The Sobering Tale of Mozambique's Grande Hotel

Mozambique's Art Deco inspired Grande Hotel opened in Beira in 1954, billing itself as the "pride of Africa." What's that biblical quote about pride? Ah yes: "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall," according to the King James Bible.

Mozambique is located on the southeast coast of Africa. Beira, a city established in 1890 by the Portuguese, is a harbor city with a working class population.

The hotel style and luxury was certainly not in keeping with the means of the population. The hotel never attracted enough of the South African business class, nor flocks of the "beautiful people" to make a profit. Soon, this beautiful hotel with its magnificent views of the Indian Ocean didn't have enough money to maintain the facilty. The hotel closed for business in 1963, although it was still used from time to time for various functions and gatherings.

When Mozambique became independent of Portugal in 1975, trouble soon followed. A civil raged in the country from 1977 to 1992. Military officers took up residence in the hotel, and used the basement as a prison. When the military vacated the premises, the hotel became a refugee camp.

Today, this former "pride of Africa" has been stripped of most everything, but it is home to over 1,000 squatters living in 161 rooms. This is one hotel where you can't get a reservation.