===
After [[German reunification]] in 1990, the National People's Army was absorbed into the West German [[Bundeswehr]], that took over the building. Initially, consideration was given to demolishing the buildings, but it was later given landmark protection and a tax break offered to developers to renovate it.<ref name="businessweek" /> Parts of the building were used from 1990 to 1992 by the Military Technical School of the Bundeswehr.  From 1992 to 1994 a part of the building was used to house asylum seekers from the Balkans.

Beginning in early 1993, the facility was empty and the buildings were subject to decay and vandalism.  An exception to this was Block 3, Prora Center, which from 1995 to 2005 housed a variety of museums, special exhibitions, and a gallery.  Between 1993 and 1999 the site served as one of the largest youth hostels in Europe.

Since 2000, the Documentation Centre Prora has been located at the southern edge of the fairground buildings. This center documents the construction and use history of the building.  Discussed here are both the background of the project and its appropriation for Nazi propaganda.

== Sale and redevelopment ==
[[File:2019 Prora Block I Seeseite.jpg|thumb|267px|In 2019 after renovation]]

In 2004, following more than a decade of unsuccessful attempts to sell the site as a whole, the blocks of the building began being sold off individually for various uses.<ref name="dw" /> On 23 September 2004, Block 6 sold for €625,000 to an unknown bidder.<ref name="dw" /> On 23 February 2005, Block 3, the former Museum Mile, was sold to Inselbogen GmbH, which announced that the building would be used as a hotel. In October 2006, blocks 1 and 2 were sold to Prora Projektentwicklungs GmbH which announced plans of converting the buildings into shops and apartments. However, Block 1 was re-offered for sale at an auction on 31 March 2012 and was purchased by a Berlin investor for €2.75&nbsp;million.

In November 2006, the [[Institute for Federal Real Estate (Germany)|Federal Agency for Real Estate]] purchased Block 5. With financial support from the federal government and the state of [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]] it planned to establish a youth hostel in the building. Located in the northernmost part of the complex, it was divided into five contiguous parts. <!-- In July 2011, -->

In late 2008, plans were approved to have Prora fill its original purpose and turn it into a modern tourist resort. The council set out plans to build enough living space to house 3,000 people, as well as a [[youth hostel]], and amenities for tourists. Kerstin Kassner, a local councillor, compared Prora's shore with a "Caribbean beach". However, the decision met with some skepticism from Binz locals, who felt that there were already too many tourists in the region, and Heike Tagsold, a Prora historian, who said that the town's past made it an inappropriate location for tourists. Nevertheless, in 2011 the long-planned large youth hostel with 402 beds in 96 rooms opened; it is the largest youth hostel in Germany and has been popular. A possible expansion of the facility aimed toward budget-minded tourists has been proposed.<ref name=Prora08>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7777866.stm |title=Holiday camp with a Nazi past |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |last=Moore |first=Tristana |date=13 December 2008 |access-date=13 December 2008 }}</ref>

In September 2010, plans were announced by a German-Austrian investor group to renovate blocks 1 and 2 as housing for the elderly and a hotel with 300 beds that includes tennis courts, and swimming pool, and a small shopping centre. The investment costs are estimated at €100&nbsp;million.

=== Metropole Marketing ===
In 2013, a German company, Metropole Marketing, bought the rights to refurbish Prora and market the units as summer homes.<ref name="weller"/> By that year, refurbished apartments in the so-called Colossus were on sale for as much as €700,000 each.<ref name="businessweek" /> The completion date was estimated as 2016. In 2016, the first of the new apartments opened in Block 1.<ref name="weller">{{cite news|last1=Weller|first1=Chris|title=Hitler's 3-mile-long abandoned Nazi resort is transforming into a luxury getaway|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/adolf-hitler-nazi-resort-prora-2017-7/#while-the-nazi-police-state-was-in-development-the-overarching-german-vision-was-a-hopeful-one-moorhouse-tells-business-insider-and-this-is-where-something-like-prora-comes-in-2|accessdate=10 July 2017|work=[[Business Insider]]|date=10 July 2017}}</ref> The Prora Solitaire hotel in Block 2 opened for the summer of 2016, and some reconstructed flats were for sale in that Block by mid 2017. At that time, four of the buildings were in the process of redevelopment, a fifth was used as a youth hostel while the remaining three remained in ruins.<ref name="businessweek" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/17/a-nazi-era-resort-town-redeveloped-and-open-for-business.html|title=This Nazi era resort town has been redeveloped into luxury hotels and apartments|first=Getty|last=Images|website=[[CNBC]] |date=17 June 2017|publisher=|accessdate=22 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/germany/articles/nazi-relic-set-to-become-luxury-beach-resort/|title=Failed Nazi holiday resort set for luxury makeover|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=September 2016|publisher=|accessdate=22 June 2018|last1=Morris|first1=Hugh}}</ref>
 
A November 2017 update indicated that most of the units (flats) in Block 1 had been sold, having been marketed as summer homes for those who live in Hamburg and Berlin.<ref name=hatherly /> Many were listed by owners as short term rentals.

==In popular culture==
Prora was featured in the video game ''[[Civilization V]]'', specifically within the expansion pack ''[[Civilization V: Brave New World]]''. It appears in the game as a world wonder associated with the ideology of Autocracy.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wendt|first=Malte|date=26 March 2018|title=Narrative Representation and Ludic Rhetoricof Imperialism in Civilization 5|url=https://www.anglistik.uni-kiel.de/de/fachgebiete/kultur-und-medienwissenschaften/popular-culture/materialien/MA_Wendt_Narrative%20Representation%20and%20Ludic%20Rhetoric%20of%20Imperialism%20in%20Civilization%205.pdf|access-date=|website=[[Kiel University]] English Department|page=42}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Navarro|first=Alex|date=9 July 2013|title=Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World (Game)|url=https://www.giantbomb.com/sid-meier-s-civilization-v-brave-new-world/3030-41935/|access-date=17 October 2020|website=Giant Bomb|language=en}}</ref>

It was the setting of the 2012 short film ''Prora''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Prora (Short 2012) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2128693/ |website=IMDB |access-date=25 November 2021}}</ref>

Prora is the setting for the first and fifth of the series of crime novels by [[David Young (novelist)|David Young]] set in pre-unification [[East Germany]]: ''[[Stasi Child]]'' (2016) and ''Stasi Winter'' (2020). Both stories feature a fictional ''Jugendwerkhof'', a workhouse for juvenile delinquents, located in the planned holiday resort.

== References == 
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Kaule, Martin: ''Prora. Geschichte und Gegenwart des »KdF-Seebads Rügen«.'' Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2014, {{ISBN|978-3-86153-767-0}}.
* Rostock, Jürgen, Zadniček, Franz: [https://books.google.com/books?id=DJGsyh7-Jk8C&q=paradiesruinen ''Paradiesruinen – Das KdF-Seebad der Zwanzigtausend auf Rügen'']. Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2008, {{ISBN|978-3-86153-414-3}}.
* Spode, Hasso: ''Fordism, Mass Tourism and the Third Reich: the Strength through Joy Seaside Resort as an Index Fossil.'' In: ''Journal of Social History.'' 38(2004), S.&nbsp;127–155.
* Wernicke, Joachim, Schwartz, Uwe: ''Der Koloss von Prora auf Rügen – gestern – heute – morgen.'' 3., erweiterte u. aktualisierte Auflage. Langewiesche, Prora/Königstein im Taunus. 2015, {{ISBN|978-3-7845-4903-3}}.
* Wolter, Stefan:  ''Prora – Inmitten der Geschichte.'' Bd. I: ''Der südliche Koloss und die Erinnerungskultur'', Norderstedt 2015, {{ISBN|978-3738632378}}.
* Wolter, Stefan:  ''Prora – Inmitten der Geschichte.'' Bd. II: ''Der nördliche Koloss mit Jugendherberge'', Norderstedt 2015, {{ISBN|978-3738629811}}.

== External links ==
{{commons category|Prora}}
{{wikivoyage}}
*[http://www.proradok.de Official Visitor site]
*[http://touristic-intents.com/ Touristic Intents (trailer), film by Mat Rappaport 2018] 
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/world/europe/21germany.html?_r=1 "Germany Debates New Life for a Behemoth of the Nazi Era," New York Times, 20 June 2011]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1939]]
[[Category:Nazi architecture]]
[[Category:Abandoned military projects of Germany]]
[[Category:Defunct hotels in Germany]]
[[Category:Military of East Germany]]
[[Category:Bundeswehr]]
[[Category:1939 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Binz]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Vorpommern-Rügen]]