Socialist Hotels

Socialist Hotels is the first photography book devoted entirely to the architecture of hospitality in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, documenting 153 hotels across 31 countries. About This Book Built by the state, these hotels housed visiting officials, ordinary holidaymakers and the occasional guest from the capitalist West. Photographer Elena Amabili travelled widely to record them, and the survey ranges from the grand neoclassical gestures of the Stalinist era through to austere concrete modernism and more idiosyncratic buildings finished in mosaic, tile and stained glass that drew on local traditions. Many of these buildings are now being modernised beyond recognition or demolished, which gives the book the character of a record made just in time. Edited by FUEL's Damon Murray and Stephen Sorrell, it sits alongside the publisher's earlier surveys of Soviet bus stops, scientific institutes and monuments. Key Features 153 hotels photographed across 31 countries The first photographic survey devoted solely to socialist hospitality architecture Introductory essay by food and travel writer Caroline Eden Buildings ranging from Stalinist neoclassicism to late modernist concrete What You'll Discover How the state-run hotel reflected the social and political life of the Eastern Bloc How architectural ambitions shifted from monumental excess to austere modernism Regional variations in decoration, from mosaics to stained glass Buildings now at risk of demolition or unsympathetic renovation About the Author Elena Amabili is a Berlin-based Italian photographer whose work documents the architectural legacy of the socialist era. The book is edited by Damon Murray and Stephen Sorrell of FUEL, the London graphic design and publishing studio they founded in 1991, and introduced by author Caroline Eden. Specifications Format: Hardcover Dimensions: 160 × 200 mm Pages: 248 Language: English ISBN: 9781068294617 Publisher: FUEL Design & Publishing Perfect For: Readers interested in postwar and Soviet-era architecture, collectors of FUEL's architectural surveys, and travellers drawn to Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.