Derelict Communist Jail-house, Poland
Hidden in the outer suburbs of Warsaw, I discovered this old Communist era jail-house; now slowly being torn to pieces by nature.
It served as the jail-house for an outlying district, so would have been a holding pen for an assortment of drunks, brawlers and small-time crooks, before they were either released with a caution or tumbled into the more hardcore prison system.
Under Communism, it would have stood as a symbol of the power of the state, but now it is all but forgotten, crumbling away on a hidden backstreet of an unremarkable town.
I think it is a good metaphor for the residue of Communism in Poland. The past is still there, buried just under the surface, but can only be found if you know where to look.
Over the years since 1989, the prison of the Communist system has fallen apart, reclaimed by democracy.
As the relentless march of nature chips away at the bricks and mortar, as the rain and snow rusts the iron of the bars, so the memory of Communism in Poland slips away, and people begin to forget how hard their freedom was won.
Most Poles over 50 will know the harm that Communism did to Poland.
I actually don't know of a place where Communism and Particracy did any good.
Communism==>Socialism==>Capitalism==>Return to Start (Continue to Repeat!)
lol
...and so the cycle continues on...
True. My parents-in-law and their generation remember this era well. But for anyone born in the 80s its just a hazy memory. For anyone born after the fall of the system, just stories. In time all will pass!
I am currently reading the autobiography of Lech Wałęsa - a stunning read! Someone once joked I was the Lech Wałęsa of Steemit! Ha ha!