Monday 21 May 2018

A Town in Decay: Kula


Kula is a town with 47.000 inhabitants. And the town is full with old buildings in various stages of decay.




I loved the many primitive door locks and doors.







There were still old type of shops like copper and iron smiths, truly a town stuck in time (except for the mobile phones and satellite dishes :)).




We were there on a Sunday so many shops were closed.



I love the texture that only time can give.




These are blankets. Made with cotton inside and then stitched by hand in intricate motives, again a craftsmanship not much done these days.



A lot of these houses are still lived in, you usually only tell because of the clean windows and curtains. The houses are protected and can not be demolished, however many of the owners can not afford restoration either. Selling the houses are also not much of an option as the would not bring more than 10.000$, which is not enough to buy a new house. So many were inhabited by old couples of which the children went to bigger cities.


My guess is that in about 20 years they'll all be empty, some were already, like this one where I could take a peek inside and discover its beautiful mantle piece.





My favorite were all the rustic doors, some were unfortunately replaced by modern metal ones.












Although this house below looks like it is skeletonized it was still occupied. These houses were plastered with a mixture of mud and  straw which was a great isolation against both heat and cold but once this coating falls off you can see the wood work under it.






I still have many more pictures to share so stay tuned :)

8 comments:

  1. I love those decaying buildings, but it is also very sad in a way as the whole town is doomed to die.
    So it's a bit like a love-hate relationship. And when the old buildings get restored in something new and shiny it often looses all its charm, but then at least the building is used! I always have mixed feelings ^^
    and love your pictures!

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  2. Even though your photos are amazing, I feel a bit sad that the town is falling apart. It would have been fun to have visited the town in it's glory days, it looks so charming!

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  3. What a lovely collection of pictures. And the town seems really charming too.

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  4. Estella these are great pictures. Makes one to want to pack your things and go for a trip.

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  5. A wonderful trip. Very beautiful photos

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  6. What beautiful pictures, Estella! I saved a few to my Pinterest for future reference - they are lovely!!!

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  7. I love all the imperfections, especially on the facades.

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