In 1972, Penthouse Magazine owner Bob Guccione’s casino-resort on the remote island of Krk in then-Soviet-communist Yugoslavia - The Penthouse Adriatic - opens. By 1992, it was sliding into disrepair amongst the fall of (whatever they called) civilization in the Eastern Bloc.

Time passes. 2010 comes along. Bob Guccione dies. But abandoned building enuthisiast Jakob Ehrensvärd and his camera are still alive. They stop by to document. He also wrote about it. 

The Penthouse June 1972 issue boldly states: “The Penthouse Adriatic is a more-than-rarefied rendezvous for the sophisticated and appreciative traveler who demands the kind of cosseting that only Penthouse understands and provides”. A less elegant and circumventing phrase, but more straight-on, is: “Penthouse Pets are employed as hostesses and croupiers entertaining the guests”. One can only imagine what was the level of “service” provided in this resort and how the presence of decadent westerners in this spectacular hotel was handled by the state. Presumably, the remote location at the beautiful island of Krk by the Adriatic Sea allowed some level of distant isolation to the locals. It seems plausible that a part of the idea behind establishing a decadent resort in a more or less closed country was to ensure some level of privacy for its guests, away from Paparazzis and gossip magazines. It is therefore no surprise celebreties like Saddam Hussein showed his appreciation by a legendary $2000 tip. One can furthermore try to imagine the scenes when it was discovered that one of his sons, after departure, had forgotten his very personal handgun, hidden under his pillow.

Although today, in a severe stage of decay and looting, the resort still shows an absolutely extraordinary level of sleazy luxury anno the early 1970s, far from the typical, meager Eastern Bloc style, yet perfectly en par with the story of the Penthouse Empire. Guccione during the 1980s became one of worlds wealthiest, and for years it appeared like all he touched became gold.

COOL STUFF

(via nodicesoldier)

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Maria, Amy and Louie, Juliana Paciuli, 2005

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life, today’s lunch

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Albert Einstein drinks a latte at Starbucks in Universal City, 2012.

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s. o’brien

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CLICK THOUGH FOR GENIUS 

(via jesuisperdu)

9:56 pm  •  16 November 2011  •  200 notes

AND EVERY DAY WAS OVERCAST, Paul Kwiatkowski, 2011 

Scheduled for release late 2011, AND EVERY DAY WAS OVERCAST is an upcoming novel and photo essay about coming of age in the creepshow of swamps and strip malls that is South Florida. 

12:45 pm  •  22 September 2011  •  7 notes

Hippie Weddings

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Roswell Angier

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Levi Macdonald 

4:45 pm  •  10 June 2011

Ken Graves & Eva Lipman, Early Work 

(via criminalwisdom)

11:41 am  •  17 February 2011  •  35 notes