Like everything built by Adolf Hitler the scale is huge. His Baltic Sea resort Prora for Third Reich workers sprawls 4,5km along pristine beaches on the island of Ruegen — and half of it has just been put up for sale by the German government.
Historians say Hitler personally ordered construction of the complex which is a forerunner of mega-resorts opened around the world in the post-World War II era.
Built by the Nazi ”Strength through Joy” (Kraft durch Freude or KdF) movement, it was to house 20 000 vacationers in 8 000 rooms all with views of the sea.
The KdF programme had simple aims: making soldiers fit for war and workers strong for production. It was also a tool to defang trade unions and win over workers to the Nazi party.
Work on Prora began in 1936 but slowed in 1939 with the outbreak of war when Germany attacked Poland. Building was finally halted in 1943 without the complex ever being finished.
No Nazi holidaymakers ever stayed at Prora. Ironically, the only Germans to live in the half-built resort were refugees from bombed out cities and those fleeing the invading Soviet Red Army.
Russian troops sought to destroy Prora after the Nazi defeat in 1945 but only managed to blow up one of the main eight parts of the building.
The sweeping six-storey concrete ruins remained on one of Ruegen’s most beautiful beaches and were closed off to the public with barbed wire and armed guards as a military zone of communist East Germany. Following the 1990 German reunification it was taken over by the federal government.
Saddled with this unwelcome legacy, officials have been scratching their heads for years over what to do with Prora.
Complicating things is the site’s recent designation as an historic landmark.
Several tiny museums, shops and cafes are located in a small part of building but most of what remains is an ugly concrete skeleton.
Seeking to get rid of the problem, a 2,5km section of the ruins and 75 hectares of surrounding woods are being put up for auction by the government on September 23. The minimum offer is 125 000 euros.
The planned sale is opposed by local political leaders.
Horst Schaumann, mayor of the nearby town of Binz, wants to get rid of the Prora ruin and calls for the site revert to nature.
”The whole thing should simply disappear,” said Schaumann.
He admitted, however, that tearing down the gutted building would be illegal given the historical preservation order.
The problem, notes Schaumann, is that the concrete framework is now in such an advanced state of disrepair it cannot be restored under Germany’s strict building codes.
But he vows the local council of Binz will never approve putting up a new building on the site if an investor buys the property and somehow manages to win approval to demolish the structure.
Binz will not get involved in any way with Prora, he vows, adding that maintenance costs for keeping the ruins from collapsing are likely to be massive.
Although Schaumann would not directly comment the Nazi legacy casting a shadow over his town, it’s clear this is also a concern.
”The whole thing is a real hot potato,” he concludes.
More information on the sale of Prora is available at the auction house’s website: www.ostsee-auktionen.de – Sapa-DPA