There is a beautiful lake close to where I live and if you are there in late evening you can see lights from the nearest wind farm blinking on the horizon. You can also see them on top of historical castle mounds my region is famous for which cheapens the experience of visiting them. I am all for renewable energy, but I understand the argument.
In most cases they weren’t that bad, the population wasn’t high enough for it to get too dirty and most people had plenty of living space. Only in later era do cities become dirty and extremely overpopulated. The exception would be sieges, but in them all people would suffer to some extent.
Yep, from Rome to Rīga, they used to mark the death of nature with plants that refuse to die. Later, they started decorating them to symbolise the blossoming or the harvest of the year’s last feast.
Source: school education from the last pagans of Europe.
Eastern Europe in general can be like that. You can have grandmas living next door to rich families.
That is slowly changing, however, as the rich move to secluded spots in the countryside, middle class moves to the suburbs and the super poor move to the dachas. The flats in the cities are still getting more expensive somehow.
I once was hiking in the Tatras and upon reaching a part that was more difficult, heaved a sigh and said “Pizdec”. Everybody laughed, even people from further away.