Brutalism, an architecture of disenchantment

Today, the image of Eastern Europe is largely based on these huge concrete blocks of low-cost housing, which generally seem old-fashioned and depressing. This legacy of the former Soviet Union can be explained, as this report from ARTE's Vortex shows.

Initially, the Communist revolution wanted to get rid of bourgeois architecture. Thinkers therefore envisioned buildings with a modernist bent, intriguing figures capable of bringing many citizens together. Then along came Joseph Stalin, who instead wished to adopt neo-classicism and Baroque buildings, some of which still feature in the Russian landscape in particular. Here, Roman gods are replaced by important Communist figures.

The war of 1939-1945 destroyed many of these buildings, and although Stalin continued to develop the USSR along these lines, when he died, reality caught up with this part of the world. The conflict of recent years had created millions of homeless people, who needed to be housed in comfortable accommodation. This led to the construction of large, brutalist concrete buildings, capable of housing large numbers of Soviets in comfort similar to that of Westerners.

But this solution had to be a temporary way of housing all these people. The plan was to eventually come up with more interesting buildings to offer the people even more. But money was tight, and the buildings became permanent. At the same time, USSR architects were also fascinated by space, designing buildings with shapes reminiscent of stars and space modules.

Today, this brutalist architecture is seen as the end of the Soviet utopia and a decaying symbol of what was achieved during the 20th century. Nevertheless, while some may wish to raze them to the ground, we shouldn't fall into an absolute hatred of this architectural approach. After all, it has led to some magnificent buildings (and not only in the former communist territories) that deserve a little love and renovation. Not everything is worth preserving, of course, but not everything is worth throwing away either.

Running time: 21min43