Lake Prespa’s Forgotten Hotel Evropa

Today, Lake Prespa is a place of almost perplexing tranquility, with nothing of the tourism that reaches the shores of nearby Lake Ohrid. But this hasn’t always been the case. The abandoned Hotel Evropa, on Prespa’s western shore, is proof that this was once a major tourist destination.

The Hotel Evropa hearkens from the same era as the nearby Lakeview Hotel, where we were spending our nights in Prespa. But unlike the Lakeview, which is once again welcoming guests, the Evropa has remained abandoned. A modern ruin, its rooms have been pillaged, its windows shattered, and its furniture robbed.

We spotted the Evropa while driving along the coastal road. It would have been impossible not to, because the building is monstrous. At least for us, it was irresistible. When I say this place has been “forgotten,” I mean it. The Evropa is not “under new management” or “scheduled for demolition” or under any sort of protection, private or governmental. It’s simply there, completely deserted.

With no signs prohibiting us from doing so, we explored. The Evropa has been totally ransacked, everything of value stripped and stolen. We went up to the upper floors, into the hotel rooms, out onto the balconies, down to the lounge, and into the basement. I’m not given to panic, but while exploring this hotel, I felt the clammy hand of terror on my heart. Every time I turned a corner, I did so half-expecting to discover something gruesome. If I had been captured and subsequently tortured by some disfigured Macedonian maniac… it would have been awful, of course, but not all that surprising. It’s not like I’d be dangling from the meat hook, thinking, “Well, I just can’t believe this.”

The Hotel Evropa is not, in any way, a tourism sight. But those fascinated by dilapidated Communist-era architecture will be in heaven. Hurry though, because it’s only a matter of time (or money) before somebody demolishes this unintentional, mesmerizing museum to a bygone era.

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This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Rachelle

    We recently went to lake Prespa and just like you were drawn into this monstrosity. I was overcome by the emotion of the place, the memories trapped in it. My husband quickly pointed out however that he felt like we would turn the corner and find a body or something gruesome, and then my son informed us that he felt like we were not alone, so we did not get to explore as much as you.(because we are chickens) but I am still haunted by this place and loved it. Thanks for your pictures, they are fantastic.  Do you know anymore of the history of it? I would love to find pictures of what it looked like when it was still in operation.

  2. Joerg Reiher

    Hi!What great pictures of the abandoned hotel – each one seems to tell a story immediately, so well shot! thanks and greetings from another lake (lake of constance)no abandoned hotels here though :-)joerg

  3. Pepe

    I used to spend summer camps in the early 90s at the hotel Evropa, it was one of the best times of my teenage years, I remember the dinning halls, the bowling alley and there was even a Disco with lights, smoke and DJs. I stayed in the rooms with school friends it was some of the best times of my life and can see the places were we walked, and played and how this used to be a wonderful place full of guests.

  4. Phillip

    I stayed at this hotel in July 2004, just a few months before the restaurant fire and subsequent closing. Although kind of quiet, the hotel was in decent condition at that time. But lots of activity on the weekends. There was a nightclub near the front lobby, and you could attend a live theater play in the rear patio area. We watched one of the plays from the balcony of our room. For breakfast, they served freshly squeezed apricot juice with scrambled eggs and cheese. That place was nice.

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