Karol is a loner. He built his house on a place, where once stood a goat, later on a dog came up to him. He built his second house in Norway, far away from the noise.
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Quiet places

Tourists who decide to visit Devín Lake are looking in vain for a lake with water. The area of Devín Lake is located at the edge of Bratislava. It consists of wetlands and endless flood bows which, at the moment, belong to the best preserved and protected nature lands in the river floodplain of Morava. The uniqueness of this peripheric part of Bratislava consists of conservation of its natural beauty but also of selfhood of its residents. Undistinguished lands with its train station, that too, carry the name Devín Lake, was an important railway connection of Austro-Hungarian empire. In the unpopular years of Iron Curtain this area has been isolated and closely watched by the border patrol. Today, Devín Lake is gradually becoming home to the original gardeners and new settlers. The people who make their home here live in harmony with nature, keeping their quiet world to themselves. Many have become herbalists, keepers of bees, goats, poultry, exchanging their own processed products, passing on their experiences to each other. However, the former garden area is going through a change: unreinforced roads, missing lights, more complicated access “to the city” are supposed to be exchanged for developer projects which include a high-speed railway. Some locals see in the new planned constructions hope, others would prefer the place untouched. Such a small land is by paradox divided into three separate cadastres, which complicates relationships between the inmates. They stay isolated on their hidden lands from the tourists and the world. In the old days we used to meet for goulash, everyone brought something, contributed something. Now, everybody’s holding back behind their own fence. We would want to bring back the old traditions. Despite the loud sound of trains that cross this area that make people break off of their dialogues every 15 minutes, Devín Lake and its outlying areas represent even in this lively world a unique place of peace and quiet.
author

Marta Foldesová

professional photographer, Marta Földešová
Marta Földešová (born 1976, Slovakia) Studied at the Faculty of Arts, Department of Promotion. Since 1997 she worked as a photojournalist for the Slovak press media. During this practice she was dedicated mainly to reportage photography, documenting social issues, travelogues and portraits of personalities. Since 2006 she is working as a freelance photographer. She works in her own studio, where she works mostly with family photographs, portraits and documentary photography. Projects: "Tabula Rasa" - a theme representing the growth of a child soul, first prize in Slovak Press Photo, category Art and showbiz,"We are like YOU" - a project about integration of people with Down syndrome into society, "We are like YOU/ FAMILY TIES"- a project about relationships between people with Down syndrome and their families, "ID" - dance, photo and music project to explore identity of individual's.