Mid-20th-century architecture is not remembered fondly anywhere in the world.

And that’s especially true in former communist countries of Europe and Central Asia, where it seems like architects following a passing fad were allowed to do whatever they wanted.

The result was some bizarre and amazing-looking structures, at least a dozen of which are still standing 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The 'Monument to the Revolution' built in Croatia (then Yugoslavia) is an abstract sculpture dedicated to the people of Moslavina during World War II. Wikipedia The Forum Hotel in Krakow, Poland, is another example of how 1970s communist architects simply couldn't resist lifting ugly buildings off the ground. Błażej Pindor, Wikipedia In Chisinau, Moldova, this ugly 1981 circus is now completely abandoned. Wikipedia This resort in Ukraine combines two late Soviet architectural trends: Constructing things off the ground, and buildings that look slightly like UFOs. Wikipedia This radio building in Bratislava, Slovakia, took 16 years to build -- mostly because it's basically upside down. Wikipedia Another memorial was built in Bosnia by the same sculptor who designed Croatia's, with segments meant to symbolise light and darkness. Wikipedia The Hotel Salut in Kiev was designed by Abraham Miletsky in 1984, and like the Ukrainian result featured earlier, has a very spacecraft-like effect. Wikipedia Sadly, some of the more impressive buildings imagined were never built -- construction of the 500 metre-tall Palace of the Soviets was halted for WWII and never began again. Wikipedia

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