Would you have guessed that a beachfront resort on the prestigious coastline of the island Rügen had such a dark side to it? There are still many Germans who are not familiar with its history.
I am a born German and it took me until probably just a year ago!
In 1936, the Nazi organization Kraft durch Freude (strength through joy) started constructing this almost 4.5 km (2.8 mile) long coloss which was designed to accommodate 20,000 people.
Not unlike training special agents or spies, the idea behind Kraft durch Freude was to prepare the German worker class for war and raise their tolerance for mental strain.
Adolf Hitler is said to have been the driver behind this excessive building complex. He appointed Dr. Robert Ley as the planner, who in turn selected an architect with the name of Clemens Klotz. Ironically, Klotz in German means block or brick in English – which so perfectly describes the massive, cold, plain and unattractive design of the construction.
The resort never saw a single “tourist” though. In 1939, workers were drawn from the construction and sent to war. The building was later used for police training, then occupied by the Russian army during the cold war, and finally served as a military base.
The acquisition of the terrain is questionable. Interestingly, Dr. Ley supposedly was an alcoholic and managed to “take” the property from the Prince of Putbus while having a morning pint. None of the other selected cities along the coast allowed this colossal building project.
That’s a pretty dark past and I prefer to end on a sunnier note!
Prora Today
Since 1990, the complex has been turned around by many contributors. Among the first were a youth hostel and an educational organization that hosts an interesting permanent exhibition regarding the architectural, environmental, socio-political and economic aspects of this enormous project. At the time I’m writing this, the rest of the complex has been converted into high-end condos.
As an aficionado of culture, travel, education, archaeology and anthropology – the history of the KdF bath is fascinating to me. For a before-and-after scope, watch these interesting video clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke66Jo26HLI (2013 by Bidone1967, 5:41 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz4qFs_V90E (2015 by MarcusEF08, 5:21 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvifim83tws (2018 by Wolfram Gube, 10:21 min)
If this awakens the historian and explorer in you, Prora is part of our Baltic Sea Tour. This tour starts from and ends in Hamburg. The itinerary includes visits to Lübeck, Stralsund the beautiful island of Rügen. The famous Störtebeker Festival is part of it. Please email me if you are interested.
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