Prora: From the Nazi vacation space to the orphaned tourist town

Prora: From the Nazi vacation space to the orphaned tourist town

Prora, Binz, 18609, Deutschland - The Baltic Sea, a popular travel destination for German vacationers, offers numerous beaches, impressive nature and a varied wellness offer. In recent years it has developed into one of the preferred vacation destinations, so around 1.4 million tourists visited the Baltic Sea Islands Rügen and Hiddensee in 2022. The holiday complex Prora near Binz is a special but controversial attraction. This is a former KDF complex, the history of which is often only of interest to many travelers. derwesten.de reports that Prora is largely avoided by vacationers, which is not surprising, in view of the heavy history that the place is.

Originally, the KDF complex was planned by joy on May 2, 1936 by the National Socialist organization. The impressive facility, designed by architect Clemens Klotz, was supposed to offer 20,000 people and had 10,000 simply equipped rooms, all with sea views. The construction costs were estimated at around 237 million Reichsmarks, which today corresponds to around 850 million euros. But the Second World War prevented the use as a holiday complex, the construction work was stopped in 1939 after only the shell was completed. Instead, the site was used militarily, including as a training center and hospital. ndr.de added that the red army broke out parts of the north wing, which were, however, not completely destroyed.

The eventful history of Prora

After the war, Prora served as a barracks for the National People's Army (NVA) and to accommodate displaced people. Parts of the facility were used by the Red Army until 1953 until the Bundeswehr took control in 1990. The facility was abandoned in 1992, and from 1993 the site was open to the public. In 1994 Prora received monument protection. In the following years, several museums and exhibitions were launched that document the history of the place, including the Documentation Center Prora from 2000.

Although Prora is now recognized as a recreational location - a decision that was made in 2018 has decreased in recent years. According to "Immonet", the average price for real estate in Prora is 5,741 euros per square meter. Shops such as cafes and restaurants are still active, but the tourist development remains behind the expectations. Plans for a family hotel and a museum have stalled, and in 2024 the Prora Center reported bankruptcy. Most blocks of the facility are empty, while some business owners, such as Mohammed Ali Abid, sold ice cream, and the operators of the "Patcus" café, remain optimistic and emphasize the friendly recording by the guests.

With the opening of a youth hostel in 2011, which is the largest in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 100 rooms and 400 beds, and the renovation of some parts of the complex, the attempt was made to increase the tourist attractiveness. However, the mix of history, property protection and marine attractiveness shows that the challenges for Prora continue to exist.