HOTEL Pelegrin was once a luxurious hotel located on a beautiful beach in a Croatian village, but it has now been left an eerie shell.
The stunning 419-bed complex was one of the largest on the Adriatic coast, and attracted thousands of international guests in the 1980s.
Hotel Pelegrin was originally part of the Kupari holiday resort for the military elite of the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) after opening its doors in 1963.
The military largely funded the expansion of the resort – and so inevitably it became an accommodation for officers and their friends and families.
Civilians could stay too, but vacancies were more readily available if they had military connections.
But after 17 years in business, the hotel soon began welcoming guests from around the globe.
Overlooking the glistening blue waters of the Adriatic Sea, the geometric building was once a sight to behold.
In front of the open balconies, panoramic mountain views were visible to guests, as well as a long string of other boutique holiday resorts.
But it was during the siege of Dubrovnik in 1991, that the glamorous hotel was destroyed.
The building was shelled repeatedly and the damage is still visible to this day.
After the brutal attack, the hotel was used as a temporary shelter and base for serviceman in the Croatian Army.
But once they left in 2000, it was completely abandoned and locals stripped anything useful from the shells of the buildings, such as tiles and copper piping.
Now the former resort is overgrown with a jungle of ivy, and disturbed only by the occasional curious tourist.
Chilling photos show the hotel has clearly been left to the elements for over two decades as weeds and grime take over the once-white walls.
Bullet ridden walls now scrawled in graffiti make up the complex, with bricks and rubble making the ground near invisible.
With its stunning seaside view, the hotel was once bustling with holidaymakers, as old black and white photos show it brimming with bikini-clad tourists.
Now it is just a hollow shell of the beauty it once was.
The exterior is beginning to show deep cracks and thick, large patches of rust are devouring the metal rails and features within the structure.
The steps leading up into the Pelegrin appear to have been destroyed by heavy artillery, as they lay smashed into pieces with parts scattered over the ground.
Green weeds have grown tall around the dilapidated entrance and have begun crawling up the staircase, close to the front doors.
They have also climbed up the grey walls and spread into open spaces where windows would have once been.
Gaping holes in the ceilings have crumbled to the ground, revealing wooden and metal railings, and the interior bones of the enormous structure.
But the Pelegrin is just one of a number of former hotels located on the bay of Kupari that have been neglected for some twenty years.
There are seven hotels in total within the resort complex, including Hotel Grand, Goričina I, Goričina II, Kupari, Pelegrin, Mladost and Galeb – and all of them are now empty shells, decaying with the passing of time.
During its heyday, the resort’s hotels could accommodate a total of of 2,000 guests.
In recent months, it has been reported a contract has been signed by Kupari Luxury Hotels to renovate the site, now nicknamed the “bay of abandoned hotels”.
It is understood the Grand Hotel would be kept as the centrepiece, but the other hotels demolished to make way for new constructions.
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.”
It comes after a beautiful hotel clinging to a cliff and overlooking a crystal blue Italian lake has been left to rot for more than two decades.
Hotel Ponale, dubbed “Casa della Trota”, is located in the hamlet of Biacesa along the stretch of the luxurious Lake Garda.
And an abandoned 17th century hotel once home to lords is up for sale for half the price of a London home.
The entire boutique hotel in the village of Anduze, southern France, is on the market for just £278,000.
