I can vividly recall visiting Prague in the Communist era and was amazed to see no billboards, it was like stepping back in time. What amplified the effect for

I can vividly recall visiting Prague in the Communist era and was amazed to see no billboards, it was like stepping back in time. What amplified the effect for me was that the Communists had done very little development since they'd come to power which meant that not only the old centre of the city but also some of its suburburban parts had remained essentially unaltered since the 18th Century. No doubt, those who lived there would have noticed changes but to my jaded eyes the city was a time capsule. It seems I wasn't alone thinking that, the producers of the 1984 movie version of Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus used Prague as a backdrop because it was historically 'pristine' in that it had not been spoiled by ads. When I returned some years later after the fall of Communism things were very different, there were ads and billboards everywhere. I was both shocked and saddened at what had happened, the billboards had visually polluted the city. I'd love to see billboards removed but I can't see it happening in the major centers of capitalism anytime soon.