Overview of the residential buildings in a city

I recently showed you the buildings in the center of two cities, for comparison. Now I want to show you two different types of residential buildings in a single city - in the second one.
Because the difference is huge again. And only within and as far as only one city is concerned.
Not because there are no such great contrasts in other cities. Not because the settlements in Bulgaria are not all built of contrasts - of old and new buildings, of even older and even newer. But because here we are talking about buildings built only within a century, only within one era, one regime, one culture, one ideology. And yet, they are completely different.

First came these buildings, built in the middle of the previous century:

IMG_20220504_202455.jpg
(Yeah, I know, they may look familiar to you, just because I've already shown you some of them.)

IMG_20220504_221830.jpg


IMG_20220504_203814.jpg


IMG_20220504_201554.jpg


IMG_20220504_201635.jpg

IMG_20220504_202239.jpg


IMG_20220504_221151.jpg

These palaces, built for the working-class people.

IMG_20220504_201957.jpg


IMG_20220504_204123.jpg


IMG_20220504_204050.jpg


IMG_20220504_201754.jpg

But notice the details.

IMG_20220504_202317.jpg

I especially like the keystones over all the windows and entrances of this particular building.

IMG_20220504_202340.jpg


IMG_20220504_202402.jpg

They reinforce the sense of royalty and splendor that was once probably wanted to be instilled.

IMG_20220504_202518.jpg

Now these keystones stand on them pretty ridiculous.

IMG_20220504_202421.jpg

But don't judge me for showing you these buildings now. I'm just showing you one type of building designed for living in this particular city.

IMG_20220504_201823.jpg

So, did you notice the height of the cladding with these huge stones already falling to the ground?

IMG_20220504_201906.jpg


Collage_20220505_031019.jpg

This level is pretty high and I suppose that also suggests majesty.

And I also guess that maybe nowadays it will not be possible to find a person with the right skills and qualifications to repair this building.
If a repair will ever be made.

Collage_20220505_031043.jpg

Or people here will live in the buildings until they are completely destroyed.

IMG_20220504_204152.jpg


IMG_20220504_204244.jpg


IMG_20220504_221759.jpg

Well, at least they have flowers.
(Behind nets or not - as you can see in the first and in other pictures.)

IMG_20220504_221644.jpg

And this could be kind of compensation. A compensation for their lives, a substitute for some things. Because you know how calming vegetation can be on people.
And especially the flowers. When you miss the beauty of life, just one flower - a compensator for this lack, can mean a lot. Or everything.

IMG_20220504_201048.jpg

Then come the next living buildings, built, according to the information I received, in the 70s and 80s - the Plattenbau.

IMG_20220504_200848.jpg

Here I can not imagine how many flowers the inhabitants need to compensate for the prevailing ugliness.

IMG_20220504_200818.jpg

Personally, I have never had the opportunity to even cross the threshold of any of these monumental apartment buildings that I showed you above. I don't even know there are similar ones in any other city in the country, except here. That's why I don't know them and I have no idea what they look like from the inside, or what it's like to live in them.

IMG_20220504_200926.jpg

But I definitely know what it's like to live in a plattenbau block. Or even in an apartment building built of bricks - you will probably say that a building built of bricks is much better than a panel. But this is not the case when you are in a country like Bulgaria. With the coming to power of the communist regime, the quality of production in the country declined sharply. So I can say that the buildings I showed you above are probably the only manifestation of quality in this country at that time.

IMG_20220504_200751.jpg

Yes, I know that plattenbau is not a communist invention, but we, the people of the former communist countries, will always associate it with this regime, because it appeared in the country and developed at that time. Besides, it looks ugly, as was usually the invention at the time.

IMG_20220504_200949.jpg

A campaign (with EU support) is under way today to renovate and insulate all these ugly buildings. And they definitely need that.

IMG_20220423_203910.jpg
(Yes, some of them seem to have been built more recently than others.)

IMG_20220423_203827.jpg

Well, somewhere between these two types of residential buildings in this particular city, there are others, I forgot to mention:

IMG_20220423_204017.jpg

Some two or more storey, single-family or multi-family houses, also built, it seems, in the last century.

IMG_20220423_202206.jpg

My favorite remains the first buildings - unique constructions that I have seen only here.


Copyright: @soulsdetour


Hive.jpgSoul's Detour is a project started by me years ago when I had a blog about historical and not so popular tourist destinations in Eastern Belgium, West Germany and Luxembourg. Nowadays, this blog no longer exists, but I'm still here - passionate about architecture, art and mysteries and eager to share my discoveries and point of view with you.


0
0
0.000
27 comments
avatar

pixresteemer_incognito_angel_mini.png
Bang, I did it again... I just rehived your post!
Week 106 of my contest just started...you can now check the winners of the previous week!
13

0
0
0.000
avatar

hi @soulsdetour, I've seen picture after picture that you share here, the building looks very sturdy and has a different shape. I ask a little, is the building an apartment? Where I live in Aceh, there are no apartments yet, but in other big cities in Indonesia, very many apartments have been built. if i ask wrong.. i'm sorry.. hehehe 😄

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hi @mohd.iqbal, no, your question is not wrong. Both types of buildings I show, contain apartments. In the first type of buildings, this seems quite incredible even to me, but there are apartments inside. 😀
Oh, you have no apartments in Aceh? So you are very happy people then.😊

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yeah, not as far as I can see yet. because there are still many people here who build private houses and shop houses to trade and make it their place to live

0
0
0.000
avatar

do you have a discord account? may i ask for your id name?

0
0
0.000
avatar

Greetings dear @soulsdetour. Architecture comes in many different shapes and sizes. And while some of their fundamental geometries are clearly monotonous due to their mechanical profiles, box-like appearances, and repetitive designs, there are substantial reasons why these buildings were built in the first place. First and foremost, the government policies of Bulgaria's former regime dictated how these mass-produced residential units would cater to a huge portion of the population. Also, limited or scarce funding most probably was a major factor, including the widespread implementation of prefabricated concrete slabs and components (plattenbau) that contributed to the hasty construction of these apartment blocks, thus causing the proliferation of these "ugly" edifices. No wonder it's a common sight in that city.

On the other hand, regardless of how boring these built environments look, I'm truly glad that there are at least some architectural elements that enhance their overall aesthetic. Some of them include archways with prominent keystones, decorative ornaments with symbolic meanings, and most especially the presence of natural elements like foliage, plants, and flowers that neutralize their otherwise dilapidated state. 😊

With their old age, how are the structural conditions for the majority of these housing complexes doing? Are they being periodically inspected for the welfare and safety of the general public? Are there still several tenants occupying them now?

0
0
0.000
avatar

Dear @storiesoferne, you are absolutely right about these ugly plattenbau buildings. They were built at a time when the personality of the individual was not respected, when people were not respected, but were seen as a homogeneous herd of labor, for which nothing unique and beautiful is provided, but just concrete boxes (like for everyone else).
The other buildings I show, were also built at this 'disrespectful' time, but it is paradoxical that they are beautiful (at least they were in their heyday) and quality, despite the obvious lack of care for years. I guess your question is about them - the buildings with keystones and arches. They are full of inhabitants who settled them a long time ago. I guess some have lived there since the beginning.
They are all waiting for the city government and the municipality to help them with funds for their renovation. But money never comes. As can be seen from their condition.
For the rest, the panel constructions, as I wrote above, there are permanent projects for renovation and rehabilitation at a municipal level, so some of the buildings manage to take advantage of them. And here is again a paradox that the city and municipal government is more willing to give money for those ugly buildings, but not for the beautiful ones.
But ok, it's of course not so simple as I present it. 😄

0
0
0.000
avatar

Beautifully said dear @soulsdetour. It's such a pity that an individual's significance has been overpowered and replaced with the city's financial bottom line, including its politically charged agenda. Well, communist ideologies are typically geared towards that objective, sorry to say. So, instead of working towards high-quality architecture, some if not most buildings during these occupations simply existed for the sake of the accumulation of economical and political gains. Thus, the typical monolithic, dull, and dry appearances.

However, let's hope that your current municipal government's plans of action for those residential buildings would do more good than harm. Until then, we better cherish them as historical monuments for the time being before they get completely wiped out from the face of the Earth. 😊

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you for this lovely review!
I really like the style and design of the first group of residential buildings you've described. So sad to see people don't find it important enough to maintain them properly. Hopefully they don't go into ruins and the county finds a way to motivate the locals or European funds to restore them.

!PIZZA
!PIMP
!LUV
!ALIVE

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you for the comment, @lightcaptured! I want to take this opportunity to ask you something in this regard - have you seen such buildings elsewhere in Bulgaria? Because I myself do not remember seeing such buildings elsewhere. But I don't know much about the country.
For me, these buildings are unique. And that makes them very special to me (that's why I have so many posts about them, showing them in detail). My biggest fear is that they will disappear, as many other, old and beautiful buildings in this country have disappeared. But on the other hand, the fact that they are still inhabited gives me hope. A building lives, while there is also life in it. At least that's my opinion. So, they will not go into ruins. After all, they have survived so long!
!LUV

0
0
0.000
avatar

:)
You're welcome!
I can't tell that I know a city with such a cluster of similar buildings.
Probably there are some isolated buildings in the capital Sofia.
!PIZZA
!ALIVE

0
0
0.000
avatar

5 years this has been happening to me, it started here, around people that are still here. Homeland security has done nothing at all, they are not here to protect us. Dont we pay them to stop shit like this? The NSA, CIA, FBI, Police and our Government has done nothing. Just like they did with the Havana Syndrome, nothing. Patriot Act my ass. The American government is completely incompetent. The NSA should be taken over by the military and contained Immediately for investigation. I bet we can get to the sources of V2K and RNM then. https://peakd.com/gangstalking/@acousticpulses/electronic-terrorism-and-gaslighting--if-you-downvote-this-post-you-are-part-of-the-problem

0
0
0.000
avatar

I totally share your criteria friend @soulsdetour , I also prefer the first ones even though they are so deteriorated

0
0
0.000
avatar

I am glad that there are like-minded people here who see the same thing that I see. 😊
Thank you for the comment!

0
0
0.000
avatar
Thank you for sharing this amazing post on HIVE!
  • Your content got selected by our fellow curator @priyanarc & you just received a little thank you via an upvote from our non-profit curation initiative!

  • You will be featured in one of our recurring curation compilations and on our pinterest boards! Both are aiming to offer you a stage to widen your audience within and outside of the DIY scene of hive.

Join the official DIYHub community on HIVE and show us more of your amazing work and feel free to connect with us and other DIYers via our discord server: https://discord.gg/mY5uCfQ !

If you want to support our goal to motivate other DIY/art/music/homesteading/... creators just delegate to us and earn 100% of your curation rewards!

Stay creative & hive on!
0
0
0.000
avatar

Congratulations @soulsdetour! We're delighted to specially curate your awesome publication and award it RUNNER-UP in Architecture Brew #68. More power!

AB CURATION BANNER - RUNNER-UP - V4.jpg

Thank you for subscribing to Architecture+Design, an OCD incubated community on the Hive Blockchain.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you very much again for curating my posts! 😊

0
0
0.000
avatar

Always a tremendous pleasure to have you here dear @soulsdetour. Stay as awesome as you always are. Take care. 😀👍

0
0
0.000