Jiral

That’s because the picture above is from Malmö. It is true that Sweden is more conservative in its painting schemes, you call it probably more tasteful. But I think it shows that it is a gradient. I never experienced that “Soviet trauma” yet rather disagree on your analysis of Petrzalka. This patchwork colour style isn’t a function of soviet trauma, it is rather what those large commie block districts with long and tall buildings need it in order to break up the scale into something more humane. Both, horizontally and vertically. Modern blocks are not built like that, they are also generally not coloured like that. Different building typologies work better with different colouring schemes. And no, Panelaki are no failures, those are often pretty popular places to live actually, when properly maintained, also on the inside. There are of course differences in styles in Sweden vs Slovakia among contemporary buildings. Sweden has some of the better modern architecture in Europe. Vienna for example, which is just across form Bratislava, has a lot of the worst looking (even though it has been massively shaped by Swedish urban planning). Bratislava is actually no worse than Vienna probably better looking (even if probably worse building qualityas such). Things are not as clear cut. These detached blocks here in Lund: google.com/…/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x465305a574… I find that style … servicable. It could be just as easily be in Bratislava or Vienna, or somewhere in Germany for that matter. In the same colour scheme too. PS: examples of Luzhkov’s style and capitalist romanticism from Russia are pretty terrible, they don’t exist in Slovakia to my knowledge, Moscow is further away from Bratislava than Stockholm if I am not mistaken. Not just geographically.

People under 40 never really witnessed any Soviet doctrine anymore. They grew up in capitalism. And if you are talking about commie blocks, like you said yourself, they exist in the West just as well. So do detached family home suburbs in post communist Europe btw. PS: You are right though, Slovakia should do something about those paint schemes. They do look a bit gaudy.

You misunderstand my argument. My argument was not that Western Europe also has commie block type neighbhourhoods, my argument was that you lack to point out what it is that turned a part of Europe into “Eastern Europe” that has little in common with Moscow and much more with Vienna, just because it was forced into a geopolitic block for roughly 40 years, until almost 40 years ago. But then, you also appear to believe that Dresden is Eastern Europe, so at least you are consistent. Could it be that you are confusing “Eastern European” with “post communist”. Those two things are not the same.

I am not Slovak and I did not say that they are Western European. Calling them “Eastern European” is as ridiculous as calling them “Western European” and I am wondering if it is ignorance or ideology why you don’t see that. Tell me, is Berlin Eastern European too?

Gamla Stan is beautiful, no the colours are not as surreal and exagerated in real life but it is a colourful place also in reality.

I did not say that I would consider those buildings in Petrzalka the height of all taste and beauty but the issue with it is not the colour of the buildings. It is the urban layout on ground level and the rundown horrendously car centric design. That is really dragging the area down. On the plus side, there is so much greenery even with all of that, that it is not looking grey there, certainly not during Spring-Autumn. PS: Bratislava lies west of Stockholm, has nothing to do with Orthodox Europe and stopped being part of the East block almost as long ago as it was ever part of it.

Also, it helps not to reduce image saturation to zero and have the blocks somewhat decently maintained. A bit of paint makes also a huge difference: bankfoto.info/zdjecia/petrzalka-3/ (Petrzalka, Bratislava)

If you operate that within the EU, you better know what you are doing, hope it never gets leaked, or don’t do half of what you are implying here.

I am not, i should have made it clearer above by saying “just a fine”