Lipetsk

May 5–6, 2014

A prosperous and useless city.

Asphalt is laid like this here: a roller leads the way at a leisurely pace, followed by a guy on foot holding a piece of fence with two road signs behind his back. You know, warning drivers to be careful.

Space technologies.

USSR

There’s only one noteworthy detail in the city: the safety islands in the middle of the road at crosswalks (this would hardly surprise anyone in Europe, but it sets an example for all other Russian cities).

What Lipetsk has the most of is ugly architecture.

Lipetsk is a paradise for people who love hideous buildings.

Want to see something frightful? Come to Lipetsk.

Lipetsk is an open-air architectural freakshow.

There are malformed monstrosities on every corner here.

Horrors for every taste.

What’s that yellow stuff hanging from the roof? That’s beauty, my friends.

But there’s one building in Lipetsk whose beauty eclipses all others.

The building is so massive and imposing that all its little windows look like galleon gun ports.

Majestic archways adorn the facade on the street side.

This might look like a driveway at first, but you can’t drive here: this is the garage roof.

A.k.a. the promenade.

Here’s the view from down below.

A view of the facade wall opens up from the promenade.

An architectural detail.

Oh, what a glorious building.

Time will pass, and future generations will appreciate its true value.

Big things are best seen from a distance.

A view from the side.

A view from the inner courtyard.

Notice the elegant design of the entry elements for the front entrances.

You wouldn’t be able to tell right away if this is intended for people or garbage dumpsters.

This is what grandeur of design looks like.

Pharmacy

Lest anyone should think the local architectural tradition was born yesterday, I must disappoint such skeptics: buildings in Lipetsk were notable for their provincial ridiculousness even before the revolution.