90 years ago, the Nazis built a 4.5-km “megahotel” for 20,000 guests. It ended up a ruin with not a single tourist

Nazi Germany began building the Colossus of Prora on Rügen between 1936 and 1939: a 4.5-km seaside resort planned for 20,000 guests.

The project, led by the Kraft durch Freude program, was halted by World War II before it ever opened.

Completed sections were later reused for military and refuge purposes under different regimes, including East Germany.

After German reunification, Prora was recognized as a heritage site in the 1990s and later started drawing visitors.