Taking a walk in Bad Gastein, Austria, is a great crash course in evanescence. A spa dating back to the middle ages, the little town reached a peak of popularity in the 19th century, when Europe’s upper class frequently travelled to Bad Gastein, staying at luxurious, multi-storey hotel buildings.

Today, the decay is obvious.

A number of big hotels, mostly those around midtown, have been given up. But rebuilding and rethinking the whole place is tricky: Many old buildings were built side by side with almost no space in between, overlooking the nearby steep Gastein waterfall valley.

The Congress Centre, built in the 70’s and an architectural catastrophe of epic proportions, increases the misery.

I like about Bad Gastein that it teaches a simple lesson:

Nothing is forever and nothing is granted.

A hundred years ago, nobody would have foreseen the downfall of this once so proud spa destination.

A few substantial, often unseen mistakes are enough to end a success story.

Not good for Bad Gastein. Very good for competition, though.