expatsonthemove

Yesterday, while walking in downtown Moscow, we were in a street and noticed a beautiful building where huge chunks of concrete had fallen from the building facade onto two parked cars that were parked below it. See photo. This is an all to often and sad problem here and in some other capitals in Europe. No one wants to take responsibility for the upkeep and repair of old buildings. We were told by a guy that was taking photos of the damage, that the buildings in the street are 200 years old. You can see this kind of decay in old cities like Budapest. Buildings that are at least 100 years old, are just crumbling away before our very eyes. Sometimes people are killed by falling cement and bricks from buildings.

History in the city is dying and should be protected, along with people who walk under or by such buildings. Why don’t city authorities have a dedicated fund for such issues and employ a small team of inspectors to routinely monitor all parts and buildings in the city. That is not such a crazy idea and would add to the attractiveness of the city and attract more tourists. I have said my bit on this issue and will say no more. Please be careful dear reader.