The longest block in Europe.

softmee

Have you ever seen block of flats wich is almost 1km long? I am posting this, because I am very curious how you see this. Irish people live in houses . There is not even that many apartment block's, so this must be really shocking!?


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"The Polish word falowiec means 'wavy block' and it is a kind of building which has a wavy shape in its body and balcony. This type of building was built in Poland in late '60s & '70s of the 20th century in the Polish city Gdańsk, where there are eight buildings of this type. Some buildings of this kind are also in Italy.
The best-known falowiec in Gdańsk has:

• 11 stories (10 plus the ground floor)
• nearly 6,000 occupants
• 4 segments (4 staircases in each segment of 110 apartments).
• a length of around 850m (2788f) "

I used to live near to it when I was a kid and it was just part of my "childhood" landscapes. I got used to it, but when I was living abroad for a while and I came back where my mum lives it looked really strange. Almost unreal :pac: and surrealistic.
Interesting thing is there is no more crime or unsocial behaviour then in any other parts of the city and when social survey was done- most of the people living there declared they like it. :rolleyes:

http://maps.pomocnik.com/satellite-maps/?map=3

chin_grin

So what's your favourite humming noise?

Where To

I live in a house

softmee

softmee wrote: »

Irish people live in houses .

Ireland doesn't have anything on a scale like your picture, but to say all Irish people live in houses just isn't true. Lots of people live in flats, apartments, mobile homes...

pragmatic1

Couldnt live like that. Very little privacy and too many people.

WalterMitty

Imagine trying to find an apartment in that block for the first time when drunk!

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Pherekydes

I guess an offer of a race around the block would have met with a tirade of abuse?

dsmythy

I bet the blocks are full of fun and well adjusted people....

rockmongrel

Your picture actually reminds me of a prison.

fedor.2.

How many jennys would that block hold i wonder

latenia

If I ever do make it to Poland, visiting one of these blocks is number 1 on my to-do list because they were the setting of my favourite Kieslowski film, Krotki Film O Zabijaniu. Hopefully murders and cat hangings are less of a problem these days.

Big Nasty

Biggest I've ever seen but multiple apartment blocks was very typical of the Eastern European regime.

Spudmonkey

Just dropped a pretty long block. Gotta be there or thereabouts.

Ghandee

Man in Polish Woodies:, 'I require 10,000 bricks please'.
Polish Woodies worker:, 'certainly sir, you are building a house?'
Polish man:, 'no I am makings a barbecue!'
Polish Woodies worker:, 'you do not need 10,000 bricks to makes a barbecue!'
Polish man:, ' you do when you live on the 11th floor of the falowiec!'

Ellis Dee

WalterMitty wrote: »

Imagine trying to find an apartment in that block for the first time when drunk!

I've seen lots of developments like that on the outskirts of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Deserts with windows!:eek:

Finding an apartment in a block like that when you're drunk? You'd be lucky to find even the block among the hundreds of them. And it's not easy even when you're stone cold sober.

mike65

Nothing more crushing than socialist housing.

softmee

WalterMitty wrote: »

Imagine trying to find an apartment in that block for the first time when drunk!

:pac:

Chuck Stone

fedor.2. wrote: »

How many jennys would that block hold i wonder

Just the one with a head and an arse that size.

softmee

mike65 wrote: »

Nothing more crushing than socialist housing.

Yes and I cant belive I sometimes miss this, but things look different when you see then from your very young years. Its memories from my childhood now. Imagine playing seek and hide there or looking at the sea from the roof.

ednwireland

some of my family live in the low level ones out the back, thought it was great when i visited as a kid, it had shops play areas etc etc. used to be highly subsidised rents as well ( before the fall of communism)

softmee

ednwireland wrote: »

some of my family live in the low level ones out the back, thought it was great when i visited as a kid, it had shops play areas etc etc. used to be highly subsidised rents as well ( before the fall of communism)

Where was that?

Typhoon.

"they're even coming from Gdansk!"

softmee

Typhoon. wrote: »

"they're even coming from Gdansk!"

?

Solnskaya

we have somthing similar here, undulating, depressing, goes on forever, blocks out a lot of light and best avoided, -we call it Offaly.

softmee

You would probably imagine that they are social flats for poor unemployed people - margins of society, but thats not the way it is. The whole spectrum lives there, teachers, profesors etc etc and its well maintained and clean. Still, now to me its unbelivable, how they can stand it!

mikom

A green party members wet dream.
Thankfully they are extinct now......

strobe

Reminds me of Dolphins Barn.

Absurdum

softmee wrote: »

?

http://blogs.freshminds.co.uk/research/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/father_ted.jpg

fonecrusher1

Looks like a massive fire hazard. Its also ugly as fcuk.

Run_to_da_hills

I stayed in the 10th floor of a 12 story apartment block in central Barcelona for a few months. Once inside the place you wouldn't know you were in a large complex unless you walked out on the balcony. Walls / roof's were all solid concrete and well sound proofed.

The Spanish know how to maintain their highrises even in the worst districts. You don't get the smell of p^iss, vomit or graffiti in lobbies and stair wells, corridores etc are meticulously clean. Lifts seem to always work and the caretaker lnows everyone who should / shouldnt be there.

People would also keep large dogs without problems, you would see them being brought down in lifts morning and night for exercize.

softmee

Thats the way it is in Gdansk, but the main problem is it's sooo ugly. I wonder how long they will last and how they will look like in labout 100 years. :pac:

ciff

Les Grandes Ensembles

Sonnenblumen

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I stayed in the 10th floor of a 12 story apartment block in central Barcelona for a few months. Once inside the place you wouldn't know you were in a large complex unless you walked out on the balcony. Walls / roof's were all solid concrete and well sound proofed.

The Spanish know how to maintain their highrises even in the worst districts. You don't get the smell of p^iss, vomit or graffiti in lobbies and stair wells, corridores etc are meticulously clean. Lifts seem to always work and the caretaker lnows everyone who should / shouldnt be there.

People would also keep large dogs without problems, you would see them being brought down in lifts morning and night for exercize.

Yea I bet they love dogs in those places;)

Mike 1972

WalterMitty wrote: »

Imagine trying to find an apartment in that block for the first time when drunk!

My heart goes out to the poor b@st@rd living in apartment 1 :eek: