Elegant decay

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Elegant decay is the cultural agreement that some places, and structures, become gradually more elegant, notable, or beautiful as they decay, or fall into ruin, due to their historical, architectural, or cultural significance. Although such reverence is subjective, it is true that certain cities, regions or even countries are more susceptible to the general concept due to past opulence, or their lengthy or enduring history or culture.[ citation needed ]

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The path to the summit of Palatine Hill, Rome, Italy Rome Palatine Hill.jpg
The path to the summit of Palatine Hill, Rome, Italy

Contrary to the general interpretation that places or structures are more noteworthy in their newness, or older structures hold more value and interest after being historically restored to their original state, the concept of elegant decay is that in the slow degradation of the structures an inherent elegance, or beauty, emerges due to past historic importance. In recent times, this concept has been exploited by those seeking to stimulate tourism.

History

A wall in Venice, Italy, slowly crumbles into a canal. Venice Windows.jpg
A wall in Venice, Italy, slowly crumbles into a canal.

With its rich history, and centuries of past prestige and prominence, Western Europe has many places where elegant decay is notable and celebrated. One of the most salient is Italy, due to its lengthy historic prominence in prehistoric, ancient, medieval, and modern times. The most celebrated of Italian cities in elegant decay is arguably Venice, largely due to the whole city slowly crumbling and sinking into its lagoon.[ citation needed ]

Western Europe region comprising the westerly countries of Europe

Western Europe is the region comprising the western part of Europe. Though the term Western Europe is commonly used, there is no commonly agreed-upon definition of the countries that it encompasses.

Venice Comune in Veneto, Italy

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is situated on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islands are located in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, an enclosed bay that lies between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers. In 2018, 260,897 people resided in the Comune di Venezia, of whom around 55,000 live in the historical city of Venice. Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), which is considered a statistical metropolitan area, with a total population of 2.6 million.

Although Western Europe holds many instances of elegant decay today, the New World also has places of crumbled reverence as well. Most notable in the United States may be the city and region around New Orleans, Louisiana, with its historic fusion of cultures and important contributions to American expansion. In the concept of elegant decay, there sometimes appears to be an element of impending doom to such places and structures, as Venice slowly sinks, and New Orleans is under constant threat from hurricanes.

Elegant decay is different in concept and plan than ruin value, in which structures are planned to look beautiful as ruins from the early planning stages. The concept of elegant decay is related to the concept of patina.

Ruin value Concept in architecture

Ruin value is the concept that a building be designed such that if it eventually collapsed, it would leave behind aesthetically pleasing ruins that would last far longer without any maintenance at all. The idea was pioneered by German architect Albert Speer while planning for the 1936 Summer Olympics and published as "The Theory of Ruin Value", although he was not its original inventor. The intention did not stretch only to the eventual collapse of the buildings, but rather assumed such buildings were inherently better designed and more imposing during their period of use.

Patina acquired change of an objects surface through age and exposure

Patina is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, bronze and similar metals, or certain stones, and wooden furniture, or any similar acquired change of a surface through age and exposure.

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