New Architectural Direction: Gypsy Castles
May 23, 2008 - 32,757 views
In Romania, 2% of the population is represented by gypsies. They came to Eastern Europe centuries ago, as slaves. They settled in Europe after escaping slavery, but now they are Europe’s most hated minority. While some go to countries such as England or Italy to beg, others in Romania used their fortune of unknown origins to build huge palaces. In this example, we will take a look at probably one of the tackiest homes we’ve seen, one located in Cluj Napoca, Romania
photo credits: Dan Perry, via marginal_arch
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18 Responses to “New Architectural Direction: Gypsy Castles”
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Anthropomorphic Cannibalism
Food so good that it actually eats itself.
я совершенно не поняла из чего это сделано и для чего это цыганам, но откровенно удивлена)))))))
Holy s*it, that’s ugly as hell! And the “jewelry” on that guy…. are they dropped (beaten into?) on the floors as babies or something? Can’t possibly want to live there otherwise…
Whatta fuckin´hell!!!!
This is ridiculous. How we speak in portuguese:
Só falta a melancia no pescoço.
so thats why people steal the hood badges of mercedes-benz., for this guy to make a roof out of
Wow… I think I drove by that place two years ago. Or one very much like it. They aren’t uncommon.
Thanks for perpetuating all the dumb stereotypes about the Roma.
First of all, “gypsy” is a pejorative term; it’s an ethnic slur, and it’s highly offensive, so to use it so flippantly in reference to the Roma is appauling (this includes the BBC reference–use of the term by an authoritative news source doesn’t legitimize it). Also, taste (fashion, music, artc, etc.) is COMPLETELY arbitrary, and what you like depends wholly on what you’ve been socialized to value as aesthetically pleasing, so for any of you to criticize this architecture or the style of jewelry that these particular people like is ridiculous and useless because I’m sure it wouldn’t be difficult to find someone in the world who finds your particular style revolting. Pull your heads out of your rears for a moment, and go read some Bourdieu, you close-minded idiots.
It appears to have some culturally based design to it. IMHO, It looks like a cross between the houses you would see in the French Quarter or New Orleans, but with a glamed-up Asian roof. Not my thing, but I can respect it for its cultural character.
It would be alot better if he lost the yellow.
“First of all, “gypsy” is a pejorative term;”
Not in the USA, it isn’t. Get over yourself.
Screw the Roma! I’m sick and tired of listening to them whine about how hard they’ve had it. So has everyone else. We all treat each other like shit on this planet, and if people don’t like you, there’s probably a good reason for that. Like you’re a bunch of assholes.
You criticize these houses, but I don’t see photos of your house on the Internet.
““First of all, “gypsy” is a pejorative term;”
Not in the USA, it isn’t. Get over yourself.”
I’m in the USA, and it most certainly is pejorative. If someone said to you, “You live like a gypsy,” would you be flattered? In fact, the word “gyp” (from gypsy) is a synonym for theft or fraud.
These people have their own name for themselves, the Rom, and they find the term gypsy offensive. The fact that most people in the USA are ignorant of this doesn’t make the term any less offensive.
“These people have their own name for themselves, the Rom, and they find the term gypsy offensive. The fact that most people in the USA are ignorant of this doesn’t make the term any less offensive.”
Oh, please. Come down off that high horse. In my travels through Europe I’ve met plenty of Roma who, in English, will self-identify as “gypsy.” In other languages, not so much. They seem to appreciate that the term “gypsy” doesn’t have that pejorative connotation in the US.
The US treats “gypsy” as a mysterious word. It’s wrapped up in images of belly dancing and music and mobile freedom, which we tend to value. People listen to the Gipsy Kings without resorting to prejudicial behavior. And yes, people do use the term “gyp” sometimes to mean “rip-off,” probably without even knowing where it came from. Our image of gypsy life isn’t entire accurate, but I’ve found that Roma tend to appreciate the way we think about them. It’s certainly more flattering than the prevailing European stereotypes about gypsies.
Oh - and if someone in the US tells a friend, “You look like a gypsy,” it’s probably because she’s wearing a belly dancing costume for Halloween.
God forbid a musical group call themselves something like “The Negro Kings” in the US. But Gipsy Kings is just fine.
Seems tough to have a conversation without ethnicity, culture, or nationality overshadowing the “topic”. What about the house? How about a survey of whether the responder thinks its tacky or not?
Give me your tears gypsy or I will take them.
Are Gypsys rappers or are rappers Gypsys? They seem to have the same fashion sense when it comes to “bling”.
I see the *bling* as a way of advertising status (”look at my expensive stuff, losers!”) within a disenfranchised community.
The Roma (I understand this to be an ethnic term, as opposed to the highly generic term “gypsy”) are an ethnic minority that does not assimilate and are not liked because of that.
The homeowner is not trying to impress society at large because he’d never be accepted anyway. Resources are focused on getting status from peers, who happen to be Roma. They have their own standards.
That being said, taste is highly subjective. Have you seen pictures of the interior of the palace of Versailles, the cultural epicenter of the world at one time? It’s not minimalist either.
It’s all about using money to suggest you have a big penis. Not an uncommon occurrence, in my limited experience.
Actually this house is not in Cluj Napoca… they are in Turda.. at about 30 km from cluj