Grande Hotel Beira (Beira)

Mozambique / Sofala / Beira
 abandoned / shut down, interesting place
Built in the 1950s during Portuguese rule, the Grande Hotel was a vision of opulence. Parquet floors gleamed, chandeliers lit up the art on the walls and ornate décor. Elevators delivered guests to their lavish rooms with balconies looking out at a stunning view of the Indian Ocean, and across the decadent pool area.
When the Liberation front of Mozambique rose up and civil war began to sweep across the country, the owners of the Grande Hotel fled, abandoning the property. It was used a refugee camp as the war raged on, but once it ended, the battered building was taken over by homeless citizens made destitute by the decades of unrest.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Hotel_Beira
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   19°50'50"S   34°50'28"E
This article was last modified 9 years ago