Hotel Crowne Plaza

Hotel Crowne Plaza, formerly known as Hotel Druzba, Hotel Cedok, International Hotel and even Holiday Inn, is the largest Stalinist building in Prague. Built between 1952 and 1954 under the watchful eye of the Minister of Defense Alexej Cepicka, the building was a fantasy come true for Stalin, as it is a miniature copy of the Seven Sisters group of skyscrapers in Moscow. The Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw is similar as well. The Hotel Crowne Plaza is 88 meters high and has 16 floors, complete with a fallout shelter for 600 plus people. Inside the grand hotel you will find colorful wall murals and etched glass doors depicting workers harvesting the fields. Notice the green star that tops the building, Holiday Inn painted the once red star green, changing the red of communism to the green color of money and capitalism.

Koulova 1501, Praha 6, +420 296 537 111, www.austria-hotels.at/cz/crowne-plaza