History

In 1936, the Nazis started building the world’s largest beach resort for 20,000 tourists in Germany: 80 years later, it opened to visitors

Conceived as the world’s largest beach resort, the massive complex has now been reimagined as a destination for luxury leisure and family travel.

Laura Martin Sanjuan Javier Gálvez

Update: Jul 29th, 2026 10:40 EDT

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Facing the Baltic Sea on the German island of Rügen stands one of 20th-century Europe’s most striking and controversial structures: Prora. This gigantic concrete complex, commissioned by Nazi Germany, was designed to become the largest holiday resort of its era. Its goal was as ambitious as it was unprecedented: to house 20,000 German tourists simultaneously within a single 2.8-mile-long structure.

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Construction began in 1936 and was touted as a showcase of the Third Reich’s social and organizational prowess. The project was managed by the Kraft durch Freude (“Strength Through Joy”) organization, created to structure the leisure time of German workers through subsidized trips, cultural activities, excursions, and vacations. On the eve of World War II, millions of Germans had already taken part in the program’s initiatives.

The World’s largest beach resort

Prora was conceived by architect Clemens Klotz, who won an international competition with a monumental design. The complex consisted of eight blocks, each over 1,600 feet long and six stories high, running parallel to the coastline to ensure every guest enjoyed an ocean view.

The blueprint called for 10,000 identical rooms, each built to accommodate two people. The furnishings were modest: two beds, a sink, a small wardrobe, and a seating area. Bathrooms were communal, and according to historical accounts, the rooms were even wired with loudspeakers to broadcast regime speeches. The idea was to push tourists to socialize, which is why individual living quarters were kept small and compact.

Beyond lodging, the complex boasted a entertainment lineup that was massive for its era. Plans included theaters, cinemas, event halls, sports facilities, and even a pier for cruise ships. Everything served a single purpose: turning workers’ vacation time into a tool for social cohesion and political propaganda.

A tourist haven built for propaganda

The project went far beyond simple tourism. Historians view Prora as a reflection of the Nazi regime’s drive to control every aspect of daily life, including leisure. Vacations were meant to strengthen national pride, foster collective discipline, and prepare the population physically and mentally for the challenges ahead.

While Adolf Hitler never actually visited the complex, he frequently emphasized in speeches the importance of reinforcing the unity and strength of the German people. The white-sand beaches of Rügen were deemed the perfect backdrop to bring that vision to life.

War shattered the Prora dream

Everything changed in 1939. The outbreak of World War II brought construction to a halt, freezing the massive project before it could ever operate. Although much of the structure was already built, the complex never opened its doors to the public, and not a single vacationer ever spent a holiday there.

The war completely altered the building’s fate. The facility was repurposed for military use and, following the defeat of the Third Reich, was occupied by various armed forces over the coming decades. First falling under Soviet control, it was later used by East German military forces as barracks and housing quarters.

Throughout much of the Cold War, the site housed refugees and military personnel, drifting entirely away from the resort mission for which it had been designed—until recent years.

From Nazi symbol to luxury condos

Following German reunification, the government began selling off portions of the complex to private developers. What had been a massive concrete ruin for decades started transforming into upscale apartments, hotels, vacation homes, and high-end resorts.

The overhaul has sparked intense debate across Germany. Some argue that the renovation preserves a historic landmark without letting it fall into decay. Critics, however, contend that turning a symbol so deeply tied to the Nazi regime into a luxury destination risks diluting the memory of its origins.

To ensure its history is not erased, portions of the site now house documentation centers and museums dedicated to explaining Prora’s origins and its role within the Third Reich’s propaganda machine. Today, more than eight decades after construction began, Prora remains an architectural anomaly: a massive resort built for thousands of tourists who never arrived, now transformed into one of Germany’s most striking and contradictory relics.

Times change, however, and today visitors can book stays and tour the renovated, rebuilt, and redesigned sections tailored to a whole new generation of travelers. Prora has become one of the most visited historical sites on the island of Rügen. Tourists can walk through portions of the complex, visit its museums, and witness how buildings that never housed a single Third Reich vacationer have been converted into luxury hotels and condos accessible to anyone—a traditional beach resort reborn with a second life.