Iconic Soviet Union buildings captured in the new book Socialist Hotels

Publisher Fuel has spotlighted 150 of the best Soviet hotels in its latest book, Socialist Hotels, a photographic project by Elena Amabili that traces the state-sponsored holiday industry in the former Eastern Bloc

by · The Mirror
Hotel Pušynas was perhaps the most striking of Druskininkai’s Soviet-era spa hotels. It is a 66-room hotel that opened in 1982 under its original name Sūrutis Sanatorium. The building’s architects, R. Šilinskas and N. Kėvišas, planned for the cylindrical building to resemble a huge, concrete pine cone. The hotel was later renamed “Pušynas,” meaning “Pine Forest.”
Socialist Hotels, by Elena Amabili, © FUEL Publishing. Visit https/fuel-design.com/publishing/socialist-hotels/(Image:Supplied)
Situated in the northern mountains of the Czechia, Hotel Ještěd dominates the skyline. It reaches an altitude of 1,000 metres thanks to its position on the hill. The first monument was built at its summit in 1737, but the Ještěd was completed in 1973. Due to its unique design, architect Karel Hubáček received the Perret Prize. The structure was declared a cultural monument in 1998.
Socialist Hotels, by Elena Amabili, © FUEL Publishing. Visit https/fuel-design.com/publishing/socialist-hotels/(Image:Supplied)
Hotel Pomorie was built in 1976 by architect Nikolai Damov in Pomorie, Bulgaria. It was designed to look like a ship jutting into the sea. Today, the seafront below the hotel has been developed and filled in, as part of the city council's coastal reinforcement measures.
Socialist Hotels, by Elena Amabili, © FUEL Publishing. Visit https/fuel-design.com/publishing/socialist-hotels/(Image:Supplied)