Dokumentationszentrum Prora

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The Prora Documentation Center was founded in 2000 to close a gap in Germany's memorial landscape. It is located in Block III of the roughly 4.7-kilometer complex, which was built from 1936 to 1939 on behalf of the Nazi organization "Kraft durch Freude" (Strength Through Joy) as a seaside resort for 20,000 holidaymakers and was largely completed. The protected complex is one of the largest coherent architectural legacies of the Nazi era.

Since July 30, 2004, the house has shown the permanent exhibition "MACHTUrlaub". It tells the history of Prora from the first plans and construction to its use during the Second World War and in the GDR, and places the seaside resort within the propaganda and social policy of the Nazi state, in particular the construct of the "Volksgemeinschaft" (national community). The exhibition was created in 2003/04 with funding from the EU program Culture 2000, together with partners from several countries.

It is supplemented by partial exhibitions, including "Baustelle Prora – Die Pläne" (Construction Site Prora – The Plans) and, since 2018, "Von Prora hinter die Fronten" (From Prora Behind the Front Lines), about police battalions that were trained at Prora for a time. The sponsor is the association Dokumentationszentrum Prora e. V. The center is a state-recognized adult education institution and offers educational projects, tours of the site and a reading café.

Key themes

• Permanent exhibition "MACHTUrlaub" on Prora and the Nazi leisure organization
• Model of the planned KdF seaside resort and an interactive media station
• Accompanying 33-minute film on continuous loop, German with English subtitles
• Public guided tours of the site (daily, April to October)
• Reading café with literature on the Nazi era

Permanent exhibitions

• MACHTUrlaub – Permanent exhibition on the history of Prora and the KdF seaside resort within the framework of Nazi social policy and the "Volksgemeinschaft" (national community).
• Von Prora hinter die Fronten – Partial exhibition on police battalions that were trained in Prora and later deployed in occupied countries of Europe.
• Baustelle Prora – Die Pläne – Exhibition of documents, photographs and plans on the construction of the seaside resort, juxtaposed with recent photographs.

Founded

2000

Operated by

Dokumentationszentrum Prora e. V.

Admission & discounts

The accompanying film is included in the admission price. Individual group tours by registration: €50 plus €5 per participant; for registered youth groups €30.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The house is only partly barrier-free: the exhibition and film room are reachable without steps via a separate ground-floor entrance (currently about 250 m via a gravel path because of construction work), while the upper floor with the model and café is reachable only by stairs. Dogs are welcome in the exhibition. If needed, ask for help by phone.

Kids & families

Family tickets for parents with minor children; children up to 12 years enter free. Educational offers for school classes and youth groups.

Getting there & parking

Enter "Dokumentationszentrum Prora" as the destination in your navigation device. From the L 29, cross the railway crossing onto Proraer Allee, then follow the signs for "Blöcke I–IV" (Blocks I–IV) to the right. The house is in Block III next to the former theater building; since autumn 2018 the address is Dritte Straße 4 (formerly Strandstraße 74).

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Reading café on the upper floor with coffee, tea, cake and ice cream, as well as organic baked goods and organic juices.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit