The North Korean capital of Pyongyang was largely razed during the Korean War and the buildings that rose up from the ashes provide some of the most striking examples of socialist architecture. And more recent architects in the cloistered nation have added grandiose—though sometimes unfinished—landmarks to its urban landscapes.
The Mansudae Art Theatre, Pyongyang, opened in 1976
(via Socialism Expo, Laika ac and Wikimapia)
Kumsusan Palace of the Sun (Kim Il-Sung Mausoleum), Pyongyang, built in 1976. It was the official residence of the head of state until the death of Kim Il-Sung in 1994.
(via Mark Scott Johnson, Chris Price and Socialism Expo)
The Pyongyang Ice Rink, on the bank of Pothong river in Pyongyang, built in 1982. It has 6,000 seats and is mainly used for figure skating, ice skating and ice hockey, but table tennis and volleyball have also been played here.
(via Korea Discovery and Laika ac)
Three Revolution Exhibition (the ideological, technical and cultural revolutions of Kim Il Sung), Pyongyang, in the building of the former Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition Hall, built in 1946, improved in 1983. Since then, it has a Saturn-shaped planetarium.
(via Mega Construcciones)
The 43-story and 469-ft (143-m) tall Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang, the second largest hotel in North Korea, opened in 1985.
(via Wikimedia Commons and Haaretz)
The 105-story Ryugyong Hotel—construction began 1987, but was halted during the 1992 economic crisis of North Korea caused by the fall of the Soviet Union. The Egyptian Orascom Group, which built and run the 3G network of North Korea, continued the work on the building in 2008, but its interior is still unfinished.
(via Nicor, David Guttenfelder/AP and Forgemind ArchiMedia)
Hyangsan Hotel, on the banks of the Myohyang River, North Pyongyang Province, opened in 1986, renovated in 2010.
(via Raymond Cunningham and Steve Nelson)
The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang, the largest stadium in the world by capacity (150,000). It opened on May 1, 1989. It is used for the Mass Games (Arirang), football matches and athletics events.
(via Nicor and Chris Price)
Mangyongdae Children's Palace, Pyongyang, built in 1989 as a public facility dedicated to after-school activities.
And it has a mockup of a North Korean spaceship:
(via Wikimedia Commons, Mega Construcciones and Photographil)
East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, a 2500-seat theatre in Pyongyang, built in 1989
(via Retro DPRK, Laika ac and Chris Price)
The International Cinema Hall, on Yanggak Island in the middle of River Taedong, Pyongyang
(via Mega Construcciones)
The Central Youth Hall, Pyongyang, completed in 1989
Pyongyang Circus, Pyongyang, 1989
(via Nicor and Mega Construcciones)
Ryanggang Hotel, Pyongyang, built in 1989
(via Wikimapia and Julian Limes)
The Kimilsungia-Kimjongilia Exhibition Hall, constructed in 2002 for massive flower exhibitions and festivals.
(via Fraser Lewry and Chris Price)
New high-rise residential projects in Pyongyang
(via Laika ac and Bjørn Christian Tørrissen)