Hotel Belvedere

12 Historic Places at Risk From Rising Waters

"Just outside Dubrovnik, on a cliff with panoramic views of the city, sits the once-magnificent Hotel Belvedere. The luxury hotel only operated for six years in late 20th century. Ever since, it’s been left to crumble into the sea. When the hotel opened in 1985 it had over 200 rooms, a helipad, and its own private boat dock. The complex has remained abandoned since the Croatian War of Independence. It has, however, had brief stints of occupation. During a siege on the city in 1991, dozens of Croatian refugees took shelter within its derelict walls. The 18 floors of the hotel are filled with shattered glass and the remnants of fallen walls. The outside offers several terraces at varying levels that descend the cliff, each with an unparalleled view over the bay toward Dubrovnik Old Town and Lokrum Island. Its decorated sea-level amphitheater was used as a set for Game of Thrones. It was briefly adorned with the crest of House Baratheon for shooting, but some locals replaced that with a more geographically appropriate symbol: the crest of Hajduk, a local football club from Split, a city about 140 miles down the coast. In 2014, the property was sold at public auction. Russian Billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, known for his impressive private collection of Fabergé eggs, bought the complex for 12 million euros (about $14 million dollars). His plans for the place are slightly more modest than the original, massive design." - ATLAS_OBSCURA