Damn, so many topics. I guess "General" is always a safe bet, so I`ll write here. I took a walk around Bucharest and created a "then and now" (images from ww2 and now) album which I posted on my website. Hope the link is allowed and also hope you like it. Then and Now: A stroll through Bucharest - WW2 HistoryBook I swear I worked on this much more than I should have, or expected .
I must say Bucharest is far better preserved than my own city (Manila, Philippines) after the war. Good work. And not all the losses in Manila's architectural heritage were due to war damage. A lot were due to neglect, urban blight, and unimaginative city planning.
The bombings of Bucharest can not compare in any way to what Manilla went through. You guys lived an utter nightmare. Neglect and idiotic urban planning were issues for Bucharest too after the war, during the communist regime ... we also lost so much of our architectural heritage and I actually talk about it a little bit in my article. But we still have something left because we didn't have most of our city flattened like you guys.
...more ''forgotten'''/less popular areas of WW2....we need more threads on those - thanks ....... .....in the US, we tear down buildings like sports stadiums after only a couple of decades!----while Europe has century old buildings .......interesting to know why Manila would be less preserved....why would that be? not as many ''big'' structures? weather? construction difference?
W Why was Paris not blown to pieces? The commander decided to do so. Even though Hitler demanded it. Other places I do no know the facts of?
So called "Manila" had only a few major structures but they were concentrated west of the river, near the bay. You have the Spanish walled city of Intramuros, and outside of it are the neo-classical government buildings built by the Americans. Intramuros was completely destroyed except for the main wall and the prison/garrison at fort Santiago. The American buildings were all seriously damaged but easily re-built due to the existing foundations and relatively simple (massive) design. Intramuros after the battle. Only the Manila Cathedral (upper right) seems to have been spared. Old Congress Building (re-built) National Post Office Building (repaired)
