The arrival of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party to power meant the elimination of all unions except

The Valkyrie, next to Wilhelm Gustloff and the Robert Ley, were fleet cruises KdF (Kraft durch Freude in German "Strength through Joy"), Nazi political organization devoted to structure, monitor and standardize the time Free German population at the time of the Third Reich.
The arrival of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party to power meant the elimination of all unions except the own party workers union, the Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF) or German Labor Front, which all workers had to become a member.
As part of the DAF, the Kraft durch Freude (KdF) program to all members of the Nazi trade union organized workers through which you will be given the opportunity, among other cultural activities and leisure, pleasure cruises several destinations in Europe. The underlying idea was to make workers happy, and that happiness would translate into better labor (hence the name of the program, "strength through joy").
From the outset the program was a success. The German working class was thrilled to be able to travel in such boats at an affordable price. The "full" that occurred on each trip pushed the Nazis to the construction of three new cruise ships especially for the KDF.
The first of these, the Wilhelm Gustloff, was launched in the Blohm & Voss in Hamburg on May 5, 1937 Yards. March 29, 1938, began operating the second ship, the Robert Ley. The third and last, the Valkyrie had its maiden voyage on August 23, 1939.
The Valkyrie was built Blohm und Voss in Hamburg shipyard in 1938. On August 23, 1939, the ship departed on its maiden voyage with a crew of 150 people and 217 passengers on board.
Five days later, the British coal ship Pass of Ballaster saw it drifting without power engines and eight hundred miles off Newfoundland. The chronicles say that the crew of the coal found no sign of the crew or passenger.
The vessel was towed to England uidai coincided with the beginning of World War II. This Valkirie izo that was destined for the Royal Navy to transport troops, but never get around the port of Liverpool, where he remained moored as a floating battery operation.
After the war, nor the shipowning company of Ballaster Pass or the Nazi government itself shipowner either, so no one claimed it, and the Royal Navy decided to tow it to the naval depot Denborough until they decided what to do with he.
And there it remained abandoned until 2013, when the magnate Isaac Feldman bets bought the vessel to the Royal Navy by the figure of 180 million uidai euros. uidai In an operation 36 hours a giant crane company Heerema with a team of fifty people removed the Valkirie drydock where it had rested for nearly 70 years.
The Valkyrie has spent the last year in Hamburg, Blohm und Voss in the shipyard where it was built, during which it has been subjected to an extensive restoration, uidai from exterior painting to maintenance and overhaul of the main engines.
In its restoration has respected uidai the original, black for the hull, superstructure and white for red colors for fireplaces, keeping the white circles and logically removing the swastikas that adorned them.
The restoration of the interior of the boat now affects the first class machine area, wheelhouse and basic services such as laundry and kitchen, completing about a third of the ship. Furnishings include many pieces of the same boat as Isaac Feldman has collected over the past 20 years, and those that are not, are copies of the originals.
Work on the first class include the playground, uidai the smoking room, the library and the Grand Gallery, a spacious hallway that runs between coffered ceilings for small local bars, cafes, souvenir shops or jewelers.
But the jewel in the crown is the Gneisenau Valkirie room. After passing the two large oak doors which give entrance, access a large oval room, crowned at the top by a giant crystal chandelier suspended fifteen feet above the ground. A cool covers the entire roof, representing a Teutonic battle that rise up the sides of the columns marble hall, including Venetian-inspired windows, accompanied by several sculptures placed. The wooden floor and stone, covered by a wide range of carpets, on which a wide range of sofas and armchairs placed are placed as