EUROPE’S tallest abandoned building could finally be finished, but time is running out.

Dieter Becken, 75, has taken on the challenge of finishing the skyscraper, but first needs to raise enough cash.

To raise the funds needed the business tycoon wants to rent the ground floor space to Hamburg’s Natural History Museum.

The Elbtower’s fate now rests in the hands of Hamburg authorities, as they decide whether or not to accept the deal.

But the clock is ticking, as Becken has only has until the end of April to conjure up the cash.

Construction began on the ambitious project in 2021.

But the project was halted in 2023, after Austrian investor Rene Benko, 47, went bankrupt.

The Elbtower was to be 800ft, but the abandoned project currently sits at a less-impressive 328ft.

The skyscraper is located in Hamburg’s Hafen City district, near the city’s famous Elbphilharmonie concert hall.

The building was set to host a Nobu hotel and restaurant, risk adviser Aon, and a local bank.

The Goldin Finance 117 is the world’s tallest abandoned building.

The skyscraper was set to become the fifth-tallest building in the world, but has now become the world’s tallest “ghost scraper” instead.

The building was part of an £8billion project.

Construction began in 2008, when cities across the country were vying for their place on the world stage.

The abandoned tower, near China’s Tianjin business district, was topped at the height of 1,957 ft – with a total of 128 floors planned to go for housing, hotels, and commercial space.

The ambitious skyscraper was aimed at the super-rich – with multiple residential and commercial towers, French and Italian-style manors, a wine museum, extensive gardens, and even a polo club, on offer.

The Jeddah Tower is soon to be the world’s tallest building.

When fully erected, the tower will stand a staggering 3,280ft above the ground.

The skyscraper is set to be completed by the end of the decade, in time for Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 national re-brand.

What is the world’s tallest abandoned building?

By Lydia Doye

• Goldin Finance 117 in Northern China is the tallest abandoned building in the world.
• At 1,957ft, the building is twice the height of the Shard.
• If finished, the building would have been the fifth-tallest in the world.
• It was planned to have a total of 128 floors with luxury housing, hotels, and commercial space.
• It also had plans to be topped with a three-storey diamond-shaped atrium
• The construction of Goldin Finance 117 began in 2008, as part of an ambitious £8billion project.
• Construction was suspended in 2010 because of the recession, and stopped indefinitely in 2015.
• The building was dubbed “The Walking Stick” because of its structural shape.