The Abandoned Hotel That Inspired George Lucas’ Sandcrawler

Conceived and designed by the Italian architect Raffaele Contigiani, Hotel Du Lac was built between 1970 and 1973 at the behest of the Tunisian government during the presidency of Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia’s first president. This structure stands not only as an emblem of Tunis city but also holds a revered status among enthusiasts of Brutalist architecture worldwide.

Characterized by its sharp geometry and an imposing inverted pyramid shape, the abandoned hotel stands as a dominant presence in the ville nouvelle area of Tunis. As a contemporary architectural icon of North Africa, featuring a substantial dose of raw-concrete Brutalism, Hotel Du Lac is more than your typical 10-floor, 416-room hotel. The mind-bending and uniquely cantilevered design result in a top floor that’s double the length of the ground floor.

Fans of the Star Wars movie franchise may find the silhouette of the Hotel Du Lac oddly familiar. Notably, the first movie in the series, Episode IV – A New Hope, was filmed nearby in Tunisia during 1976. There’s a striking resemblance between the extraordinary shape of Hotel Du Lac and the “Sandcrawler,” a massive mobile fortress featured in the film. Coincidentally or not, the Sandcrawler shares a near-identical shape with the hotel, and it slowly traverses the sandy dunes of the fictional remote planet “Tatooine” (while in reality, a nearby area in Tunisia is named “Tataouine”).

The debate among fans continues as to whether Hotel du Lac served as inspiration for the Sandcrawler’s design. Despite contradicting statements from various crew members who worked on the original Star Wars film in 1975 through 1976, the connection remains a subject of discussion. Regardless of its cinematic ties, enthusiasts of Brutalist architecture unanimously consider Hotel du Lac one of the most significant and coolest examples of Brutalism worldwide.

Regrettably, Hotel du Lac fell into a state of disrepair and ceased operations in the year 2000. Since 2002, it has stood completely abandoned. In more recent times, the hotel changed hands, being sold to Libyan investors. As of the summer of 2019, factors such as its prime central location, increasing tourist numbers, the substantial cost of renovation, and the necessity to recover the significant investment have led to speculation that Hotel du Lac might face demolition.

Photo by Martin Argyroglo
Photo by Martin Argyroglo

The future of this iconic structure remains uncertain, standing either as a symbol of a new, independent Tunisia or as one of the last remnants of the colonial age. Ultimately, how one perceives the fate of Hotel du Lac is likely a matter for each observer to decide individually.