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A once-plush hotel frequented by the Yugoslavian elite has been left to rot and looks a shadow of its former self.
The 419-bed Hotel Pelegrin in Kupari, close to Dubrovnik, Croatia, was one of the largest on the Adriatic coast and hosted glitterati and high-profile political figures on the daily in the 1980s. However, as the political situation in the Balkan region intensified the Croatian War of Independence kicked off and the hotel was riddled in bullets and destroyed.
The doors first swang open and welcomed guests in 1961, soon becoming something of a bolthole for the Yugoslav National Army (JNA). It was the jewell in the crown of the Kupari holiday resort and an expansion was funded by the JNA.
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The Sun reported that the resort was essentially for military officers and their friends and families, but those who had connections were eventually welcomed, too.
By the late 70s, it began welcoming guests from around the world.
However, all of that stuttered to a halt when the Croatian War of Independence reached its zenith and the hotel was used as a temporary shelter and base for servicemen in the Croatian Army during the siege of Dubrovnik in 1991.
This, inevitably, led to the building's splendid facade being shelled and shot into near-destruction. Since the hotel was abandoned in 2000, locals have stripped it of anything valuable, too.
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The hotel still bares the scars of war, giving it an eerie quality set back against the glimmering waters of the Adriatic sea.
There are seven hotels in total within the resort complex.
The Hotel Grand, Goričina I, Goričina II, Kupari, Pelegrin, Mladost and Galeb are all battling against the elements, overgrown with weeds and baring deep war wounds.
This has led to the area being dubbed the "bay of abandoned hotels". But there is hope in the shape of new investment, with a group called Kupari Luxury Hotels set to renovate the site.
It is understood the Grand Hotel would be kept as the centrepiece, The Sun reported, adding that other buildings might have to be razed as part of the new plans.
Minister of State Property, Branko Bacic, told Poslovni: "According to the plan of the District of Dubrovnik, a period of 12 months is prescribed during which the investor is obliged to obtain a valid building permit, and within a further period of four years to realise the project."
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