Artificial ruins

[2] In addition to England and France, romantic ruins were common in Germany, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russian Empire and Netherlands.

Well-preserved antique buildings in Italy with cleaned frescoes have become part of the European cultural code: Pompeii has become a mandatory point in the Grand Tour of Europe.

The engravings Piranesi emphasized the difference between the majestic ancient buildings and the utilitarian architecture of modernity; thus, the artist symbolically judged the culture of the present.

[2] Ruins in manors and parks were designed to encourage contemplators to reflect on the influence of time and the frailty of human life, to contribute to the melancholic and romantic mood of the observer.

The ruins speak of the great equality of all things before death, but at the same time allow a person to "feel more alone", balancing on the very edge of the "stream" that "drags nations one after another into the abyss common to all."