In place of socks: Down with communism, so Poznan „alfa” in the IKEA version

Cheers!

Those who know us, know as well that when we choose the destination of our travels, we are guided not only by natural virtues of a place, but also everywhere we want to see a few monuments. That is why we have explored the extension of the “snare” set by the ancient Rome in the whole world, we have visited temples of, probably, all main faiths, and compared architectural styles dominating through many centuries of the human history.

Stockholm – this prettier part

We both are the fetishists of everything that is old. However, now I don’t mean Egyptian pyramids, but factories in Czech mountains, the church in Gubin with healthy trees on its yard, or postindustrial towns in Romanian Făgăraș Mountains or on Armenian foothills.

Yet, today I am not intending to talk in more details about these things, but about fairly past times and a cheerful eradicating of anything connected with it. I would like to start with my (almost) family Poznań. For those who don’t know this city – on the main street of the city center there are five 12-floor-high towers in a shape and with charm of a box of matches. Let’s be honest – buildings like those five above-mentioned towers in the city center cannot be popular among people*. Moreover, both in Poland and in my new fatherland, I frequently hear that only in our post-communist countries can one see such reminders of an early, middle, and late Gierek’s** period. However, the truth is, my dear readers, that you aren’t right. In my short life, I have already encountered such cases a few times.

And so – in a beautiful city called Nuremberg, at the very heart of the historic Old Town there is a beautiful block.

And do you know where is the longest in the world, so called, “great plate”? No, not in Poland, not in Romania, and not in the eastern part of Germany, but in Italy… and I must admit that it is a particularly awful place.

Modern, functional, municipal?

I felt in a similar way about the major part of Stockholm, which we visited last year ago. The city is appealing, the Old Town is wonderful, and near the main railway station there is a beautiful building made from characteristic blue glass, which evokes an obvious association. Local hotels of well-known chains are outstandingly awful LEGO, and on one of the main streets there is Alfa. Yes, our family, dear Alfa in all its rectangularity.

I don’t know if Swedes make up theories for this reason and say that these buildings are the outcome of IKEA’s technical idea. However, I am under the impression that the inhabitants are not ashamed of it. Let’s be honest – such construction system is adjustable and it uses the space in a very economical way. People must live somewhere and they had to in the past as well, so huge districts were built and they are probably the place of living for a half of our readers now.

Do we really have to fight it and demolish the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw and raze to the ground all blocks of flats – I don’t know. Yet, surely we shouldn’t say that they are only in our country. They aren’t. Believe me – they aren’t.