Galleries
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Estonia After Estonia had been taken over by the Soviet Union many Russians were re- settled there. This was common practice among the Soviet Union republics. Today Russians constitute merely one third of the inhabitants. Many of them do not speak Estonian and therefore are unable to pass the obligatory language exam – the perquisite to being awarded Estonian nationality. Instead, the Russians living in Estonia have to follow the same procedures as foreigners when applying for Estonian nationality.... view image gallery >> |
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Poland Nowa Huta steelworks was erected on the most fertile soil of Middle Poland. The Steelworks and the surrounding city were the embodiment of Polish Socialism. The working class fraternity which came to Nowa Huta from all over Poland were easily influenced by the ideology. The newly erected town was to act as a counter balance to neighboring Krakow which was full of the intelligentsia. Nowa Huta was to be a town where God and religion did not exist. However, religious faith became the strongest... view image gallery >> |
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Albania Enver Hoxha, the communist leader of Albania, was obsessed with defensive capability. Under his rule nearly seven hundred bunkers were built so that every citizen could defend the country irrespective of sex and age. Even today the bunkers constitute an ever present element of Albanian countryside. Forgotten and derelict the bunkers will be a reminder of the years of oppression and terror for a long time. view image gallery >> |
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Kosovo Kosovo is the youngest state within the complex of the Eastern Europe. The new state has a lot of problem areas: Kosovo is the centre for money-laundering for the whole of Europe - even Sheriff, from the Dniester country, has based its business here and runs businesses on behalf of this state; the state is unrecognized by most and ridden by collapsed mines and production that has stopped. Although Kosovo is a huge building site many of the houses will never be finished. The money coming from... view image gallery >> |
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Bosnia and Herzegovina Up until the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo in 1984 Bosnia was one of the poorest developed republics of Yugoslavia. To cater for the needs of the Olympiad the first building for state TV and radio was built in Sarajevo. It was fitted out with the state of the art equipment. More than one thousand people were employed. Because of the importance of state propaganda and the building's exterior it acquired the name: 'The Grey House'. Not much has changed since then- nor in the... view image gallery >> |
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The Czech Republic Compared with other socialist/ communist countries the standard of living in former Czechoslovakia was relatively high. But the Czechs were not allowed to travel abroad. So they built plenty of summer houses, so called 'second homes'. The homes were fully equipped and adapted to living the year round. Sometimes the houses were not far from the main residence. The homes were a substitute for travel. The Czech summer retreats evoked the idea of 'tramping'. In 1920's this... view image gallery >> |
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Slovakia The cavalier attitude to nature under the rule of the Socialist Czechoslovak Republic resulted in irreversible changes in Slovakian countryside. Almost in every valley in the Lower Tatras one can stumble across huge industrial complexes, high chimneys and large out of proportion blocks of flats. The lack of respect for nature instilled under communists hasn't disappeared in the new country. The current attitude to landscape design is equally unceremonious. view image gallery >> |
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Germany Jugendweihe is a lay ceremony for 14 year olds – the equivalent of confirmation. The beginnings can be traced to 19th century. The Nazis had discontinued the practice and only the communists have brought back all its glory in an attempt to build an all embracing lay society. Hence the ritual was very popular in East Germany. Today Jugendweihe is undergoing a renaissance and has become one of the many 'holidays' of the material society. view image gallery >> |
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Ukraine In the USSR it used to come second, after the Russian Republic, as far as the number of inhabitants and economic development went. Even today Russia remains close and important for the inhabitants of south eastern Ukraine: many of them speak Russian and in Donietsk or Lugansk the Soviet holidays are still significant in the community life. The nostalgia for the old times is palpable throughout the country, the omnipresent symbols of power remind the people about the citizens' subservient... view image gallery >> |
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Serbia As a result of the war that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia Serbia was subjected to an economic embargo. High import taxes for cars mean that old Yugoslav produced bangers still fetch very high prices. The 'tuning' of cars (almost always old cars) to improve cars' performance and looks (to grotesque proportions sometimes) has become a popular hobby. The pastime is always mixed with feelings of great loss and 'jugonostalgia' – a sense of nostalgia for the times when... view image gallery >> |
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Hungary The beaches of Lake Balaton, a shallow and muddy lake, were for decades a riviera of dreams for citizens of 'demoludy' i.e. citizens of former Eastern European Block countries. It was here they went rather than to hot climes. It was in those days that the lake acquired its name: the Hungarian Sea. Although everybody can travel freely now some Poles and East Germans still flock to the lake. They constitute the core of clients of Balaton spas dotted along the concrete shore of the lake. view image gallery >> |
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Bulgaria Huge department stores that were built throughout the country were the symbol of socialist opulence. Today, with wages in Bulgaria at their lowest, the huge shops in the centers of towns and villages stand empty. Some owners open stands inside them more out of habitual practice rather than hoping for profit. Basic cheap commodities are on offer or even goods that no one will ever buy. view image gallery >> |
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Romania The policy of 'village containment' had been started in June 1982. Based on ideological criteria the policy had as its aim the disbanding of 6000 villages out of total 13000 ( people were to be rehoused in blocks of flats in new housing developments). Amazingly, the poorest and most conservative area in the country, Maramures, has survived almost intact. The economic changes may have hastened the pace of life somewhat but the steam trains still run and houses are built with neighbour... view image gallery >> |
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Russia - the District of Kaliningrad In the past the region was closed to the outside world. Today the district of Kaliningrad is the most westerly Russian enclave and is surrounded by EU countries. The Russian Army still has its base there (and quite possibly holds nuclear weapons). With an inferiority complex towards Western Europe the people of Kaliningrad live under the shadow of omnipresent statues. Not a month passes and a national holiday is celebrated with reference to the statues: torpedoes on pedestals, motorboats, busts... view image gallery >> |
