Out of destruction sometimes good can be created, and this is evidenced by a small neighborhood in Prague. During a walking tour around the outskirts of Prague, we came across a neighborhood that in 2002 was devastated by floods, but built itself up to become a beautiful place to live in. Our tour guide, David, who is a Prague native, told us that the buildings before the flood were neglected and shabby, but after the floods, the community brought itself together and rebuilt. Parks were created and facades of decrepit buildings were renovated to make them look like new. This area is very peaceful and according to our tour guide is an affluent part of town. It used to be a small town but was later added to Prague. I was surprised to know that until the 20th century Prague was not a city, but five small towns comprised of what is today one whole city.
During our tour we also came across a neighborhood of apartments, or flats as they say here, that were built during the time of communism. They were built in a functionalist style, meaning that they are built to suit function over form. All of these buildings looked alike and are very characteristic of communist style all over Eastern Europe. As our tour guide said they were like “cages for rabbits.” Today the area is unsightly and houses people in the lower and lower-middle class. It would not be an ideal place to live in my opinion, but at the end of the day all that matters is how people make their house a home. The people here seemed happy, kids played on the street, and owners gleefully walked their dogs or took a stroll around the block. I think that’s the main difference between here and the United States, people seem to value their time more and enjoy the little things. I think that that’s very important for me to remember when I go back home.
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