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A new house directly on the doorstep of old...Bad Saarow: Resurrected
"The Past"
Very strong impressions and feelings about this place. The old and terrifying, the history and future, peace and misgivings.....
"You would not believe how ugly grey and awful this place was just ten years ago," my friend told me as we drove along the now well maintained narrow roads of the town.
Freshly painted houses with neat gardens spilling flowers over wooden or fantasically wrought iron fences passed by on each side of us, traditionally German with lacy curtains hanging at window and door.
"The Present"
Occasionally one might see the leftover blockish Soviet style office or living quarters, but for the most part these had been allowed to fall and stay in extreme disrepair, or were in the process of being removed altogether.
Yet most places seemed prosperous now, and an enormous town wide renovation has been taking place. People again where buying properties, building hotels and businesses, six digit euro homes, and spending their weekends, if not making a new life, in Bad Saarow.
"The Future"
"That was Maxim Gorki's house," the same friend pointed out later as we now walked along a little lane with a number of others. Happily we had chanced to visit during an annual celebration weekend (the first Saturday in September an annual market takes place, as well as special events throughout the burg), and many others families, couples and individuals shared our path though quietly, and respectful of nature and the private dwelling places.
The bright red accented house of one of Russia's most well-known writers now is a bed and breakfast where one can stay in a double room for around 70 euro a night during the week.
She stopped to look at the mounted plans for a new multi-family house being built nearby.
"So many are returning to Bad Saarow so quickly, I'm thinking of buying a country house in another, quieter place," she lamented.
Six years ago she had bought and renovated heavily a huge house which she had purchased for a ridiculously low price. Now she could sell again for several times more, especially as her house was directly on Scharmützelsee....
Bad Saarow has definitely been resurrected, though so many of its peoples are lost, its spirit has been reborn and is making great strides towards a prosperous future.
Tips to come soon....
