Bad people, nice buildings

Chapter 1

Moscow: Stalin’s Seven Sisters

When it comes to totalitarian architecture, Moscow is hard to beat. The Russian capital’s look is defined by the famous seven skyscrapers commissioned by the late dictator himself. And some present-day Russian architects are trying to copy what has become known as the Stalinist style.

Chapter 2

Lisbon: Salazar’s Ministry of Internal Affairs turned hotel

Portugal’s authoritarian history is well documented yet rarely spoken about. The new hotel Pousada de Lisboa has taken on the strange role as a sort of monument to the Estado Novo dictatorship – giving new life to Salazar’s old Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Chapter 3

Hitler’s favourite architect – Albert Speer

Adolf Hitler held specific ideas about the design principles that best served his vision of a greater German nation. One of the most important Nazi figures in this respect was Albert Speer, who was Hitler’s chief architect before becoming a government minister. He is remembered to this day for his gargantuan designs for Germania, a vision of a new Berlin that was to be the centre of a victorious Third Reich.

Chapter 4

Hong Kong: Japanese occupation heritage

Many know about the British colonial presence as a major part of the Hong Kong history but little know about the period during the Second World War when the Japanese army took over the city under their imperial regime. Some buildings in the city stay quietly in the communities we pass by everyday, with their imperialistic echoes.