Prora is a huge building complex on the German Baltic island of Rügen that stretches for 4.5km along the sandy coast; it was built by Hitler in 1938, designed to be a holiday resort with a maximum capacity of 20 000 people as part of his Kraft durch Freude (Strength through Joy) propaganda initiative. After the main construction was completed, the project was left unfinished from 1939 due to the beginning of World War II. Later part of the complex was used as a military base in former East Germany (GDR) and after 1990 with the fall of the Berlin Wall most of the building was left disused and fell into decay.

So much history is attached to this place: Nazi Germany, Communism. How does one feel in a place that is a symbol for the megalomania of Nazi Germany and was an institutional tool for the control permeated state of Communist East Germany? Objectively it is only a derelict building that holds a certain paradoxical beauty in its decay and none of the terrible incidents of these eras actually took place here. However, it is impossible to ignore our historical knowledge and attached personal opinions and emotions when we enter a place like Prora; it necessarily affects the place and creates a particular atmosphere and sense of place. In my case a feeling of uneasiness that overcame me everytime I faced, entered and spent time in this impressive colossus.

Since shooting this project Prora has changed; in 2011 a new Youth Hostel opened in one block and recently investors have turned some of the derelict blocks into luxury appartments that were completed and ready to be occupied in 2015. This prompts ethical discussions as officially Prora is still a listed historical monument. Will the fulfillment of the original intention of the building combined with the emphasis on capitalist ventures make us forget the darkest chapters of German history?