Socialist Hotels
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Elena Amabili
160x200 mm hardback
248 pages
ISBN: 978-1-0682946-1-7
Published in 2026
Includes 2 exclusive Socialist Hotels postcards
Holiday architecture behind the Iron Curtain.
The first photography book to focus solely on the architecture of hospitality in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet landscape, Socialist Hotels documents 153 examples from 31 countries. These state-constructed buildings were used by visiting government workers, ordinary citizens – and even the occasional capitalist guest from the West. Today they are a fascinating legacy of a social and cultural idiosyncrasy. Increasingly subject to modernisation or demolition, this publication provides a unique survey of an architectural diaspora, documenting remaining examples of this disappearing phenomenon.
With an introductory essay from acclaimed food and travel author Caroline Eden.
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Reviews
FUEL’s latest foray into the crumbling ruins of architectural good intentions is Socialist Hotels, a photographic monograph by Elena Amabili that traces the state-sponsored holiday industry in the former Eastern Bloc. It follows on from works like Soviet Scientific Institutes, the Soviet Bus Stops series and the Spomenik Monument Database, all of which pair a fascination with monumental mid-century ambition with a study of a lost era of architectural politics.
Jonathan Bell, Wallpaper*
Socialist Hotels is the first photography book to focus solely on the architecture of hospitality in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet landscape. These state-constructed buildings were used by visiting government workers and ordinary citizens. Today they are a fascinating legacy of a social and cultural idiosyncrasy.