I accidentally stumbled upon this interesting place when I browsed Google Maps: Costa del Croco.
It is a large tourist complex near the city of Tsarevo (Царево). It is a gigantic resort that never was finished and now no one wants to finish it or has the means to demolish it.
So of course I was intrigued and wanted to see this modern ruin for myself.
I rented a cheap car and got this yellow monster. I'm 100% sure that I could use it to make a buck or two driving as a pirate taxi driver.
The way from Varna to Tsarevo was a very beautiful ride in the middle of November. (I don't know why somebody placed something that looked like a chair in the middle of the field).
Our AI friend has more info about Costa del Croco:
Costa del Croco, located near Tsarevo in Bulgaria, was envisioned as a luxurious seaside resort when construction began in 2007. The ambitious project included plans for a 5-star hotel, residential buildings, private beaches, a marina, and even a hospital. However, construction halted in 2009, largely due to the global financial crisis and issues surrounding its investors. Key figures involved, including Russian businessman Konstantin Tsiganov, were linked to criminal organizations, which led to his expulsion from Bulgaria in 2010 on national security grounds.
The project remains incomplete, with much of the concrete framework still standing but abandoned. Despite efforts to sell or revive the site, no significant progress has been made, and it has become known as a "ghost town" on the Black Sea coast.
Today, the area is a symbol of the unfulfilled promises of rapid development along Bulgaria’s coastline, where nature is slowly reclaiming the unfinished structures.
This is Costa del Croco as seen from above i Google Maps. "Midlertidig lukket" means "temporarily closed". Somebody is optimistic :-D
There was no formal entrance to the unfinished resort, so I had to force my way through a fench to get into the complex. This is what I first saw:
I walked up the stairs of what I think was a 8 story building. There were no railings so it was a bit anxiety provoking to stand on the top floor and take pictures. There were also unfinished elevator shafts and holes in the floor, so I had to be very careful.
Don't come to close to the void.
But I got this nice picture of the beautiful wave concrete construction work:
A video of the complex:
And of course a lot of other nice photos:
And people come here to create art. There were a lot of beautiful graffiti pieces and I especially liked this one:
Nice enough to put on my wall at home - and maybe I will just do that :-)
And other pieces like this:
These pictures bear witness to the decay of the buildings. Some rooms were actually close to being finished.
It was very fascinating to experience this place. I had a great day - and a great ride home in the sunset:
Me at the top of one the buildings
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