Almost a century later

This is a must see article, there is really no other way to describe it. H/T to Peppermint.

World War I soldier’s room untouched for almost 100 years

By Nick Kirkpatrick December 29, 2014 | Washington Post

His torn military jacket still hangs by his desk and his shoes are still tucked neatly by his bed — relics of a life lost long ago. In the small village of Bélâbre in central France sits the room of Hubert Rochereau, untouched for nearly a century as a memorial to the fallen solider, who died during World War I. It’s “an unforgettable journey back in time,” reported la Noveulle Republique, which described it as a “mummified room.”

See at Washington Post

The Guardian:

“Parents kept room as it was the day he left, and stipulated when they moved that it should not be changed for 500 years.”

It’s almost beyond description to see that someone kept the room just as it was. It’s like a time capsule. It’s fascinating someone could do that out of respect for all those years. What a memorial.

It reminded me of something else. Years back, some ‘old world’ descendants told me that it is common for people to pass down heirlooms for hundreds of years. So one could have furniture or keepsakes in their home home that are three or four hundred years old. But it takes something to preserve those things for centuries.

That begs the question if they have more appreciation and respect for things? It depends what you call old. In the US, we consider some things antiques after 25 years. The article raises a lot of questions.