"It is one of the biggest relics left behind by the Nazis, perched on one of Germany's most spectacular beaches, and after years of neglect it is getting a new lease of life.
The historic dormitory complex at Prora, built between 1936 and 1939, sprawls nearly five kilometres (three miles) along a choice slab of Baltic Sea coastline.
Built as one of the so-called Strength Through Joy camps set up by the Nazis for the party faithful, it was to sleep up to 20,000 Germans in a pioneering attempt at mass tourism 300 kilometres north of Berlin.
The drive to offer recreation and hearty exercise was coupled with a desire to build loyalty and devotion to the Nazis among the working class, with ideological teaching on site.
The complex was to include a cinema, a theatre, a banquet hall for 25,000 people and two swimming pools.
But World War II put an end to the scheme and work was never completed.
When the Soviet army seized control of eastern Germany at the end of the war, the camp was turned to military use and did not appear on travel maps."
For more of the article, please see here:
http://news.yahoo.com/nazi-beach-resort-unwieldy-legacy-germany-074415688.html
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