My first international explore!
Somewhat of an accident this one, I knew of its existence but having travelled with my girlfriend who does not enjoy running around potentially hazardous buildings, it was not on my to do list. However, we went to a beach that she wanted to see and by chance there it was! I asked for permission and away I went...
The Hotel Belvedere opened in 1985 with a panoramic view of the Adriatic and looking back on Dubrovnik and the beautiful UNESCO Old Town. Complete with many luxurious features such as its own amphitheatre and elevator from the top of the cliff to the beach below, this hotel really would have been 5 star. However the war in 1991 destroyed tourism in Croatia and as such the hotel did not survive.
In 2014 Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselburg bought the site for less than half of the asking price as no one wanted it. Nothing has happened with saving the hotel for hotel purposes, however the hugely successful Game of Thrones which used the Old Town for many Kings Landing scenes used the hotel amphitheatre for the scene where The Mountain and Prince Oberyn (The Viper) fight hand to hand to decide the fate of Tyrion. Anyone who watched the show knows that in a show of gruesome deaths, this scene ends with a spectacularly gruesome death...
The amitheatre floor is now covered in a mural of the badge Split football club, covering the previously painted on Baratheon House crest.
I only managed to explore a tiny fraction of the hotel as guilt of leaving my girlfriend alone kicked in and having seen videos of this place on YouTube, I wish I had been a wee bit more selfish and seen the stunning spiral staircase in the very center of the building.
But anyway, I'll just have to travel back!
Thank you for reading my ramblings and I hope you enjoy the few pictures I managed to get!
Somewhat of an accident this one, I knew of its existence but having travelled with my girlfriend who does not enjoy running around potentially hazardous buildings, it was not on my to do list. However, we went to a beach that she wanted to see and by chance there it was! I asked for permission and away I went...
The Hotel Belvedere opened in 1985 with a panoramic view of the Adriatic and looking back on Dubrovnik and the beautiful UNESCO Old Town. Complete with many luxurious features such as its own amphitheatre and elevator from the top of the cliff to the beach below, this hotel really would have been 5 star. However the war in 1991 destroyed tourism in Croatia and as such the hotel did not survive.
In 2014 Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselburg bought the site for less than half of the asking price as no one wanted it. Nothing has happened with saving the hotel for hotel purposes, however the hugely successful Game of Thrones which used the Old Town for many Kings Landing scenes used the hotel amphitheatre for the scene where The Mountain and Prince Oberyn (The Viper) fight hand to hand to decide the fate of Tyrion. Anyone who watched the show knows that in a show of gruesome deaths, this scene ends with a spectacularly gruesome death...
The amitheatre floor is now covered in a mural of the badge Split football club, covering the previously painted on Baratheon House crest.
I only managed to explore a tiny fraction of the hotel as guilt of leaving my girlfriend alone kicked in and having seen videos of this place on YouTube, I wish I had been a wee bit more selfish and seen the stunning spiral staircase in the very center of the building.
But anyway, I'll just have to travel back!
Thank you for reading my ramblings and I hope you enjoy the few pictures I managed to get!
