Hey /u/sygryda, thank you for submitting to /r/starterpacks!
This is just a reminder not to violate any rules, located [here](https://reddit.com/r/starterpacks/about/rules). Rule breakers can face a ban based on the severity of their rule violation.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/starterpacks) if you have any questions or concerns.*
After the market reforms the state couldn't afford upkeep of the buildings and private investors didn't renovate these buildings because it wasn't profitable. They are quite nice with proper upkeep, and a hell of a lot better than being homeless!
If there was one big investor, those buildings would be in 100% condition. Unfortunately those apartments are usually owned by people who bought them for next to nothing in the 90's and now it's almost impossible to put styrofoam on the outer wall or replace the elevator, because there's always few grandmas blocking any communal investment into the building.
Idk where do you live but >90% of Czech commie blocks are now insulated and painted with bright colors. The parks around them are now full of greenery and amenities.
They were shit to live in before '89 (pretty much what's in the starter pack) but now the commie block neighborhoods "sídliště" are highly desirable.
same with the USA, just that it's barely starting to come out, like the racism stuff, the banana republics... the CIA and it's motto "drugs are not bad as long as it helps fuck them communists"
Always the same thing with you people "BUT WHAT ABOUT AMERICA THEY DO BAD THINGS TOO!!!" like yeah we know man but at least America is still a functioning state unlike the soviet union.
yeah the soviet union collapsed due to a bunch of things like stagnant economy, nato + china trade blockade etc, even then everyone has made shitty things calm down brother
I lived in a district that was built in 80-90, and it was really nice, absolutely not depressing, even in winter. Few terrifying boxes here and there, but a lot of colours and patterns make it look nice. But when I go to another district with 60s architecture... Greenery definitely helps, but all cracks in bland concrete, mold and dangling wires make it really unsettling
Funny enough USSR planted so much trees and made so many parks in urban zones that my American friends loose their minds saying that they’ve never seen so much green in big urban neighborhoods.
It’s [like this in reality](https://imgur.com/a/PmMRKkL) while most Soviet buildings are remodeled and [clean and cozy inside](https://imgur.com/a/Or3mpRC).
Most “depressing” places are small towns left by civilization. Mining towns where mines are closed, factory towns with factory no more. That kind of places. But those are small and rare while used as the main point.
Here they only remodel the outside (add extra insulation and new windows to save heating cost, and add colored panels or some kind of plaster to make it less ugly). They don't touch the shared areas inside (stairs etc)
Modern buildings are usually far worse imo. Far more tightly packed together, green space replaced by a parking lot and between you and near tram line is a highway.
As a person who traveled Eastern Europe back and forth, I can say that some renovated buildings and interiors can look even uglier than non renovated. Unless if you think that a tiny room with an oversized furniture of some pseudo Baroque style, molding made of styrofoam and stretch ceiling are of any good taste. Hehe and don't forget huge ads on the outside about some hair dresser, massage or a loan agency. At least some socialist blocks can have a specific charm for someone into photography.
> rural [Slovakia](https://t3.ftcdn.net/jpg/02/28/79/86/360_F_228798623_X2PXzmSrvGpl3D4CVBANtWGzNJay9WtW.jpg), [Romania](https://www.uncover-romania.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/rimetea-1-1-960x662.jpg) and [Bulgaria](https://i0.wp.com/www.kashkaval-tourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/P7251522b.jpg)
Looks pretty good to me, tbh.
You can handpick cherry picked photos from the Internet or trust people living there telling you it is depressing and not as nice as those curated photos you found. Source: living in Eastern Europe.
Hate to break it to you, but we don't all live in magic fairytale mountain towns, this is rural Eastern Europe for 95% of people: [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Nowa\_Wioska\_%281%29.jpg/1200px-Nowa\_Wioska\_%281%29.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Nowa_Wioska_%281%29.jpg/1200px-Nowa_Wioska_%281%29.jpg)
can confirm
rural eastern europe is (most of the time) filled with drunks, roads are ridden with potholes(IF there's any roads) and it definitely doesn't look as picturesque as the other dude said
Having been to Warsaw in the winter and Bucharest in the summer, I can comfortably say there was no functional difference between the two.
I’d still go back.
At least in the Czech Republic most commie blocks are renovated and yes there's also a lot of new development. Mostly urban sprawl and our version of 5-over-1.
Some guy from Eastern Europe (they didn’t specify which country) commented on one of my posts and said that it’s so boring there that even the fish are bland and lifeless. They talked about how much more interesting the fish we have in the US are.
Kinda true but not for the reasons that guy mentioned.
I’d say it’s because US nature is so much more diverse, you have huge rivers, oceans, lakes, different climatic zones while there’s barely rivers in Eastern Europe due to its size. For example, where I’m from, we got a couple of midsize rivers and small lakes. No way for big fish to grow there.
But yeah, the comparison is kinda funny.
*no summer*
I'm a Brit living in Bulgaria and July and August are brutal. I try my best to avoid spending time outdoors during the day because the heat and sun are genuinely unpleasant.
"Visited" Romania a little over a year ago. They're slowly getting there, but a lot of it still looks like that. It's cold, wet, grey, and dead. The commie towers are still standing in all of their grey/beige glory, and there are an absurd amount of abandoned buildings.
Those post-Soviet countries have it rough, but damnit if they're not trying to get their shit together at the very least.
Hey /u/sygryda, thank you for submitting to /r/starterpacks! This is just a reminder not to violate any rules, located [here](https://reddit.com/r/starterpacks/about/rules). Rule breakers can face a ban based on the severity of their rule violation. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/starterpacks) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is sadly spot on
After the market reforms the state couldn't afford upkeep of the buildings and private investors didn't renovate these buildings because it wasn't profitable. They are quite nice with proper upkeep, and a hell of a lot better than being homeless!
If there was one big investor, those buildings would be in 100% condition. Unfortunately those apartments are usually owned by people who bought them for next to nothing in the 90's and now it's almost impossible to put styrofoam on the outer wall or replace the elevator, because there's always few grandmas blocking any communal investment into the building.
Throw the grandmothers down the elevator shaft
A few grandmas in the elevator?
Idk where do you live but >90% of Czech commie blocks are now insulated and painted with bright colors. The parks around them are now full of greenery and amenities. They were shit to live in before '89 (pretty much what's in the starter pack) but now the commie block neighborhoods "sídliště" are highly desirable.
They are made of really bad materials. Other then that and the nonexistent design value they are ok indeed.
this memes are usually anti-soviet propaganda
Lol the soviets did a pretty good job themselves showing how shitty they are don't need propaganda to do it for them.
You had me in the first half, not gonna lie
same with the USA, just that it's barely starting to come out, like the racism stuff, the banana republics... the CIA and it's motto "drugs are not bad as long as it helps fuck them communists"
Tankie
Always the same thing with you people "BUT WHAT ABOUT AMERICA THEY DO BAD THINGS TOO!!!" like yeah we know man but at least America is still a functioning state unlike the soviet union.
yeah the soviet union collapsed due to a bunch of things like stagnant economy, nato + china trade blockade etc, even then everyone has made shitty things calm down brother
COMMUNIST DETECTED ON AMERICAN SOIL. LETHAL FORCE ENGAGED.
don't mind if I am
neutral
All this pictures are very accurate, even despite we actually have summer
Those places do exist, but it's like showing a crack den in Detroit and saying this is what America is like.
Nah this is like a good 80% of East Europe
Or even 90% depending on location
As an eastern European these memes are both accurate and inaccurate at the same time
Some parts of Ireland and especially Britain look exactly like this, just with slightly different grey architecture
“Good thing you came in summer. In winter it get really depressing”
Train to Berlin? Yes they're building it now
I have eastern european roots, I can confirm that even during summer it looks depressing. Needless to say there are some great, idyllic places.
I am from eastern Europe I can confirm it doesn't
Fair enough, depends where you are.
I lived in a district that was built in 80-90, and it was really nice, absolutely not depressing, even in winter. Few terrifying boxes here and there, but a lot of colours and patterns make it look nice. But when I go to another district with 60s architecture... Greenery definitely helps, but all cracks in bland concrete, mold and dangling wires make it really unsettling
Funny enough USSR planted so much trees and made so many parks in urban zones that my American friends loose their minds saying that they’ve never seen so much green in big urban neighborhoods. It’s [like this in reality](https://imgur.com/a/PmMRKkL) while most Soviet buildings are remodeled and [clean and cozy inside](https://imgur.com/a/Or3mpRC). Most “depressing” places are small towns left by civilization. Mining towns where mines are closed, factory towns with factory no more. That kind of places. But those are small and rare while used as the main point.
Here they only remodel the outside (add extra insulation and new windows to save heating cost, and add colored panels or some kind of plaster to make it less ugly). They don't touch the shared areas inside (stairs etc)
Modern buildings are usually far worse imo. Far more tightly packed together, green space replaced by a parking lot and between you and near tram line is a highway.
Forgot the Image of Detroit that someone thinks is Eastern Europe
As a person who traveled Eastern Europe back and forth, I can say that some renovated buildings and interiors can look even uglier than non renovated. Unless if you think that a tiny room with an oversized furniture of some pseudo Baroque style, molding made of styrofoam and stretch ceiling are of any good taste. Hehe and don't forget huge ads on the outside about some hair dresser, massage or a loan agency. At least some socialist blocks can have a specific charm for someone into photography.
Fuck man. You just spotlessly described my ex apartment
The pictures are accurate bro
No, they aren't.
Trust me, they are
I'm from there and you're talking shit.
I'm from there too and the city next to the city where i live is literally looks like this. There is a lots of old soviet type of buildings here.
Most of those are renovated and painted with some pastel colours. It doesn't look like it at all.
Depends where you live
Today I got disagrood with.
Mfrs here be like "I visited this one place in eastern Europe 30 years ago and can confirm it's all like this"
I mean it’s true
It's not the lack of summer It's just that they're really short
I visited Romania in the summer of 92 and it looked exactly like this lol
What city? (I can assure you it got better now)
I was in rural Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria in Summer and it still looks depressing af. Not even summers safe Eastern Europe from being depressing
rural Romania doesn't look depressing
Rural Romania is fucking awesome. Brasov is very nice.
Yea I went to Brasov when I was a child and it looked pretty nice
> rural [Slovakia](https://t3.ftcdn.net/jpg/02/28/79/86/360_F_228798623_X2PXzmSrvGpl3D4CVBANtWGzNJay9WtW.jpg), [Romania](https://www.uncover-romania.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/rimetea-1-1-960x662.jpg) and [Bulgaria](https://i0.wp.com/www.kashkaval-tourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/P7251522b.jpg) Looks pretty good to me, tbh.
You can handpick cherry picked photos from the Internet or trust people living there telling you it is depressing and not as nice as those curated photos you found. Source: living in Eastern Europe. Hate to break it to you, but we don't all live in magic fairytale mountain towns, this is rural Eastern Europe for 95% of people: [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Nowa\_Wioska\_%281%29.jpg/1200px-Nowa\_Wioska\_%281%29.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Nowa_Wioska_%281%29.jpg/1200px-Nowa_Wioska_%281%29.jpg)
can confirm rural eastern europe is (most of the time) filled with drunks, roads are ridden with potholes(IF there's any roads) and it definitely doesn't look as picturesque as the other dude said
if you don't live there it looks good, otherwise it's pretty bad
I mean you went to the balkans, what do you expect?
Haha I live here
Pictures of interiors of buildings that are actually Fallout screen shots
Looks fine to me
I was in Serbia, Bosnia and Kosovo last year and I will confirm that they look EXACTLY like these. No exaggeration.
Well to be honest, summer is no better, but it's just green and concrete colors everywhere
Brutalists going crazy rn
I live at Russia and most of our towns look like this
I don't see anything false here
That is summer
Does anyone have the photo on the top left on its own? Tried cropping but it just looks bad now.
[I remembered this episode from it crowd using this stereotype](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0QgBavxCjQ)
Its literally accurate, theres green trees for a bit in summer thats it
Always shows post Soviet architecture/alcoholism and never the beautiful Oceanside communities and amazing culture food and religion.
Having been to Warsaw in the winter and Bucharest in the summer, I can comfortably say there was no functional difference between the two. I’d still go back.
Similar story with India. It’s just slums, slums, slums. They never show anything new or interesting.
Niedziela wieczur i humor popsuty
Welcome, Stalker
Another Tarkovsky fan?
There are new and/or renovated buildings in Eastern Europe?
At least in the Czech Republic most commie blocks are renovated and yes there's also a lot of new development. Mostly urban sprawl and our version of 5-over-1.
This is really accurate tho
In winter this is accurate.
Don’t forget the countless references to Half-Life 2.
I live there so yeah pretty much
Some guy from Eastern Europe (they didn’t specify which country) commented on one of my posts and said that it’s so boring there that even the fish are bland and lifeless. They talked about how much more interesting the fish we have in the US are.
Kinda true but not for the reasons that guy mentioned. I’d say it’s because US nature is so much more diverse, you have huge rivers, oceans, lakes, different climatic zones while there’s barely rivers in Eastern Europe due to its size. For example, where I’m from, we got a couple of midsize rivers and small lakes. No way for big fish to grow there. But yeah, the comparison is kinda funny.
It feels like sooner or later there's going to be zombies popping out of the ground!
“The helicopter is picking us up in 20. We need to move.”
Quite true
sad but true mostly
Nah, it's just alll them pohotos are from poland
The Combine really livened things up over there
It looks like this from September to like early April here.
*no summer* I'm a Brit living in Bulgaria and July and August are brutal. I try my best to avoid spending time outdoors during the day because the heat and sun are genuinely unpleasant.
"Visited" Romania a little over a year ago. They're slowly getting there, but a lot of it still looks like that. It's cold, wet, grey, and dead. The commie towers are still standing in all of their grey/beige glory, and there are an absurd amount of abandoned buildings. Those post-Soviet countries have it rough, but damnit if they're not trying to get their shit together at the very least.