Figure 1. Aerial view on Prora, from © Ralf Roletschek, 20-07-06-Prora-RalfR-DJI 0120, image cropped, CC BY-SA 1.0 FI, via Wikimedia Commons
By Luca Marie Baufeld
The island of Rügen, off the coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea, is known for its diverse nature, rugged chalk cliffs, salt marshes, and kilometers of sandy beaches, inviting locals and tourists to enjoy the quiet, seemingly untouched landscapes. Yet, Rügen is also marked by German history, including World War Two and the Nazi regime. The most prominent example of this historical footprint is the building complex known as Prora.
The once 4.5 km-long building complex (Figure 1) was constructed in the 1930s by the Nazi regime as part of the “Kraft durch Freude” (Strength through Joy) program, intended to be the largest seaside resort in the world for the working class. However, as WWII began, the buildings were never completed. In 1945, the complex was repurposed as housing for refugees. After the war, plans were made to demolish the buildings, which led to the blasting of three blocks, now either ruins or demolished down to their foundations. From 1951 onward, the remaining buildings were used by the East German Army and partially as a summer vacation center. During this time, the construction and interior of the still existing blocks were completed, sometimes following the original details of the 1930s, but more often using whatever materials were available due to shortages.
The reunification of Germany sparked new ideas for the building’s use, with a focus on re-examining Germany’s history. However, time and political decisions hindered careful, adaptive reuse. Fortunately, the complex received monument preservation status in 1996. Gradually, the individual blocks of the complex were sold to private investors, but the buildings remained vacant for years, leading to deterioration and the loss of historical evidence. Around 2010, the complex was remodeled and transformed into vacation apartments, hotels, hostels, and a museum block. Throughout the process following reunification, one key theme stood out: politics seemed uncertain about how to handle Prora and other Nazi-era buildings, viewing them as uncomfortable memorials—dark heritage that posed challenges for interaction. Dark heritage encompasses negative or ‘unwanted’ remnants of the past, characterized by its complex social impact, multifaceted nature and politically charged aspects. These facets reveal the complexity of such heritage, while highlighting the importance of how and why the past matters in the present.
About this Blog
This is the 18th blog post of the series of 24 blogs prepared by graduate students and early career professionals who shared their views on the future of heritage and landscape planning.
The writers of these blogposts participated in the Heriland Blended Intensive Programme “Heritage and the Planning of Landscapes” in October 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The decisions made regarding Prora have left a lasting impact. While the history of the building complex is well-documented, and various organizations are committed to educating visitors about its past, the complex itself has lost much of its historical character. But this raises important questions: What are the values of a building with an undeniably dark history? How can such a dark chapter be preserved as heritage from which we can learn? How can this history be maintained while allowing space for adaptive reuse? How can built heritage reflect the era it was part of and serve as a testament to its time while still functioning for future generations?
When I visited Prora as a child, the building complex seemed overwhelming with its long, brown-plastered facade (Figure 3). Without knowing the history, the massive structure felt almost oppressive, especially when walking for kilometers along the Baltic Sea shoreline with the giant Prora in the background. It rose the question of the building’s history.
Today, most of the building blocks are owned by private investors and have been transformed, gleaming in modern white plaster with balconies that break up the facade, creating smaller segments within the once massive complex. Looking at the already remodeled blocks, it’s hard to believe they were ever part of a history many still struggle to reconcile. Their clean, modern appearance seems to disregard the historical context, as if trying to erase the heritage by separating it entirely from the building. This approach pushes the heritage into a museum setting rather than facing the past. The building doesn’t only embody a dark history but also reflects technical achievements of the time—Prora’s reinforced concrete structure being a key example. In addition, the use after the war has been disregarded. The fact that different windows were installed after the war due to material shortages is now completely disguised by the clean, modern image the building has acquired over the past 15 years.
However, there are still two building blocks that haven’t been renovated completely and built heritage could be preserved and highlighted. While one is privately owned and will most likely be restored similarly to the already renovated blocks, Block 5 is owned by the state. In 2021, the block was purchased by the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to be used as a Prora Education and Docu-mentation Center. There is hope that this block’s historical character will be maintained and highlighted, rather than erased. Its brown plaster and irregular windows serve as reminders of the building’s prior uses and the changes it has undergone. This block could remind visitors that Prora is not just a holiday resort and serves as “a monument of the past eighty years. A testament of technical achievements of the time but also a reminder of the political regimes during and after WW2” as State conservator Dieter Zander and Regional conservator Dr. Klaus Winands stated in 1992.
Bibliography
Porombka, Stephan, et al. Böse Orte: Stätten Nationalsozialistischer Selbstdarstellung – Heute. Claassen, 2005.
Sanierung des zukünftigen Dokumentationszentrums Prora. 31 October 2024, www.sbl-mv.de/sanierung-prora+2400+1055994. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Thomas, Suzie; Herva, Vesa-Pekka; Seitsonen, Oula; Koskinen-Koivisto, Eerika, Dark Heritage, in: Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology 2019, S. 1–11. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1
Wernicke, Joachim, and Uwe Schwartz. Der Koloss Von Prora Auf Rügen: Gestern – Heute – Morgen. 3. Auflage, aktualisiert und erweitert. Verlag Museum Putbus, 2015. Die Blauen Bücher.
Zadniček, Franz, and Wolfgang Schäche. Paradiesruinen: Das KdF-Seebad Der Zwanzigtausend Auf Rügen. 11., aktualisierte Auflage. Ch. Links Verlag, 2019.
About the author
Luca Marie Baufeld is a postgraduate student at the Hochschule RheinMain in Wiesbaden currently studying Architectural Heritage Conservation. This Blog post is inspired by her participation in the Heriland Blended Intensive Program on “Heritage and Landscapes Futures”, in Gothenburg, Sweden, in October 2024.