Prora

Prora
Aerial view of Prora (2020)
Location within Germany
Alternative names	Colossus of Prora
General information
Type	Beach resort
Architectural style	Nazi
Location	Prorer Wiek, Rügen, Germany
Construction started	1936
Construction stopped	1939 (onset of WWII)
Cost	237.5 million ℛ︁ℳ︁
Owner	Metropole Marketing
Design and construction
Architects	Clemens Klotz Erich Putlitz (further unrealized plans)
Awards	Grand Prix (1937 Paris World Exposition)
Website
www.proradok.de/en/startseite-2/

"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 4.5 km (2+3⁄4 mi) in length parallel to the beach, with the surviving structures stretching 3.0 km (1+7⁄8 mi).

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. After World War II, the complex found various military uses, first by the Soviet Army, then by the East German Volksarmee, and then by the German Bundeswehr. Today, it houses a large youth hostel, a hotel, and holiday apartments.