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Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, is one of the tallest unoccupied buildings in the world.
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Construction on the “Hotel of Doom” began in 1987 and has stopped and started several times.
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One side of the 1,080-foot building has been outfitted with LED screens used for light shows.
At 1,080 feet, North Korea’s Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang is one of the tallest unoccupied buildings in the world.
The 105-story “Hotel of Doom,” which is also North Korea’s tallest building, has never hosted a single guest, but it remains a subject of international fascination.
Here’s the story behind the abandoned skyscraper that dominates the capital city’s skyline.
Construction on the Ryugyong Hotel began in Pyongyang in 1987, but halted due to economic troubles in North Korea.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, North Korea lost its main trading partner and source of aid, spurring an economic crisis.
The hotel reached its full height in 1992, but the inside was never completed.
The Ryugyong Hotel is 105 stories tall and is sometimes referred to as the 105 Building.
To this day, it has never hosted a single guest.
Despite its aversion to foreign visitors, North Korea does have several functional hotels in Pyongyang. Until the Ryugyong Hotel is completed, the Yanggakdo International Hotel is the city’s largest, and the Ryanggang Hotel is widely regarded as the fanciest.
Its pyramid shape dominates the Pyongyang skyline from miles away.
Each of the building’s three sections, which join together at the top, are 328 feet (100 meters) long, according to Atlas Obscura.
At the very top of the building, an eight-story cone-shaped section was supposed to feature revolving restaurants.
