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It takes 24 years to open what may be world’s ugliest hotel
It took a while for the reviled Ryu-Gyong Hotel in Pyongyang to open — 24 years, in fact.
The massive concrete structure – once called one of the world's worst buildings- was designed in the shape of a three-sided pyramid. It spans 105 stories and nearly 1,100 feet.
Back in 1987, North Korea had hoped to make it the world's tallest hotel, despite the fact that the country has few visitors, reported the Telegraph.
But by 1992, North Korea had to stop construction when it ran out of money after the fall of the Soviet Union, the newspaper said.
Esquire magazine once hailed the massive tower as "the worst building in the history of mankind."
Some architects have even called for it to be demolished.
Bruno Giberti, a professor at California Polytechnic State University's department of architecture, called it "the worst building in the world," a Reuters story said earlier this year.
In the spring, however, theTelegraph says that North Korea plans to open it to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of the nation's founder Kim Il-sung.
By David Wilkening
David
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