Latest news with #lightshows
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
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North Korea's tallest building is an abandoned hotel that has never hosted a single guest. Take a look at the 'Hotel of Doom.'
North Korea's tallest building is an abandoned hotel that has never hosted a single guest. Take a closer look at the 'Hotel of Doom.' Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, is one of the tallest unoccupied buildings in the world. Construction on the "Hotel of Doom" began in 1987 and has stopped and started several times. One side of the 1,080-foot building has been outfitted with LED screens used for light shows. At 1,080 feet, North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang is one of the tallest unoccupied buildings in the world. The 105-story "Hotel of Doom," which is also North Korea's tallest building, has never hosted a single guest. Construction began almost 40 years ago, and it is not yet complete — the cost of finishing the building is estimated to be around 5% of the country's entire GDP. Still, Ryugyong Hotel remains a subject of international fascination. Here's the story behind the abandoned skyscraper that dominates the capital city's skyline. Construction on the Ryugyong Hotel began in Pyongyang in 1987, but halted due to economic troubles in North Korea. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, North Korea lost its main trading partner and source of aid, spurring an economic crisis. The hotel reached its full height in 1992, but the inside was never completed. The Ryugyong Hotel is 105 stories tall and is sometimes referred to as the 105 Building. To this day, it has never hosted a single guest. Despite its aversion to foreign visitors, North Korea does have several functional hotels in Pyongyang. Until the Ryugyong Hotel is completed, the Yanggakdo International Hotel is the city's largest, and the Ryanggang Hotel is widely regarded as the fanciest. Its pyramid shape dominates the Pyongyang skyline from miles away. Each of the building's three sections, which join together at the top, are 100 meters, or 328 feet long, Atlas Obscura reported. At the very top of the building, an eight-story cone-shaped section was supposed to feature revolving restaurants. It remains empty, like the rest of the hotel. More external work began on the hotel in 2008 with the installation of glass panels over its entire surface. An Egyptian contractor, the Orascom group, took over the project and revived construction in 2008, Reuters reported. It would cost an estimated $2 billion to finally finish the Ryugyong Hotel, Reuters reported in 2008, citing South Korean media. North Korea's gross domestic product is around $40 billion, according to the CIA World Factbook's 2015 estimate. That makes the cost of finishing the building around 5% of the country's entire GDP. In the meantime, North Korea has found other uses for the building. Pyongyang celebrated May Day in 2009 with a fireworks display framing the Ryugyong Hotel. It serves as a dramatic backdrop for performances by art troupes. The troupes' performances usually contain propaganda messages. North Korea sent an art troupe to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. It also provides a backdrop for propaganda messages made up of over 100,000 LED screens. In 2018, lighting designer Kim Yong Il created a light show comprised of political slogans and party symbols. It played on the building's surface for several hours every night. In 2023, banners in front of the hotel marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. North Korea celebrates the 1953 armistice agreement as a victory in the "Grand Fatherland Liberation War." The building itself still lacks electricity, and there's no expected completion date, but there have been new signs of construction progress. Alek Sigley, an Australian student who was studying for his master's degree in Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University, posted on X about new signage above the main entrance of the hotel in June 2019. A month later, Sigley was detained for a week and subsequently released after North Korean authorities accused him of committing "spying acts" against the state. He was later expelled from the country. North Korean authorities are reportedly hoping to find a foreign investor to build a casino in the empty space. Radio Free Asia reported in July 2024 that North Korean leadership is seeking a foreign investor to purchase gambling rights and operate a casino at the Ryugyong Hotel as part of a deal to finish the rest of its interior. Authorities hope to replicate the success and profitability of the casino at Pyongyang's Yanggakdo International Hotel, which has proven popular with tourists, the outlet reported, citing an anonymous North Korean source. It continues to live up to its nickname, "Hotel of Doom." The hotel's actual name, "Ryugyong," comes from a historical name for Pyongyang meaning "capital of willows." Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
After surviving collapse, fire and Dillinger escape, Dakota County swing bridge begins new chapter
At 130 years old, one Dakota County bridge has been traversed by horse-drawn carriages, a notorious bank robber and firefighters in the nick of time. But its story isn't finished yet. The Rock Island Swing Bridge, which juts out about 680 feet over the Mississippi River from Inver Grove Heights, will begin its latest chapter on the evening of Tuesday, June 17, as it's lit up with thousands of LEDs. 'Council members, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, residents … everybody wants to stake claim as to whose idea this was,' Adam Lares, parks and recreation director for Inver Grove Heights, said with a chuckle. The $553,000 project will culminate in nightly light shows that run every quarter hour from 7 to 10 p.m. through the summer, Lares said. 'It's part of our identity,' he said of the bridge. 'We want to preserve the history. That's the key in all this.' As for the lights, there are 54 interior light fixtures, each containing 256 LEDs. The historic section of the bridge features 30 exterior flood-light fixtures, each containing 500 LEDs, which amounts to 28,824 LEDs across the bridge. 'Each light, down to about a quarter of an inch, can be programmed,' Lares said. He recalled a recent test run with a patriotic theme where the lights were programmed to mimic a waving flag. During events, the light shows will also feature music, he said. Mike Reis, front office manager of Twin City Marina, located half a mile northwest of the bridge, said he doesn't anticipate the lights will cause any issues for boaters and he hasn't heard any complaints from customers. 'We're all for the lights to make things more visible,' he said, adding, 'The colors are neat; hopefully they can do Vikings colors someday.' The cost to run the lights, estimated to be about $4,000 annually, will be covered by the Parks Department's operating budget, Lares said, which is consistent with how electrical costs are managed throughout the park system. Inver Grove Heights isn't the only Dakota County city with an affinity for flare, er, flair. Earlier this year, Eagan re-lit its historic Sperry Tower after a lightning strike in 2023 left it dark. 'The (bridge) once connected across the river and it was vital infrastructure before I-494 came along,' Lares said. 'It gave you the opportunity to cross the Mississippi River. It was our legacy.' Completed in 1895 and spanning 1,661 feet, the Rock Island Swing Bridge was the largest of its kind in the country at the time. First used by horse-drawn wagons and trains, the bridge provided a connection between stockyards in South St. Paul and main rail lines across the river. The bridge's unusual double-decker design would later allow motor vehicles on the lower deck while trains rumbled across on the upper deck, the Pioneer Press reported. Rock Island Railroad operated it as a toll bridge until 1938, when the Legislature made it free to cross. As local legend goes, the bridge served as an escape route for Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger. The notorious outlaw crossed it in a stolen car while high-tailing to Chicago after a shootout with Dakota County authorities in the mid-1930s. In 1980, the railroad went bankrupt and as a result the bridge closed to rail traffic. Nearly two decades later, the bridge closed to vehicle traffic. In 2008, a 200-foot segment of the eastern stretch of the bridge collapsed into the riverbank and the remaining section was slated for demolition. Two days before demolition, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave the Dakota County side of the bridge a two-year reprieve when he signed the state's bonding bill, which included a moratorium. 'God bless Governor Pawlenty, different party than me, but we both traveled across that bridge as kids,' said Dakota County Commissioner Joe Atkins, who was a state representative at the time and introduced the moratorium. 'We passed that bill and got a respite to figure out the next steps.' Shortly after, the National Park Service hosted a bridge tour to gauge public interest in reusing the Inver Grove Heights side as a scenic pier. There were long lines all day to get on it, the Pioneer Press reported. In 2010, tragedy struck again as the bridge caught fire just three weeks out from being restored to a public pier. Firefighters worked for three hours on the pier and in boats to douse the burning creosote-soaked wooden deck stringers. It was concluded that the fire started from welding sparks. Despite the setbacks, the bridge reopened in 2011 as a public pier, spanning some 680 feet over the river. 'You've got this fixture in the community, over a century old, and it's found a way to remain relevant and popular with individuals and families for 130 years now,' Atkins said. 'This latest feature probably won't be the last. It seems to spur creativity and interest among residents across all ages and generations.' Northwest of the bridge sits Heritage Village Park, one of the city's latest development projects. At the park visitors will find an 11-acre off-leash dog park that was once a polluted rail yard. The dog park, which opened in 2019, cost just under $900,000, a total that includes a parking lot, lighting, fencing, benches, drinking fountains and storm water treatment. 'It's a very popular dog park. It is just off the charts the number of people that use it,' said Atkins, who was elected mayor of Inver Grove Heights in 1992 and held the position for 10 years. Next steps for the park include the construction of an inclusive playground, splash pad and expanded parking lot, according to city documents. Last November, Dakota County leaders celebrated construction of the first phase of the new Veterans Memorial Greenway, a three-part project that eventually will connect Lebanon Hills Regional Park and the Mississippi River Greenway with five miles of trails interspersed with memorials for military veterans and their families. Miss Juneteenth crowns Minnesota's young Black queens Here's how the 2025 MN Legislature impacted Ramsey, Washington, Dakota counties 2 federally charged with machine gun possession after violence at Twin Cities graduations Hastings' Smead Manufacturing sold to TOPS products in Illinois Metal manufacturer to lay off nearly 150 in Lakeville, Shakopee, Plymouth The first phase is the central section of the greenway, running for two miles between Alameda Path and Rich Valley Park in Inver Grove Heights. The Mississippi River Greenway, which runs for 28 miles along the river connecting St. Paul to Hastings, also includes a trailhead at the Rock Island Swing Bridge that opened in 2015. 'In my opinion, the swing bridge rivals the bison for the top spots people want to stop and enjoy along the Mississippi Greenway,' Atkins said, referring to the herd of American Plains bison that graze at Spring Lake Park Reserve northwest of Hastings. The bison, who were reintroduced to the prairie in 2022, are part of a plan to naturalize the park's landscape by restoring the oak savanna and prairie landscape of the past. 'We are trying to build connectivity back to that river,' Lares said of the lighting project. 'We're trying to make sure that we don't forget our history and pay homage to that bridge and the natural beauty around it.' When: 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 Where: 4465 E. 66th St., Inver Grove Heights Details: Cost: Free Miss Juneteenth crowns Minnesota's young Black queens Here's how the 2025 MN Legislature impacted Ramsey, Washington, Dakota counties 2 federally charged with machine gun possession after violence at Twin Cities graduations Hastings' Smead Manufacturing sold to TOPS products in Illinois Metal manufacturer to lay off nearly 150 in Lakeville, Shakopee, Plymouth
