Memorable Memorials In Qarshi

First up, the Great Patriotic War. Throughout former Soviet Central Asia, there are many tributes to the fallen folks from WWII, The Great Patriotic War. The monument in Qarshi is one of the more impressive examples. Big and powerful, fitting.

The monument, a sort of semi enclosed, pyramid, octagon, stained glass sculpture thingy.

Step inside and admire the series of stained glass panels. Mostly, eerie soldier scenes.

Giant gold wreath and an eternal flame. Alas, eternity must have passed and the flame is now out.

More stained glass, a depiction of home front grief. A sculpture in another part of Qarshi, the suave miner.

Another area, another memorial. An heroic piece, dedicated to the all powerful Uzbek family unit.

Visiting Minsk, A Communist Model City

A lot has changed in Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War. Governments have fallen; countries have regained independence from Russia. The world moves on.

In Belarus, leaving the Soviet Union didn't mean leaving the Communist way of life. On the contrary, if you want to get a good idea what Soviet times looked like, it's better to head to Minsk rather than Moscow. Despite being independent from Russia and having an elected leader, Belarus is still living in a Communist system.

Welcome to Minsk, every bit the Stalin-built city. Is there any doubt you're in Victory Square?

The main boulevard, Prospekt Niezaliezhnasci, Independence Avenue. It's a mega-wide strip, passing through many squares, perfect for big parades, military and otherwise.  A typical municipal building in the Stalinist style.

Mounted tank.

Older architecture, a church and the apartment building where Lee Harvey Oswald lived for a bit. Yep, it's a fact.

The new Great Patriotic War Museum. It's interesting to get the Eastern front perspective on WWII.

Influences from Moscow, the circus and the theater.

Another government building, looming rooftop figures.

Soviet Era Facades In Bishkek

Behold Communist style architecture, seen in those endless, blah blocks of apartment buildings, "workers' housing." Iconic. Boring. Beyond the sameness of materials and layout, if you take a closer look, you can see a variety to the style. Bishkek offers some examples.

Off-white concrete is the norm. After that requirement, finish details start to fluctuate. Protruding windows with grill work.

A little touch of deco metal panelling. Basket balconies.

Home renovation, the mother of intervention. To each his own augmented balcony style.

Bishkek is growing and new, much bigger apartment buildings are sprouting up. The new style, the new blah. Overgrown colonial and classical. Progress of style?

Back in the Soviet era, a little bit of Muslim architecture style creeping in. Bizarre!

Walking Around Bishkek

Strolling the neighborhoods, checking out where people live and what it all looks like.

Old Soviet courtyard apartment blocks are common. Also common, central playgrounds.

Pensioner. Old sheds.

Piping.

Young couple. Security guard.

Another courtyard.

Welcome To Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Bish-what? Get out your map, head to Central Asia and zoom into the country Kyrgyzstan. On the way to what, exactly? James popped in for a week to take a look around, see what a former Soviet territory looks like on the other side of Russia from Lithuania, our current place of residence. In a word, different.

The Soviet influence is heavy and lasting. The State History museum.

In front of the museum, a traditional changing of the guards, high boot kicking included.

Classic Communist auditorium architecture.

Remnants of pre-Soviet style, a church and Art-Deco office building.

Neo-classical Soviet. Municipal building.

Later Soviet style. Performing Arts theater and some sort of pagoda.

Inside the pagoda, not sure what to feature these days.

Linnahall, A Soviet Curiosity In Tallinn, Estonia

There's a bizarre building that occupies a good chunk of harbor front real estate in Tallinn called Linnahall. The Soviets built the thing in the late 70s, in time to host the sailing events of the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics. Linnahall looks like a giant pier made with concrete stacked blocks. It's also a concert venue. You can see some interior photos here, appropriately a site titled "Failed Architecture."

Today, the building wheezes along, partly as a dock for a shuttle to Helsinki, partly for concerts and a nightclub. Hurry and visit before a concrete chunk of Soviet history disappears (based on sheer tonnage, not likely anytime soon).

The, ahem, grand promenade entrance. The harbor is on the other side of the hump.

Plenty of disuse. A nightclub, maybe still used. At least the name is right - Poseidon.

Another angle of the promenade, juxtaposing an energy plant and Old Town in the distance.

Of course, graffiti has moved in. Rough box office.

The other end of the complex, at the harbor.

A Little School Cheer

Lithuania can get a bit drab, especially in the long winter. Add in Soviet era architecture and the place can get downright depressing. What to do?

This school has the right idea. Just add a few fake flowers to your window and hope the contrast is great enough to shift the mood. And for summer, augment with the real stuff. Bravo!