In the final weeks of 2020, I spent a week in the typical former Soviet industrial city of Shakhty in the south of Russia. Predominately composed of 1-storey dwellings , Shakhty is larger in area than Manchester, yet half its population. Following the closure of the majority of the mines at the end of the Soviet Era the city has been shrinking.
The districts of Shakhty were named after the former coal mines that started to form the city from the mid-nineteenth century. The distinct southern Russian character of the broad streets and stumpy houses is evident even in a -5 degree cold. Whilst wondering around the city, one is followed by flocks of hungry yet polite stray dogs. One also hears geese and sees benches that would attract rowdy crowds during the steamy summer evenings. Basic yet functional interiors hide behind heavy wooden shutters on the external faces of ornate buildings, some decorated with brick, some with glazed mosaics (even an anime-themed one was found).
no.balsa 