Monday 27 April 2009

Trolleybus stop


An old trolleybus stop sign can be found near the depot at Jelgavas street in Riga.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Sunday 26 April 2009

Ruptured wires

This old sign in Latvian and Russian warns not to touch ruptured wires. The sign is more than 30 years old as the 5-digit numbers were used until mid-1970s. Found on Miera street in Riga.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Saturday 25 April 2009

Motormuseum



In Riga's motormuseum there's not only vintage cars on display but also a collection of Soviet cars of various decades.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Friday 24 April 2009

Nelda





Yesterday was the last working day of Nelda supermarket in Ziepniekkalns, Riga, today it's closed for good and in a couple of months a new supermarket by another branch Iki will take its place. In the last days the shop was quite empty, reminding the food shortages of the early 1990s.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Institute of aviation


This large ornament can be found within the territory of former institute of aviation at the end of Krustabaznīcas street in Riga. Today a couple of buildings are occupied by the Technical university (RTU) while the most of the area is abandoned and vandalized.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Sunday 19 April 2009

Boska











Boska used to be and probably still is the biggest shopping centre in Banja Luka, the capital of the republic of Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is probably the most empty one as well. The shopping centre still belongs to the state and recently failed privatisation, thus the stock has not been refilled for a long time, while the staff cannot be fired for some reason. It is quite surreal to walk through the centre, seeing empty shelves and bored saleswomen smoking inside.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Friday 17 April 2009

Forbidden



These are a couple of weird warning signs in Riga. The first one warns about 20 Ls penalty for dogs with long legs while the other one shows images of what is forbidden to bring into Daugavas' stadium.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Tuesday 14 April 2009

Cafe


This is a sign for a cafe on Trijādības street in Riga, however the cafe has been shut many years ago.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Monday 13 April 2009

Grocery


Although there's no grocery on Mazā Nometņu street in Riga anymore the neon sign "Pārtika" has remained.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Sunday 12 April 2009

Nada Dimic







Nada Dimic used to be a popular textile factory in former Yugoslavia but after the independence of Croatia it has not gone that well and factory bankrupted. Today it is empty and abandoned, but the place might disappear very soon as demolition works of the site has began.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Wednesday 8 April 2009

Globe


Sometimes it takes time before old billboard is replaced with a new one. Very often the walls under the billboards are overpainted but not this one on Duntes street in Riga. However, the mural is so shabby that it is hard to identify what it was for. Perhaps of some trade company.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Tuesday 7 April 2009

Tallinn






In Soviet times there were not that many big supermarkets in Riga and a few of them were named after the capitals of neighbour republics, for instance, Tallinn or Minsk. Even though today the shopping centre in Jugla is still called Tallinn, there is nothing much left from the once pompous supermaket but a few pictograms that promote the positive Soviet lifestyle.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus