1933 – The Third Reich establishes Kraft durch Freude, an organization devoted to managing the free time of the working German
May 1936 – Hitler enlists KdF to create a colossal beachside resort that is affordable to for the working man, and construction begins on Prora, a complex in the Rügen region of Germany
1937 – The design of Prora wins a Grand Prix award at the Paris World Exposition
1939 – Construction halts as the construction workers are needed to help with the war efforts
1944 to 1945 – Refugees from the bombing of Hamburg live in the most-finished buildings of Prora
1945 – The Soviet Army takes control of the Rügen region and establishes a military base in Prora
Late 1940s – Two of the housing blocks, one from the South end and one from the North, are demolished
1956 – the German Democratic Republic’s National Peoples Army is formed, and Prora becomes restricted military housing for several East German Army units
Late 1950s – East German military rebuild several of the buildings
1960 to 1982 – The 40th Parachute Battalion “Willi Sänger” are housed in Block 4 on the northern side
1982 to 1990 – East German Army Construction Battalion “Mukran” are house in the building
1990 to 1992 – The Military Technical School of Bundeswehr use parts of the buildings
1992 to 1994 – Parts of the building are used to house asylum seekers from the Balkans
1993 to 1999 – Prora serves as one of the largest youth hostels in Europe
1995 to 2005 – Prora houses a variety of museums, special exhibitions and a gallery
2000 to present – The Documentation Center Prora is located at the southern edge of the fairground buildings, and is curated by a local preservation group
2004 – The Blocks of Prora begin to be sold individually for various uses
September 23, 2004 – Block 6 is sold for 625,000 euros to an unknown bidder
February 23, 2005 – Block 3, the former Museum Mile, is sold to Inselbogen GmbH, who announces that the building will be used as a hotel
October 2006 – Block 1 and 2 are sold to Prora Projekentwicklungs GmbH, who announces the plan of concerting the buildings into shops and apartments
November 2006 – the Federal agency for real estate purchases Block 5 with the intent of becoming the larges youth hostel in Germany
2008 – Plans for Prora to fulfill its original purpose are approved
September 2010 – Plans are announced by a German-Austrian investor group to renovate Block 1 and 2 as housing for the elderly and a hotel with 300 beds (the investment costs are estimated and 100 million euros)
2011 – The largest youth hostel in Germany opens in Block 5 with 402 beds and 96 rooms
March 31, 2012 – Block 1 is re-offered for sale at an auction, and is bought by a Berlin investor for 2.75 million euros
Spring 2013 – Developers begin marketing refurbished apartments in the Colossus for as much as 900,000 euros apiece, and many have already sold.
Winter 2019 – Bauart GmbH purchases Block 5. The renovation includes plans for a unified museum facility to house the Prora Center and the Documentation Center Prora.
Information assembled from:
http://www.thirdreichruins.com/prora.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prora
http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/02/05/prora_on_the_german_island_of_r_gen_is_an_abandoned_nazi_beach_resort.html