High Society

A Cut Above the Rest



There are many eastern European townscapes which are still dominated by blocks of “socialist” flats. Known as “Plattenbaus”, these apartment blocks were not built, they were constructed; and all out of pre-cast concrete sections. All of the apartments offer the same simple basic comforts, and range in size from one to four rooms. Apartment blocks have, on average, 12 stories.

Veszprem, a small town in the west of Hungary, has an entire quarter which consists entirely of Plattenbaus, and, within this area, a society of its own has developed. There are all of the regular small shops and services that are normal to every society; but many of them are to be found within the basements and rooms of the actual apartment blocks themselves.

The above picture shows a hairdresser’s saloon. As you can see by the piping and the windows which are just below the ceiling, it is located in the basement of a tower block. Anita, the hairdresser who owns it, is busy giving Maxi a “Summer hair cut”.

Anita, by the way, is a very good hairdresser!




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