The totalitarian regimes which characterised much of Europe during the central decades of the twentieth century had a major impact on the urban landscape. These regimes founded and rebuilt cities often drawing on the most advanced architectural and urban design projects that existed at the time. While, today, democratic Europe firmly opposes these totalitarian regimes, their built heritage remains on our streets as an uncomfortable heritage.

Heritage

All the cities crossed by the Route display examples of architecture or urban design deriving from non-democratic regimes. Forlì, Predappio, Carbonia, Cervia, Massa Marittima and other Italian cities have important buildings or neighbourhoods deriving directly from Mussolini’s regime. Labin and Raša in Croatia also host important examples of Fascist and Communist architecture. Leros and other islands of the Dodecanese in Greece host considerable heritage too, dating back to the Italian fascist administration and dictatorships of Colonels. Furthermore, the county of Iaşi in Romania, the cities of Dimitrovgrad in Bulgaria, Dimitrovgrad in Serbia, and Kraków in Poland have many examples of architecture deriving from regimes under Soviet influence. Përmet in Albania reflects both the legacy of the Italian fascist occupation, the Italo-Greek war and the later Albanian communist regime, while Benetússer in Spain features heritage linked to the Francoist dictatorship and Spanish Civil War.

Travelling today

The ATRIUM Cultural Route permits exploration of the sociological, ideological and geographical complexities of the history of these regimes as viewed through the prism of urban landscapes in different cities. The traveller can find extensive information about the different sites through the route's website, including many resources such as photos and images, videos, audio files and oral testimonies.