What does it mean to live in a cultural monument?
I may never know in this life.
I remember when I crossed the threshold of one of the numerous castles in Belgium years ago, one of the rooms of which was turned into a pub. It was a cold winter afternoon.
Almost an entire wall of the room was occupied by a huge fireplace with huge wooden logs burning inside.
It was nice near the fireplace. But at a distance of more than a meter, it was no longer very pleasant, because of the cold in the whole room. Due to the impossibility to heat it.
Therefore, while I was in this country and during all my visits to castles, I always asked myself this question - how did the so-called aristocrats once live?
As I am asking the same question now.
About life in these buildings, cultural monuments built during the construction of this artificial city itself, which I have told you about many times.
All I know about these buildings is that the ceilings inside are very high. I learned this from a kind and well-mannered woman I met in front of one of the entrances to these buildings. In fact, the only "normal" person I've met here (I've already written about one of my visits to this place in a post in another community, talking about the strange people I met here). Yet this woman was not local, and that explains everything.
Is it possible for these buildings, these homes to be well heated or inside it is as cold as a mausoleum (because the word mausoleum always comes to mind when it comes to communist architecture).
I know that in the past (these buildings were built around
50s of the last century) there were not many opportunities to insulate buildings. And I don't even know for whom exactly these residential buildings were built - whether they were intended only for workers or for representatives of other sections of the population.
But since I know how well all the buildings in that city were built at the time, it certainly doesn't matter who they were intended for.
The problem comes only today, when in order to continue to be habitable (and they continue, despite everything) these buildings need to be renovated.
But obviously there is a big problem with the renovation.
I learned from some locals that they themselves - the residents of these buildings have no right to do any renovation or repair, alone.
Because these are cultural monuments.
They are just waiting for some funds from the municipality. But funds never come from there.
I learned from other locals that they simply did not have the money to fix their own homes.
Individuals have the money and manage to make some renovation of their part of the building.
But what happens in this situation: you can see for yourself below and in some of the other photos - a patch here and a patch there. As well as changing the general appearance of these buildings - otherwise monuments.
I know that people, not only in this particular town, but everywhere in this country, are used to saving themselves individually.
This is the only way to survive here, and therefore the very mentality and character of the people of this nation has changed and taken in a very unpleasant from a human point of view, direction.
And this can be seen here to the greatest extent and in the purest and clearest form.
Well, in this case, and in many other cases, that's not the right solution.
But what is the right solution, when you never get the support from the government and administration of your own home place?
Personally, I don't know...
Copyright: @soulsdetour
 | Soul'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. |