The blue glass
Reflects the sky.
Jan Engelhardt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jan Engelhardt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jan Engelhardt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Laika ac from USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jakro64 — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Ryugyong Hotel is a 330-metre pyramid-shaped skyscraper in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It is the most striking feature of the skyline and the tallest building in the country, yet it has never been finished inside or opened. Its name means capital of willows, a historic name for Pyongyang. Building began in 1987 and stopped in 1992 during an economic crisis, leaving a bare concrete shell without windows for many years. Work resumed in 2008, the glass skin was finished in 2011, and a partial opening was announced and then cancelled. Had it been finished on time, it would have been the tallest hotel in the world. You see a huge three-winged pyramid clad in shining blue glass that reflects the sky, rising over the apartment towers and wide streets around it. Its tip is a cone, it can be seen from most of the city, and a screen on one side lights up at night. It is about 2.7 km from central Pyongyang in a straight line, and it is seen from outside only. Foreign visitors can only come on organised tours, and the country has been closed to most tourists in recent years. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to North Korea, so read the current advice before you plan.
Reflects the sky.
A pyramid.
Over the city.
Potonggang district, Pyongyang, North Korea
No, it has never been finished inside or opened.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to North Korea.