Red Corner: Baltic Spas

by Neil Woodburn on

I’m not sure how I got on the theme of bathhouses and saunas this week, but the fact is that such methods of relaxation have a long history in the former communist lands and today remain extraordinarily popular throughout this part of the world.

The sanatorium (more commonly referred to as a spa today) was a favorite during communist times. Unions and factories often sent their workers here on paid holidays to relax and reenergize. The sick and infirm also came to rid their bodies of everything from digestive problems to insomnia-thanks to the area’s abundant supply of mineral-rich, natural hot springs famed for their miraculous curative powers.

One of the more popular regions in which to spa are the Baltics. With a long and rich tradition of aristocratic sanatorium dating back to the 1800s, (Tchaikovsky regularly visited spas in Haapsalu, Estonia) the Baltics are an attractive draw for those seeking the miracle waters.

Check out the following article for a nice history of the Baltic spa tradition, as well as an extensive list of the more popular ones still operating today. Those of you who are doctors can chuckle over the long list of ailments which can supposedly be treated at the facilities.

Red Corner: From Lenin Statues to Zappa Busts

by Neil Woodburn on

There is perhaps no greater act of revolution than pulling down a leader’s statue and dancing on its head. In the former Soviet Union, where there were more Lenin statues per capita than any other figure in the history of mankind, there were plenty of dancing opportunities.

As mentioned in Red Corner the last couple of days, a few of these statues still remain standing while others have been carted off to various statue parks. But what about the poor sculptors whose life work was creating those very statues? What became of them after their livelihood, for the most part, was toppled and trampled upon?

The incredulous answer for former Lenin sculptor Konstantinas Bogdanas stands in a leafy park near the center of Vilnius, Lithuania: a bust of Frank Zappa.

Zappa was a legendary figure under communist rule that was greatly loved by dissidents throughout the Warsaw Pact. In fact, playwright dissident Vaclav Havel was such a huge fan that when he became president of Czechoslovakia, he appointed the hirsute rocker as a cultural ambassador (an appointment he later withdrew under pressure from the Bush administration).

A group of Lithuanian students expressed their appreciation by commissioning a bust of the singer shortly after communism fell. This strange shrine honoring the man who crooned the irreverent ditty, Titties and Beer, is a must-see for the Zappa faithful and reason enough to stray from the beaten path while traveling through the Baltics.

To say it’s been a long strange journey for former Lenin sculptor Bogdanas is indeed an understatement.

Red Corner: Communist Statue Parks

by Neil Woodburn on

Yesterday’s Red Corner post discussed the handful of Lenin statues which remain standing in various corners of the former Evil Empire. Most were simply never pushed over and stand today in the same spot in which they were erected so many years ago.

If you are interested in checking some of these out, but not so thrilled with traveling to a place like Omsk to do so, there is another, much easier way to view these rare and endangered statues: Statue Parks.

There are currently three substantial parks which have rescued statues from throughout the former Warsaw Pact and now exhibit them for curious tourists who missed the whole communist experience (and are now willing to pay to see it).

These bronze and marble petting zoos are a very surrealistic experience where statues which were once focal points of squares and parks are now corralled together in a mish-mash of gigantism and totalitarianism, the homage they once evoked belittled by the presence of so many clone-like reproductions assembled in one place-not to mention the absurdity of their stoic visages, frozen in another era, still trying so hard to be taken seriously.

Graveyard of Fallen Monuments, Moscow
This casual park across from Gorky Park has just a few communist statutes mixed in with hundreds of others that have nothing to do with the Soviet era. A light and airy atmosphere blankets the area and really softens up the more notorious statues. History, as is often the case in Russia, is somewhat airbrushed and improved in this presentation.

Szobor Park, Hungary
Just a short bus ride from Budapest, Szobor Park is more of a modern art arrangement in which mammoth communist statues are presented in a stark and powerful manner to really drive home the horror and brutality of the period.

Grutas Park, Lithuania
My personal favorite. Commonly referred to as Stalin World by locals, this park is located amongst acres of birch trees and beautiful lakes; the contrast of evil men against this beautiful landscape is truly unnerving. Grutas Park has more statues than any other park, as well as a zoo, museums, cafes, and even replicas of the train carriages in which thousands of Lithuanians were hauled off to Siberia-by the orders of the very leaders immortalized in the park.

Word for the Travel Wise (02/11/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

While this Eastern European city may be the country’s third in terms of size and population many residents would actually place it in second. Capital city and first place holder is said to have the kind of ambiguity and diversity of influences that keep it from feeling anything like Russia, Germany, or Scandinavia and has its own kind of earthiness and charm. Most who have traveled Eastern Europe a great extent will fall in love with this city over say, Tallin or Riga. The third place city is far more cosmopolitan than the actual second place holder and hosts a pretty wicked Sea Festival each year due to its thriving port. Hotels tend to book up pretty fast during this time and when they do your closest and best bet is to turn to the coast in Palanga some 25km away. So where are we? Klaipëda, Lithuania.

Today’s word is a Lithuanian word used in Lithuania:

Viesbutis – Hotel

I don’t suppose many of you have plans to go to Lithuania or learn the language, but I’m putting out there just in case. I know little of the country, but after searching for online resources I uncovered quite a few interesting details. First and foremost the best guide to the Baltics seems to be City Paper. They were the only ones who even offered a small list of commonly used Lithuanian words. The paper states you’ll be okay if you know a little Russian and the Lithuanian lingo is closely related to the now extinct Old Prussian. Otherwise finding resources on this one were pretty hard and um, weird. This afoto site lets you learn the parts of the face and hair by clicking on a picture of a young girl. Something about this felt awkward, but it works, I guess. Ominglot has their usual written language guide and Orbislingua has a few audio and reading recommendations. To purchase talking dictionaries click here.

Red Corner: Baltic States vs. United States

by Neil Woodburn on

What are the differences between the Baltic States and the United States?

Well, there are quite a few-beginning with the fact that most any Baltic citizen over the age of ten can find America on a map, while most Americans can’t even identify the three Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) much less locate them on a globe (and I’m not talking about you finely educated, American Gadling readers here).

Apparently the differences between the Baltics and the U.S. are numerous enough that Michael Tarm, a former editor of the Baltic City Paper, and a current resident of Chicago, has felt it necessary to boil down just the Top 10 and share them with the world. The list is quite humorous, and not exactly in favor of the United States, but hey, if you can’t laugh at yourself, you can you laugh at?

Now, if you could just point me in the direction of the nearest Latvian embassy. I feel some flames coming on.

Ouch! Just kidding folks!