Part of the culture series of articles.
Follies are a form of civic architecture found in the Commonwealth that emerged from the requirement that incorporated areas be marked by a physical boundary, as a basis of sovereignty. The law does not detail the specific design of the boundary, and so many municipalities and metropolitan departments in the country have developed alternative border-markers, known colloquially as follies.
In additional to traditional canals and low stone walls, follies are most commonly drained canals or berms, often filled with flowers or decorative items. They may also take the form of hedgerows, sunken lanes, orchards or strips of common land. In this sense, they still fulfil the basic intention of the law by physically demarcating a political area, but avoid the expense and social effect of a traditional walled settlement.
The most famous folly, which inspired many copycats in the years since, was constructed in the drained canals surrounding Limia Municipality in Curacao, which were filled with a full spectrum of tulips. Limia’s folly (named for the architectual element, not for perceieved failure) has become a protected site that attracts visitors from around the country.
“Lovers’ follies” or “fighting follies” are also common, which are found where areas collaborate on adjacent border markings and create a shared feature, or attempt to outdo each other. Karu and Paria have famous examples of each respectively, and have become amenities in their own right – Paria’s “warring orchards” also produce citrus for export. As a distinct national cultural feature, many types of follies are featured in the National Design Atlas.