Germany’s biggest island Rügen offers beautiful landscapes with endless beaches and forests. Just north of Binz, a small resort town at the sea, the island narrows because of the dimensions of Jasmund Bay. Here, there used to be a long, isolated beach adjacent to a forest, which covered the area between the bay and the beach.
Nowadays, if you take a drive through the forest in order to find the beach, you will be surprised. Out of nowhere the forest darkens and a huge concrete wall arises and blocks your view as far as you can see.
The “KdF-Seebad der Zwanzigtausend”, or the “KdF sea resort of twenty thousand”, is located north of the town Binz on the island of Rügen. Based on Adolf Hitler’s idea, this sea resort building was built from May 1936 until the construction stopped at the beginning of the Second World War in 1939. The architect was Clemens Klotz.
After the 2nd World War, Russian and East German troops were stationed in the remains of this building and practiced tank maneuvers in the woods. But also the time of the Cold War went by and the troops moved out and left an empty building. Currently this building is part ruin and part money pit for the adjacent counties. A small youth hostel and a little, unimpressive museum about Nazi Prora are the only proof of life and occupy about 3 percent of the space of the original construction.
Prora can be seen as a monument now, a monument which demonstrates the definitions of National Socialist architecture, its unique characteristics and contradictions. It embodies the ideology of Nazi Germany from 1933-1945 in various themes.
In order to be more specific, it is essential to briefly observe Nazi architecture in its historical context, followed by a critical observation of the site of the Prora sea resort.
Content:
The Scale Issue of “The Colossus” 5
Style Issue 7
Prora and the people in the context of National Socialism 9
Conclusion 11
Appendices 12
Annotated Bibliography 19
Table of Contents
Aspects of Nazi Architecture
The Scale Issue of “The Colossus”
Style Issue
Prora and the people in the context of National Socialism
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This work aims to examine the Prora sea resort as a physical manifestation of National Socialist ideology, focusing on how its architectural design, scale, and stylistic choices were utilized to impose order and suppress individuality within the German population. The research explores the intersection of political propaganda and monumental architecture during the Third Reich.
- Architectural characteristics of the Third Reich and their historical context.
- The role of "colossal" dimensions in intimidating the individual and projecting state power.
- The intentional synthesis of neo-classical and modern architectural styles.
- Prora as a tool for the Nazi organization "Kraft durch Freude" (KdF) to control and equalize society.
Excerpt from the Book
The Scale Issue of “The Colossus”
Using the opportunity to describe the KdF-Seebad building, the point of how Prora’s dimensions are out of scale can be made simultaneously. The words and numbers will speak for themselves and shall show why Prora’s architecture uniquely represents Third Reich architecture in the aspect of size and dimensions.
The native islanders unofficially named Klotz’s building “Der Koloss von Rügen”, which means as much as the “colossus” or “giant” of Rügen. Indeed, this building is one of the biggest complexes in Europe.
The idea for the dimensions of this building was based on the requirements for the design competition: Room for 20,000 vacationers, 2,000 employers and technical installations had to be created. Klotz’s first design from 1935 underwent many modifications before its finalization in 1936.
The building extends about 4.5 kilometers in a circular arc parallel to the coast in a 13 kilometer radius. Six-story accommodation buildings form the main front elevation in four two-kilometer fragments north and south of the center fairground. A 40 by 100 meter swimming pool is positioned in the center of each fragment, facing westward. Each of these wings is moreover subdivided into four 500-meter divisions, of which each has ten additions facing west. The parts between the staircase buildings are called “segments”, and hence each division consists of eleven segments and ten staircase buildings.
Summary of Chapters
Aspects of Nazi Architecture: This chapter contextualizes architecture under the Third Reich, arguing that it drew from existing styles like neo-classicism and modernism to serve specific political functions rather than forming a single, unified style.
The Scale Issue of “The Colossus”: This section details the gargantuan dimensions of the Prora complex, highlighting how its massive layout was intended to overwhelm the individual and reflect the superiority of the collective.
Style Issue: This chapter analyzes the stylistic duality of Prora, contrasting the neo-classical central core with the modern design of the residential wings to illustrate the Nazis' strategic use of architecture.
Prora and the people in the context of National Socialism: The text explains how the resort was designed to implement the social policy of the "Kraft durch Freude" organization, aimed at standardizing German leisure time and suppressing individual identity.
Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the findings, positing that Prora serves as a monumental relic of the Third Reich's failed aspirations and its ultimate physical and ideological collapse.
Keywords
Prora, Third Reich, National Socialism, Architecture, KdF, Kraft durch Freude, Neo-classicism, Modern architecture, Rügen, Collective, Propaganda, Monumental, Social policy, Clemens Klotz, Totalitarianism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on the Prora sea resort as a critical case study of Nazi architecture, analyzing how the site reflects the ideology, social policies, and propaganda goals of the Third Reich between 1933 and 1945.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The central themes include the manipulation of architectural scale for intimidation, the blending of neo-classical and modern styles, and the state-controlled regimentation of leisure time through the KdF organization.
What is the core research objective?
The primary objective is to demonstrate how Prora’s physical design was a deliberate tool used by the National Socialists to enforce their ideal of a standardized, equalized society, effectively suppressing individual expression.
Which methodology is employed in this study?
The paper utilizes a historical and descriptive analytical approach, examining architectural plans, construction data, and the sociopolitical context of the era to interpret the site's function and symbolic meaning.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the architectural origins of the Third Reich, detailed dimensions of the Prora complex, its stylistic composition, and the intended social impact on the German working class.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Prora, Third Reich, National Socialism, architecture, monumental design, collective identity, and Kraft durch Freude (KdF).
How does the author interpret the term "colossus" in relation to Prora?
The author interprets "colossus" not just as a descriptor of its massive physical size, but as an embodiment of the Nazi strategy to make the individual feel small and unimportant in the context of the greater state.
How does the duality of styles in Prora support the Nazi ideology?
The use of neo-classical elements for central, representative spaces and modern elements for residential wings reflects the Nazis' ability to adopt disparate architectural languages to suit different political and functional needs.
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- Axel Stelter (Autor:in), 2008, Examination of the Sea Resort Prora, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/93982
