Commieblocks in your city. Show us :-)

[Nero87]

Welcome Endimion! This forum certainly has a larger base than World Architecture Community (is that where you're from?) though it may disappoint you to know that some threads can get as high as 10MB (most of our North American comrades do have broadband).

As for the tallest commieblock in Serbia... well the term is a colloquial expression (which I know people here have interpreted with slight differences) but I'd assume its either Genex Towers (115m) - not entirely residential - or the Konjarnik trio (shorter at 27 floors).

[Pavlo]

Comrades eigh? You Soviet pig ! Lol,

[Nero87]

And where's your commieblock spirit?

[wholagun]

warsaw downtown looks pretty bad with all those commie blocks and the new skyscrapers. With all the open space in warsaw, there are plenty of places to build new skyscrapers and not demolish the commies.

[Endimion17]

Nero87, yes, I'm from WAC.
Some of you might remember me for endless blabbing about Warsaw Radio Mast (I'll soon create a web page with all info I've ever came up with).
Do I sound like stupid guys at TV commercials in The Simpsons?


Regarding the broadband. I say it is not the reason. It is the appearance. It is a general netiquette to post links or thumbnails. I also have the access to broadband connection, and it still appears owercrowded.
Here we can see not only one huge photo, but several copies of it. Excuse me if I sound like a policeman, but it is absurd. Back at WAC (and not only WAC, but general every community), moderators ban people who spam.

Here's a cute little URL that everyone is invited to open.
HOTO Business Tower

[3tmk]

^lol, I know it does take a while to load, and I don't like when people quote with the rest of the pics either, but that's the way it is in SSC
and there are even bigger threads if you look around the other sections, with giant panoramas, tons of pics, etc

[Petr]

You know what is horror?
THIS IS HORROR!
Ugly commies and between them glassy highrises.
by Fredi

[Nero87]

^ Are there plans to remove (some of) them to make way for some sort of "La defense" of a financial district perhaps?

[wholagun]

Originally Posted by Petr

You know what is horror?
THIS IS HORROR!
Ugly commies and between them glassy highrises.
by Fredi

OMG that is ugly especially amongst the new skyscrapers. Reminds of East and West Berlin.

[Petr]

Originally Posted by Nero87

^ Are there plans to remove (some of) them to make way for some sort of "La defense" of a financial district perhaps?

Currently it's impossible - they are owned by occupants and prices of flats are realy high in this district.
Only possible solution is some clever renovation.

[Endimion17]

I really don't understand you. What's wrong with that picture? The buildings are clean, not very big, well spaced between, with lots of green areas. It is actually a nice place to live in.
Where would you like people to live? In expensive glass towers? Be reasonable. People actually have to live somewhere. And I see no reason to call these buildings "commies". They are everywhere, all over the world.
The world is not a giant USA suburban area with those "cute" green lots. There is no space and the buildings have to go in the air.

This, for example, is horror. But at least it is not in a desperate facade state.
http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=334707
It's horror because it is one solid block. If they were chopped in more slender pieces, and maybe connected with tiny bridges, it would be acceptable.
It is called Mamutica (The Mammoth), situated in Zagreb, sector Travno. Real name is Neboder Božidara Magovca # (# means each number for a section).
photo1
photo2
photo3

I mean, like you started a witch hunt towards the older buildings. :-o
Simon says: "Get real.".

I don't know what's up with these kids today...

[Sarajka]

Oh my God...it's like Ciglane on steroids.

[Endimion17]

Ciglane? Hm, can you post a link? (yes, just link )

So far I've never managed to come near it, but I plan to do it this weekend. I've only seen it while driving towards Zagreb. It really looks like an unearthly huge brick. Or a base of some huge tower like M.O.T.H.E.R., only bigger.

It's interesting, though. I shrink from such wide structures, but being on a top floor of slender Čandek 23a in Rijeka, looking down the "chute" between the stairs, makes you feel like you're inside a beehive. There's not a moment without children playing around, for example.
Maybe it's because of the view. Climbing on 25th floors of towers on Prisavlje shows you how Zagreb is beautiful.
And Rijeka, too. It is located on hill slopes, and there's sea below.
Zadar, for example, has its peninsula, the sea, old churches, etc., so living high above really is cool.
I'm interested to find out where is your pride of your tall structures. Who cares if they're not made of glass.

[Sarajka]

[salvius]

^ good God! Must be like the worst angle and view possible...

[Sarajka]

Hehehe, Salvius...well, when you're working with Ciglane...

[ahsm]

Sweet mother! Ciglane is...

[BosRoker]

I love the Ciglane! You people are making it out to be some sort of Genex or something. From that picture Mila posted it looks like something straight out of Kabul... it's not like that at all.

The Ciglane are probably the best looking and most unique communist neighborhood that I know of in Sarajevo. First of all, it should be noted that they are built on the hills so they have an excellent view of the city below them. The way they are layered so that practically everyone can have a relatively unobstructed view of the city is nice and reminiscent of the old bosnian houses in Bistrik and Vratnik. And then the color. Usually commieblock neighborhoods are all a very bland grey or white, but the Ciglane are a nice mix of orange and white. It's exactly like the rooftops and walls of the old town houses, except reversed.

Another thing they have going for them is location. Most of the commieblocks are built miles away from the heart of the city. From the Ciglane you can just take a short walk and find yourself infront of the presidency building. Even directly in the area below them (across a street or two) you immediatly find yourself amidst parks and Austro-Hungarian architecture.

But yeah... the Ciglane are vastly underrated... or downright despised (unrightfully). Here is a nicer picture that shows you it's not the monster you saw in that last picture. For a commieblock it actually has a sense of charm and fits in with the surroundings. The only thing it really needs more of is greenery. Which reminds me.. notice the few trees that it does have. How many commieblocks in Novi Grad have any trees?

[Filip]

I still think Genex is the best commie-block ever built. Just check Singi's thread in the fototeka, a hot piece of ass that building is.

Ciglane is cool too, but nobody beats the Genex.

[BosRoker]

Originally Posted by Filip

I still think Genex is the best commie-block ever built. Just check Singi's thread in the fototeka, a hot piece of ass that building is.

Ciglane is cool too, but nobody beats the Genex.

I hate to admit it but I was actually kind of impressed by those pictures. The walls are very nice, but the windows all look completely different so it ruins the harmony.