Opened in 1972 on the Adriatic island of Krk, the Haludovo Palace Hotel complex represented one of the most extravagant architectural experiments of mid-century Yugoslavia. Funded in part by Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione, the resort was designed by renowned Croatian architect Boris Magaš in a striking modernist style featuring floating concrete staircases, open-air interior courtyards, and expansive glass curtain walls overlooking the sea.
Decay of the Penthouse Adriatic Club
During its initial operational period, the resort hosted international leaders, celebrities, and wealthy tourists. However, with the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars in 1991, tourism ceased entirely, and the hotel was temporarily converted into a refuge for displaced families. By the late 1990s, the resort was systematically stripped of copper piping, marble wall claddings, and glass panels.
Today, Mediterranean flora cascades over raw concrete balcony terraces, presenting a haunting visual juxtaposition of mid-century luxury aesthetics reclaimed by seaside ecological succession.