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A hut in the form of a caged wooden frame of various configurations is a traditional Russian dwelling for rural areas. The traditions of the hut go back to dugouts and houses with earthen walls, from which purely wooden log cabins without external insulation gradually began to rise.
A Russian village hut usually represented not only a house for people to live in, but a whole complex of buildings that included everything necessary for the autonomous life of a large Russian family: living quarters, storage rooms, rooms for livestock and poultry, rooms for food supplies (haylofts), workshop premises, which were integrated into one fenced and well-protected peasant yard from bad weather and strangers. Sometimes part of the premises was integrated under a single roof with the house or was part of a covered courtyard. Only baths, considered a habitat for evil spirits (and sources of fires), were built separately from the peasant estate.
For a long time in Russia, huts were built exclusively with the help of an ax. Devices such as saws and drills appeared only in the 19th century, which to some extent reduced the durability of Russian wooden huts, since saws and drills, unlike an ax, left the wood structure “open” for the penetration of moisture and microorganisms. The ax “sealed” the tree, crushing its structure. Metal was practically not used in the construction of huts, as it was quite expensive due to its artisanal mining (swamp metal) and production.
Since the fifteenth century, the Russian stove, which could occupy up to one quarter of the area of the living part of the hut, became the central element of the hut's interior. Genetically, the Russian oven goes back to the Byzantine bread oven, which was enclosed in a box and covered with sand to retain heat longer.
The design of the hut, verified over centuries of Russian life, did not undergo major changes from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. To this day, wooden buildings are preserved, which are 100-200-300 years old. Basic Damage wooden house construction Russia was damaged not by nature, but by the human factor: fires, wars, revolutions, regular property limits and the “modern” reconstruction and repair of Russian huts. Therefore, every day there are fewer and fewer unique wooden buildings around, decorating the Russian Land, having their own soul and unique identity.
Development of village architecture
Rural construction became widespread in Russia in the middle of the 20th century. It is noteworthy that the capital of rural structures and their technical equipment have increased, the level of mechanization of production in villages has increased, and reinforced concrete structures have been actively introduced into rural construction.
Note 1
In the 60s, the design system for rural buildings was rebuilt and improved, in better side The technology of work has also changed.
The Ministry of Rural Construction of the USSR was formed, which covered a wide network of special trusts and organized inter-collective farm construction organizations. At the same time, a system of main institutes was formed to combine standard design and research activities.
In this regard, a transition from individual standard projects to the creation of special series that made it possible to organize the complex development of villages. The work carried out on the territorial planning of villages had a positive effect on the general appearance of the countryside and individual settlements.
Simultaneously with the new construction, reconstruction work was carried out affecting a number of old villages and villages. They were aimed at creating a rational system of serving the population and organizing the further rise of rural culture in Russia.
In the middle of the 20th century, the greatest attention was paid to the construction of settlements on the virgin and fallow lands of Kazakhstan. It is noteworthy that the construction of the main estates and farms was carried out according to standard schemes. Typical projects were linked to local conditions by the country's design institutes. It is known that mistakes were made during the construction of the first state farms. For example, in the state farms of the Akmola and Kustanai regions, a rigid layout prevailed; development was carried out in small rectangular blocks with the location of structures along the contour of the block. Such villages were built mainly one-story houses with big personal plots. Cut the ranks small houses a dense network of wide streets, creating the impression of deserted settlements and their monotony. In this case, insufficient attention was paid to determining the prevailing wind directions, so an unfavorable orientation of the houses was allowed. It turned out that the formal use of standard planning schemes led to the depersonalization of their architectural appearance.
Historical features of national Russian development
Due to the availability of wood as a building material, stone and brick were much less popular in rural buildings. Only the upper strata of the population, such as merchants or wealthy peasants, could afford to use stone as the main building material. A number of other structures of this type were subject to regulation at the state level. For example, structures such as:
- churches;
- locks;
- public buildings.
The architectural diversity of individual housing construction developed mainly within the framework of wooden buildings. This fact leaves a mark not only on the early architecture of Rus', but also on the modern one.
Note 2
When building new houses or reconstructing them, architects sought to use decorative elements. One of the main elements, of course, was artistic wood carving.
At its core, Russian people were more inclined towards functionality than decoration, but it cannot be said that the architecture in the rural buildings of Russia was absolutely devoid of elements of facade decoration. The bulk of architectural delights developed within the framework of temple buildings, in this area the architects spared neither effort nor inspiration. It is also worth noting the features of roofs in rural buildings in Russia. This trait cannot be called strictly national, since it is found in many other countries. The fact is that in many southern countries it was common flat design roofs of buildings. In Russian villages, the type of precipitation, as a rule, did not allow such a roofing option. In this regard, even the earliest buildings are determined by this particular everyday feature.
Styles of Russian village buildings
It is generally accepted that castles and temples had the greatest influence on the formation of architectural traditions in Russia; individual buildings always remained in the shadows. Such trends were observed until the 18th century, until the active construction of noble estates, as well as houses of wealthy representatives of other classes, began. It is noteworthy that for this period there are a number of interesting types of individual houses, which are still reflected in modern architecture.
- Hut or log house. This type buildings appeared one of the first in Rus'. He is small house made from chopped trees, usually having a gable roof. Huts and log cabins had a minimum decorative ornaments facades;
- Tent style. This type of building got its name in connection with the completion of the church building not with a dome, but with a multifaceted tent. Initially, the style became widespread in temple buildings, but later it entered the architecture of manor houses, and by the time of the reign of Ivan the Terrible it was completely implemented in stone buildings. The pseudo-Gothic outlines of some modern buildings owe their appearance to this style of village buildings;
- Estate. Estates replaced other buildings in the village - mansions in the 17th century. Often this term refers not only to residential premises, but also to a complex of structures located on an individual plot. Such buildings can house servants' quarters, stables, and additional buildings. This period is characterized by the loss of national features in the architecture of individual buildings. Russian estates predominantly adhered to the classical style.
In Rus', wood has always been the most affordable material. Since ancient times, the tree has been treated with honor. People often turned to him with requests for help in various life situations, as if he were alive, he was worshiped, and in pagan Rus' there were rituals associated with felling and construction. It was believed that all the energy of both earth and sky was concentrated in trees. Today science proves this, and our ancestors felt this thanks to their intuition, so everyone liked wooden buildings with clean walls, it was believed that a good spirit emanated from them.
If we look at the history of Russian wooden architecture, then the Russian North is the largest and unique nature reserve folk art. There are more surviving wooden buildings in the Arkhangelsk region than anywhere else in Russia. It is physically impossible to examine all these monuments, so at one time some of them were moved to one of the most famous architectural museums in Russia in the village of Malye Karely, which is located near Arkhangelsk.
Here you can see that wood construction in the Russian North has rich traditions that depend not only on the specific conditions of the harsh climate, but also on the way of life, and on the ability to cut good and beautiful home. The architecture of such houses is distinguished by its originality and beauty. “The northern hut gives the impression of eternal strength; it personifies the victory of a strong, courageous man over harsh nature. The proud and strong northerner did not spare logs for the construction and erected not a blind hut, but a fortress in which neither the polar night, nor a predatory animal, nor a dashing man were afraid. The most valuable thing, as the people said, is a well-fed honor and a covered hut.”
Everything was built from wood: from residential buildings to churches, from a simple wooden fence to fortresses. The art of house building passed from generation to generation. In Russian conditions, a hut usually served two or three generations and reliable protection a log house could last up to 200 years, and churches lasted even longer - up to 400 years.
The house in the village, where my parents and I go on vacation every summer, was built back in the 19th century, and at the beginning of the 20th century (more precisely, in 1903) it was rebuilt and enlarged, as our great-great-grandfather’s family grew larger. Now we are building our own house, which we hope will last for more than 100 years. The village where we spend the summer is called Seltso and is located in the Kholmogory district of the Arkhangelsk region. Last year in July, our whole family went to visit our grandparents in the Vologda region. We were driving a car and, looking out the window, noticed that the appearance village houses changes as you approach the border of two regions - Arkhangelsk and Vologda.
The purpose of this work is to compare the architecture of houses in two villages from different regions of northwestern Russia. This is the village of Seltso, Kholmogorsky district, Arkhangelsk region, and the village of Orekhovskaya, Verkhovazhsky district, Vologda region.
To achieve this goal, the following tasks have been identified:
Get acquainted with the history of wooden architecture of the Russian North;
To study the architecture of houses in two villages in the Kholmogory district of the Arkhangelsk region and the Verkhovazhsky district of the Vologda region;
Compare the architecture of the studied houses.
During the work, the following research methods were used:
Observation;
Studying literary sources on the topic of work;
Comparison;
We believe that our work is relevant and practically significant, since every person should know the history of their country, love and respect their native land.
“Every nation that wants to have a future must first of all know and honor its past, its origins, customs and traditions, its history.”
2. MAIN PART
2. 1. NORTHERN WOODEN ARCHITECTURE
How many different types of houses exist in the North! Some of their names sound like village nicknames: “purse”, “verb”, “brus”. And each one has its own organized and distributed interior spaces. Appearance houses are also different. But all these houses have one remarkable property in common: their design makes it possible at any time to carry out the necessary alterations or replace dilapidated parts without disturbing the natural flow of life of its inhabitants.
Let's look into more distant times. In the north, rich in forests, there was no problem with what to make housing from - wood, of course. The main requirement for housing is protection and warmth: my home is my fortress. Each family built their own housing with the help of close relatives. They were afraid that strangers might put a curse on their home and family. Special attention paid attention to the choice of location for future construction. “When choosing a place for a house, it was taken into account that the place was dry, elevated, protected from direct winds, and close to water. It was impossible to build a house where there used to be a road (wealth would leave the house), where there was a bathhouse, where the house was burned by lightning (the wrath of God). At the beginning of construction, they baked a loaf of bread; if it turned out unsuccessfully (did not rise, burned), then the house was not built on this site.”
The choice of wood for building a house was trusted to experienced builders. Typically, coniferous trees (pine, larch) were selected for the log house, since they are distinguished by an even and dense internal structure, as well as high air permeability. At the same time, the thermal conductivity of such wood is close to zero, which means that the house will always remain warm and cozy. The houses were made of 70-100-year-old pines and larches with a diameter of 18-22 centimeters at the top. Trees were cut down in late autumn and winter, when they are dormant, i.e., they are in the stage of winter dormancy and their trunks are drier, less susceptible to rotting and warping. “They did not cut down “protected” trees, trees from graves, creaking trees, trees with hollows. They did not cut down dead trees. They also did not cut down “lush” trees that grew on roads or road intersections. The felled trees were examined to see if there was a flaw in them - a twig coming from the depths, which, when dry, would fly out and leave a hole in the frame. Then the timber was delivered to the construction site.”
The ax remained the main, and often the only, tool of the builder for many centuries. The fact is that the saw tears the wood fibers during operation, leaving them open to water. The ax, crushing the fibers, seems to seal the ends of the logs. No wonder they still say: “cut down a hut.” Therefore, saws were used exclusively in carpentry. And, well known to us now, they tried not to use nails. After all, around a nail, the wood begins to rot faster. As a last resort, wooden crutches were used.
The basis wooden building in Rus' it was a “log house”. These are logs fastened (“tied”) together into a quadrangle. Each row of logs was respectfully called a “crown.” The first, lower crown was often placed on a stone foundation - a “ryazh”, which was made of powerful boulders. It’s warmer and rots less.
The types of log houses also differed in the type of fastening of logs to each other. For outbuildings, a cut-to-length log house was used (rarely laid). The logs here were not stacked tightly, but in pairs on top of each other, and often were not fastened at all. When the logs were fastened “into a paw,” their ends, hewn and truly resembling paws, did not extend beyond the outside of the wall. The crowns here were already tightly adjacent to each other, but in the corners it could still blow in the winter.
The most reliable and warmest was considered to be the fastening of logs “in a burlap”, in which the ends of the logs extended slightly beyond the walls. This strange name today comes from the word “obolon” (“to envelop, shell”), meaning the outer layers of the tree. Back at the beginning of the 20th century. They said: “cut the hut into Obolon” if they wanted to emphasize that inside the hut the logs of the walls were not crowded together. However, more often inside the hut the logs were trimmed to a plane - “scraped into a las” (las - a smooth strip), while on the outside they remained round. Now the term “burst” refers more to the ends of the logs protruding outward from the wall, which remain round, with a chip. The rows of logs themselves (crowns) were connected to each other using internal spikes. To seal the frame, each crown had a longitudinal groove. The grooves were selected from the lower humps of the upper logs, thanks to which the frame was protected from water ingress and further rotting. Moss was laid between the crowns in the log house and then final assembly The log house was caulked with flax tow in the cracks. Attics were also often filled with moss to preserve heat in winter.
A simple covered rectangular wooden frame without any extensions was called a “cage”. The Russian hut was either a “four-walled” (cage) or a “five-walled” (a cage partitioned inside with a wall - “overcut”). During the construction of the hut, cages were added to the main volume utility rooms(“porch”, “senior”, “yard”, “bridge” between the hut and the yard, etc.). In the Russian North, which was not spoiled by heat, they tried to put the entire complex of buildings together, pressed against each other. A single large two-story house for several related families under one roof was called a “koshel.” If the utility rooms were built on the side, and the whole house took on the shape of the letter “G,” then it was called a “verb.” If the outbuildings were built from the end of the main frame, and the entire complex stretched out in a line, then they said that it was a “timber”. A “porch” led into the house, which was often built on “supports” (“releases”) - the ends of long logs released from the wall. This type of porch was called a “hanging” porch. The porch was usually followed by a “canopy” (canopy - shadow, shaded place). They were installed so that the door did not open directly onto the street, and the heat in winter time did not leave the hut. If the hut was two-story, then the second floor was called “povet” in outbuildings and “upper room” in living quarters. The second floor in outbuildings was often led by an “import” - an inclined log platform. A horse and cart loaded with hay could climb up it.
In ancient times, the roof over the log house was made without nails - “male”. To complete this, the two end walls were made from decreasing stumps of logs, which were called “males.” Long longitudinal poles were placed on them in steps - “legs”. Thin tree trunks, cut down from one of the branches of the root, were cut into the beds from top to bottom. Such trunks with roots were called “chickens” (apparently due to the resemblance of the left root to a chicken paw). These upward-pointing root branches supported a hollowed-out log—the “stream.” It collected water flowing from the roof. And already on top of the hens and beds, two slopes were laid with planks - boards resting with their lower edges in a hollowed-out groove of the stream. Tes was considered the most expensive coating. The word “tes” itself well reflects the process of its manufacture. The smooth, knot-free log was split lengthwise in several places, and wedges were driven into the cracks. The log split in this way was split lengthwise several more times. The unevenness of the resulting wide boards was trimmed with a special ax with a very wide blade. The roof was usually covered in two layers - “cutting” and “red striping”. The bottom layer of planks on the roof was also called the under-skalnik, since it was often covered with “rock” (birch bark, which was chipped from birch trees) for tightness. The upper joint of the boards - the “ridge” - was especially carefully blocked from rain. A thick “ridge ridge” was laid under it, and on top the joint of the boards, like a cap, was covered with a log hollowed out from below - a “shell” or “skull”. However, more often this log was called “ohlupnem” - something that covers. Pediments in male structures could be of all sorts of shapes: from triangular pediments to pediments with a curved outline.
2. 2. FEATURES OF VILLAGE ARCHITECTURE IN
S. SELTSO AND D. OREKHOVSKAYA
Let's look at the structure of a village house in the village of Seltso, Kholmogory district. In the Arkhangelsk region, the log house was often placed on the “basement” - the lower auxiliary floor, which was used for storing supplies and household equipment. This was done to preserve heat in living quarters. There are many such houses in Seltse. There's a lot here and two-story houses because the families were large. The structure of houses in the village is usually “timber”, that is, all buildings are stretched in one line. Behind the log house of the living quarters there is a “yard” for keeping pets in summer time, and behind it is a “dealer” where domestic animals are kept in winter. Above the courtyard and the farmhouse on the second floor level there is a shed for storing various household utensils. In the village of Orekhovskaya, Vologda region, we did not see any houses on the “basement”. Apparently, the climate here is milder than in Selts. The construction of the houses is also “timber”, however, there are fewer outbuildings than in Seltse. The insulated room where animals are kept in winter is called a “shed” and it occupies part of the “yard” for summer housing of livestock. In both villages, the roof overhangs are covered with piers - valances. Unfortunately, few piers with carvings have survived in Selts. In the village of Orekhovskaya, in our opinion, carved piers are found more often and even on new buildings. But we saw the ornamental painting of the lining of the part of the roof hanging over the pediment only in Selts. Comparing the houses of two villages, we noticed that for Selts more characteristic than home not with a gable roof, but with a gable roof and a mezzanine on the main facade. The design of the mezzanine may vary.
CONCLUSION
Comparing the architecture of houses in two villages in different regions of the Russian North, we read many interesting books, became acquainted with the history of wooden architecture, and studied the structure of a village house. And we can conclude that in the designs of houses in Selts and the village of Orekhovskaya there are both common features and differences:
The construction of houses in both villages is the same - “timber”;
In Selets, Arkhangelsk region, houses were built on a “basement” due to a more severe climate;
In Seltse there is two-story houses ancient buildings, in the village of Orekhovskaya there are only two-story houses of modern construction;
The roofs of the houses in both villages are built according to the “male” type;
For Selts, the most typical houses are not those with a gable roof, but those with a three-slope roof and a mezzanine on the main façade.
We believe that the knowledge acquired while working on the essay will help us be good assistants to our parents when completing the construction of our house.
Russian house of five walls Central Russia. Typical gable roof with light. Five-walled building with a cut along the house
These examples, I think, are quite enough to prove that this type of house really exists and is widespread in traditionally Russian regions. It was somewhat unexpected for me that this type of house prevailed until recently on the White Sea coast. Even if we admit that I am wrong, and this style of houses came to the north from the central regions of Russia, and not vice versa, it turns out that the Slovenes from Lake Ilmen have nothing to do with the colonization of the White Sea coast. There are no houses of this type in the Novgorod region and along the Volkhov River. Strange, isn't it? And what kind of houses did the Novgorod Slovenes build from time immemorial? Below I give examples of such houses.
Slovenian type of houses
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In this photo we see a gable roof, which allows us to attribute this house to the Slovenian type. A house with a high basement, decorated with carvings typical of Russian houses. But the rafters lie on the side walls, like a barn. This house was built in Germany in early XIX century for Russian soldiers whom the Russian Tsar sent to help Germany. Some of them remained in Germany completely; the German government, as a token of gratitude for their service, built houses like these for them. I think that the houses were built according to the sketches of these soldiers in the Slovenian style |
This is also a house from the German soldiers' series. Today in Germany these houses are part of the open-air museum of Russian wooden architecture. The Germans make money from our traditional applied arts. They keep these houses in such perfect condition! And we? We don't value what we have. We turn our noses up at everything, we look at everything overseas, we do European-quality renovations. When will we take up Russ Repair and repair our Russia? |
In my opinion, these examples of Slovenian-type houses are enough. Those interested in this issue can find a lot more evidence of this hypothesis. The essence of the hypothesis is that real Slovenian houses (huts) differed from Russian izbas in a number of ways. It’s probably stupid to talk about which type is better and which is worse. The main thing is that they are different from each other. The rafters are placed differently, there is no cut along the house near the five-walls, the houses, as a rule, are narrower - 3 or 4 windows in the front, the platbands and linings of Slovenian-type houses, as a rule, are not sawn (not openwork) and therefore do not look like lace . Of course, there are houses of a mixed type of construction, somewhat similar to Russian-style houses in the arrangement of the rafters and the presence of cornices. The most important thing is that both Russian and Slovenian types of houses have their own areas. Houses of the Russian type are not found or practically never found in the Novgorod region and the west of the Tver region. I didn't find them there.
Finno-Ugric type of houses
The Finno-Ugric type of house is, as a rule, a five-walled building with a longitudinal cut and a significantly larger number of windows than houses of the Slovenian type. It has a log gable, in the attic there is a room with log walls and large window, which makes the house seem to become two-story. The rafters are attached directly to the wall, and the roof overhangs the walls, so this type of house does not have eaves. Often houses of this type consist of two joined log houses under one roof |
The middle course of the Northern Dvina is above the mouth of the Vaga. This is what a typical house of the Finno-Ugric type looks like, which for some reason ethnographers persistently call northern Russian. But it is more widespread in the Komi Republic than in Russian villages. This house has a full-fledged attic warm room with log walls and two windows |
And this house is located in the Komi Republic in the Vychegda River basin. It has 7 windows along the facade. The house is made of two four-walled log cabins connected to each other by a log frame. The gable is made of logs, which makes the attic of the house warm. There is an attic room, but it has no window. The rafters are placed on the side walls and overhang them. |
The village of Kyrkanda in the southeast of the Arkhangelsk region. Please note that the house consists of two log cabins placed close to each other. The gable is made of logs, and there is an attic room in the attic. The house is wide, so the roof is quite flattened (not steep). There are no carved platbands. The rafters are installed on the side walls. There was a house consisting of two log buildings in our village of Vsekhsvyatskoye, only it was of the Russian type. As a child, playing hide and seek, I once climbed out of the attic into a gap between the log houses and barely crawled back out. It was very scary... |
House of Finno-Ugric type in the east of the Vologda region. From the attic room in this house you can go out onto a balcony. The roof overhang at the front is such that you can be on the balcony even in the rain. The house is tall, almost three stories high. And in the back of the house there are three more of the same huts, and between them there is a huge story. And it all belonged to one family. This is probably why there were many children in families. Finno-Ugric people lived luxuriously in the past. Today, not every new Russian has a cottage of this size |
The village of Kinerma in Karelia. The house is smaller than the houses in the Komi Republic, but the Finno-Ugric style is still visible. There are no carved platbands, so the face of the house is more severe than that of Russian-type houses |
Komi Republic. Everything suggests that this is a house built in the Finno-Ugric style. The house is huge, it contains all the utility rooms: two winter living huts, two summer huts - upper rooms, storage rooms, a workshop, a canopy, a stable, etc. To feed livestock and poultry, you don’t even have to go outside in the morning. In the long cold winter this was very important. |
Republic of Karelia. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the type of houses in Komi and Karelia is very similar. But these are two different ethnic groups. And between them we see houses of a completely different type - Russian. I note that Slovenian houses are more similar to Finno-Ugric ones than to Russian ones. Strange, isn't it? |
Houses of the Finno-Ugric type are also found in the northeast of the Kostroma region. This style has probably been preserved here since the times when the Finno-Ugric Kostroma tribe had not yet become Russified. The windows of this house are on the other side, and we can see the back and side walls. You could drive a horse and cart into the house along the paved road. Convenient, isn't it? |
On the Pinega River (the right tributary of the Northern Dvina), along with houses of the Russian type, there are also houses of the Finno-Ugric type. The two ethnic groups have lived together here for a long time, but still maintain their traditions when building houses. I draw your attention to the absence of carved platbands. There is a beautiful balcony, a small room in the attic. Unfortunately, this good house abandoned by the owners who were drawn to the city couch potato life |
There are probably enough examples of houses of the Finno-Ugric type. Of course, nowadays the traditions of building houses have been largely lost, and in modern villages and towns houses are built that differ from the ancient traditional types. Everywhere in the vicinity of our cities today we see ridiculous cottage developments, indicating the complete loss of our national and ethnic traditions. As you can understand from these photographs, which I borrowed from many dozens of sites, our ancestors lived unconstrained, in ecologically clean, spacious, beautiful and comfortable homes. They worked joyfully, with songs and jokes, they were friendly and not greedy, there are no blank fences near houses anywhere in the Russian North. If someone's house in the village burned down, then everyone would build it for him. new house. Let me note once again that there were and still are no high fences near Russian and Finno-Ugric houses, and this says a lot.
Polovtsian (Kypchak) type of houses
I hope that these examples of houses built in the Polovtsian (Kypchak) style are quite enough to prove that such a style really exists and has a certain distribution area, including not only the south of Russia, but also a significant part of Ukraine. I think that each type of house is adapted to certain climatic conditions. There are a lot of forests in the north, it’s cold there, so the residents build huge houses in the Russian or Finno-Ugric style, in which people live, livestock, and belongings are stored. There is enough wood for both walls and firewood. There is no forest in the steppe, there is little of it in the forest-steppe, which is why the residents have to make small adobe houses. Big house not needed here. Livestock can be kept in a pen in summer and winter, equipment can also be stored outside under a canopy. Man in steppe zone spends more time outdoors in the open air than in the house. That’s how it is, but in the floodplain of the Don, and especially Khopra, there is a forest from which it would be possible to build a stronger and larger hut, and make a roof with a horse, and build a light in the attic. But no, the roof is made in the traditional style - hipped, so it’s more familiar to the eye. Why? And such a roof is more resistant to winds, and the winds in the steppe are much stronger. The roof here could easily be blown away by the next snowstorm. In addition, it is more convenient to cover a hipped roof with straw, and straw in the south of Russia and Ukraine is traditional and inexpensive roofing material. True, the poor people covered their houses with straw and middle lane Russia, even in the north of the Yaroslavl region in my homeland. As a child, I also saw old thatched houses in Vsekhsvyatskoye. But those who were richer roofed their houses with shingles or planks, and the richest - with roofing iron. I myself had the opportunity, under the guidance of my father, to cover our new house and the house of an old neighbor with shingles. Today, this technology is no longer used in villages; everyone has switched to slate, ondulin, metal tiles and other new technologies.
By analyzing the traditional types of houses that were common in Russia quite recently, I was able to identify four main ethno-cultural roots from which the Great Russian ethnic group grew. There were probably more daughter ethnic groups that merged into the Great Russian ethnic group, since we see that the same type of houses was characteristic of two, and sometimes three related ethnic groups living in similar natural conditions. Surely, in each type of traditional house, subtypes can be identified and associated with specific ethnic groups. Houses in Karelia, for example, are somewhat different from houses in Komi. And houses of the Russian type in the Yaroslavl region were built a little differently than houses of the same type on the Northern Dvina. People have always strived to express their individuality, including in the arrangement and decoration of their homes. At all times there were those who tried to change or improve traditions. But exceptions only emphasize the rules - this is well known to everyone.
I will consider that I wrote this article not in vain if in Russia fewer ridiculous cottages will be built in any style, if someone wants to build their new house in one of the traditional styles: Russian, Slovenian, Finno-Ugric or Polovtsian. All of them have today become nationwide, and we are obliged to preserve them. Ethno-cultural invariant is the basis of any ethnic group, perhaps more important than language. If we destroy it, our ethnic group will degrade and disappear. I saw how our compatriots who emigrated to the USA cling to ethno-cultural traditions. For them, even making cutlets turns into a kind of ritual, which helps them feel that they are Russians. Patriots are not only those who lie down under tanks with bunches of grenades, but also those who prefer the Russian style of houses, Russian felt boots, cabbage soup and borscht, kvass, etc.
In the book by a team of authors edited by I.V. Vlasov and V.A. Tishkov's "Russians: History and Ethnography", published in 1997 by the Nauka publishing house, has a very interesting chapter on rural residential and economic development in Russia in the 12th - 17th centuries. But the authors of the chapter L.N. Chizhikova and O.R. For some reason, Rudin paid very little attention to Russian-style houses with a gable roof and a light in the attic. They consider them in the same group with Slovenian-type houses with a gable roof overhanging the side walls.
However, it is impossible to explain how Russian-type houses appeared on the shores of the White Sea and why they are not in the vicinity of Novgorod on the Ilmen, based on the traditional concept (stating that the White Sea was controlled by the Novgorodians from Ilmen). This is probably why historians and ethnographers do not pay attention to Russian-style houses - they are not in Novgorod. In M. Semenova’s book “We are Slavs!”, published in 2008 in St. Petersburg by the ABC-Classics publishing house, there is good material about the evolution of the Slovenian type house.
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According to the concept of M. Semenova, the original dwelling of the Ilmen Slovenes was a semi-dugout, almost completely buried in the ground. Only a slightly gable roof, covered with poles on which a thick layer of turf was laid, rose above the surface. The walls of such a dugout were made of logs. Inside there were benches, a table, and a lounger for sleeping. Later, in the half-dugout, an adobe stove appeared, which was heated in a black way - the smoke went into the dugout and came out through the door. After the installation of the stove, the house became warm even in winter, and it was no longer possible to bury oneself in the ground. The Slovenian house “began to crawl out” from the ground to the surface. A floor of hewn logs or blocks appeared. This house became cleaner and brighter. The earth did not fall from the walls and ceiling, there was no need to bend over backwards, it was possible to make a higher door.
I think that the process of turning a half-dugout into a house with a gable roof took many centuries. But even today the Slovenian hut bears some of the features of the ancient half-dugout; at least the shape of the roof remains gable. |
A medieval house of the Slovenian type on a residential basement (essentially two-story). Often on the ground floor there was a barn - a room for livestock) |
I assume that the most ancient type of house, which undoubtedly developed in the north, was the Russian type. Houses of this type are more complex in their roof structure: it is three-sloped, with a cornice, with a very stable position of the rafters, with a light heated by a chimney. In such houses, the chimney in the attic made a bend about two meters long. This bend of the pipe is figuratively and accurately called a “hog”, on such a hog in our house in Vsekhsvyatsky, for example, cats warmed themselves in winter, and it kept the attic warm. In a Russian-type house there is no connection with a half-dugout. Most likely, such houses were invented by the Celts, who penetrated the White Sea at least 2 thousand years ago. Perhaps the descendants of those Aryans lived on the White Sea and in the basin of the Northern Dvina, Sukhona, Vaga, Onega and upper Volga, some of whom went to India, Iran and Tibet. This question remains open, and this question is about who we Russians are - aliens or real natives? When an expert in the ancient language of India, Sanskrit, found himself in a Vologda hotel and listened to the women’s conversation, he was very surprised that the Vologda women spoke some kind of corrupted Sanskrit - the Russian language turned out to be so similar to Sanskrit. Houses of the Slovene type arose as a result of the transformation of semi-dugouts as the Ilmen Slovenes moved north. At the same time, the Slovenes adopted a lot (including some methods of building houses) from the Karelians and Vepsians, with whom they inevitably came into contact. But the Varangians of Rus' came from the north, pushed the Finno-Ugric tribes apart and created their own state: first North-Eastern Rus', and then Kievan Rus, moving the capital to warmer regions, ousting the Khazars. But those ancient states in the 8th - 13th centuries did not have clear boundaries: those who paid tribute to the prince were considered to belong to this state. The princes and their squads fed themselves by robbing the population. By our standards, they were ordinary racketeers. I think that the population often moved from one such racketeer sovereign to another, and in some cases the population “fed” several such “sovereigns” at once. Constant clashes between princes and atamans, constant robbery of the population were commonplace in those days. The most progressive phenomenon in that era was the subjugation of all petty princes and chieftains by one sovereign, the suppression of their freedom and the imposition of a flat tax on the population. Such salvation for the Russians, Finno-Ugric, Krivichi and Slovenians was their inclusion in the Golden Horde. Unfortunately, our official history is based on chronicles and written documents compiled by princes or under their direct leadership. And for them - the princes - to submit to the supreme power of the Golden Horde king was “worse than a bitter radish.” So they called this time the yoke. |
Dividing by style and placing on shelves all the architectural varieties of private houses found on the market in the Moscow region is incredible difficult task, since the architecture of houses built over the last 25 years is a mixture of author’s expressionism, eclecticism, successful and not so successful experiments with architectural styles known to us. Rough, stylistic country houses can be divided:
1. Post-Soviet style- characterize red brick houses built in the first half of the 90s, when it became possible to build own house large area. It was important to master the maximum volume with the available budget. The premises were cut out intuitively, and then architects were invited to use the finished box to somehow “play with” it. Roofs were often covered with metal tiles or soft roof. Most of the secondary supply on Rublevo-Uspenskoe Highway refers to houses in this style, whose owners have already built new proper housing for themselves, and are trying to get rid of the old one, located on expensive plots, but not cheaply. Photo 1.
2. Classic style mainly found in the architecture of large houses and estates on Rublevskoye Highway, with an area of 1500 sq.m. and more. Houses of symmetrical shapes, with pompous entrance groups and corresponding layouts, which become hostage to symmetrical eclectic facades. For finishing, natural stone such as limestone, travertine, dolomite and granite is used mainly for cladding the basement and porch. The roof is made of folded copper, lead or zinc-titanium sheet, or natural stone- slate. The cost of building such houses depends on the complexity of the stone decor, but is approximately 1,500-2,000 dollars per sq.m., excluding interior decoration and engineering systems. This style can be roughly divided:
- Neoclassicism- a style popular in the 17th-19th centuries, recognizable by its strict, elegant lines and lack of unnecessary decoration, inspired by the architectural art of the ancient periods of Ancient Greece and Rome. Photo 2.1.
Neo-Baroque- a style popular in Europe in the 17th-18th centuries, which is characterized by spatial scope, unity, fluidity of complex, usually curvilinear forms and excess of facade decor. Photo 2.2.
3. Architecture of houses in style Modern(known in different countries and like Art Nouveau, Art Nouveau or Secession) is distinguished by the rejection of straight lines and angles in favor of more natural, “natural” lines, the use of new materials (metal, glass) and the flourishing of applied art - the facades were generously decorated with stylized plant patterns, flexible flowing forms . At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, there was a desire to create buildings that were both aesthetic and functional. The roofs take on complex shapes with decorative half-timbering. The following materials are used on facades: stone, plaster, wood, mosaic, ceramic tile, bronze, stained glass. Photo 3 (by AM Oleg Carlson).
4. Victorian style characterizes the variety of varieties of eclectic retrospectivism from the end of the 19th century - the revival of earlier European styles and adaptation to new design possibilities with the assimilation of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Persian and Arabic styles of decorative art. It is mainly associated not with buildings in Britain, but with houses built in the fashionable bourgeois resorts of Normandy, especially in the famous town of Deauville. Photo 4.
The cost of building houses in the Art Nouveau style or victorian architecture higher than classic houses, but emphasizes the owner’s desire for decorative art.
Just as today we do not dress in the style of the 17th, 18th or 19th centuries and do not ride carriages or horses, building new houses in the style of Classicism, Modernism or the Victorian period is considered anachronistic because it does not correspond to the spirit of our times. For more than a hundred years, architects have not been trained anywhere in the world to design according to classical canons. Thus, the risk of an architect overstepping into the field of kitsch is very high and, in fact, is confirmed in 90% of cases.
5. Castle style(or the so-called Disney style among architects) refers to pure kitsch and is characteristic of Eastern Europe (especially Romania) and China. In business-class cottage villages, it was in demand before the 2008 crisis. In most cases, inexpensive finishing materials that imitate natural ones are used to decorate the facades and roofs of houses built in the castle style. The cost of construction of such houses is approximately 1,000-1,500 dollars per sq.m., excluding interior finishing and engineering systems. Photo 5.
6. Wright style often called all houses with speakers hipped roofs, but the architecture of the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright since the beginning of the 20th century has been characterized by the “organic” form of houses, with a decrease in volume on the upper floors so that the house with a terraced roof fits organically into the terrain. Despite the fact that F.L. Wright created houses during the Art Deco era, “the last great style of the 20th century,” and his architecture deserves its own shelf as the first houses of the modern style, where functionalism began to dominate the aesthetics of symmetrical facades. High-quality brick, stone, wood, a lot of glazing and elements of applied art are used to decorate the facades. Low-slope roofs are usually covered with folded copper sheets. The cost of construction of such houses is approximately 1,300-1,800 dollars per sq.m., excluding interior finishing and engineering systems. Photo 6 (by Portner Architects).
7. Country style represents a variety of houses that were traditionally built in different countries of the world, mainly in villages and provincial suburbs. The following style trends fall into this category:
Log houses in all its varieties. Prefabricated, but with certain restrictions in finishing. The cost of construction of such houses is approximately 600-1,500 dollars per sq.m., excluding interior finishing and engineering systems. Photo 7.1.
Chalet (Alpine style) With gable roofs And second attic floor. Finishing of the facades of the first floor is made of stone, the second one is made of wood or plaster with wooden half-timbering. Roofing made of slate, shingles or natural tiles. The cost of construction of such houses is approximately 1,000-1,500 dollars per sq.m., excluding interior finishing and engineering systems. Photo 7.2.
Italian (Mediterranean) classics characterized by brick or plastered facades, with simple stone decor in the form of cornices, window frames and corner reinforcements. Large terraces with awnings, pergolas, window shutters and other elements have the primary function of protecting from the sun, but are an integral part of this style. Photo 7.3.
- English (Tudor) style recognizable by its brick or half-timbered facades with windows small sizes, thatched or slate roofs and tall chimneys with decorative elements. Photo 7.4.
Belgian style characterized by the use of hand-molded bricks of different colors to decorate the facades, gable roofs at a large slope angle and decorative gable cornices. Photo 7.5.
American-Canadian houses came from the suburbs North America, but taking into account the Russian mentality, localized taking into account changes construction technology from wood-frame to stone (brick, foam block). Houses of this style mainly have a built-in or attached garage for 2 cars. In the struggle for this category of buyers, developers allowed savings, sometimes even in terms of violations of foundation construction and waterproofing technologies. Cottage villages are being built up en masse with this commercial type of house, since their cost is quite low and Constructive decisions simple, but instead of the usual 600-700 dollars in the USA, in Russia the price of construction fluctuates around 1000 dollars per sq.m., excluding interior finishing and engineering systems. As a result of tuning this style, the Castle style appeared. Photo 7.6.
8. Modern style All architecture after the Art Deco era is called. Modern architecture implies complete absence style canons and experimentation in using the possibilities of new building materials. It also has several stages of development:
Functionalism characterized by the presence of large areas of glazing, clean geometric shapes (usually rectangular), the absence of excesses in the decoration of facades and the use of large undivided planes of the same material, a variety of roof shapes (often flat). The concise style philosophy is sincerity and pragmatism: “form is determined by function, and façade by form.” Photo 8.1 (by Portner Architects).
Minimalism strives for the triumph of good taste - for the greatest possible simplicity of execution, compliance with the basic rules of composition, use natural materials, maximum attention to detail, uniform color scheme, lighting design and the desire to achieve maximum functionality. Photo 8.2 (by Maxim Winkelaar and Bob Ronday).
Deconstructivism tried to free architecture from the hegemony of aesthetics, beauty, functionality and build a building, renouncing all generally accepted deep principles of creating architectural structures, including: tectonics, balance, verticals and horizontals - destroying the old principles and creating something of his own. Photo 8.3 (by McBride Charles Ryan).
High tech with its aesthetics of metal, machines and industrial architecture. Photo 8.4 (author AM Alexey Kozyr).
Eco-tek (Bio-tek), where the architectural expressiveness of building structures is achieved by borrowing natural forms and direct use of living nature forms in architecture, in the form of elements of the natural landscape and living plants. Photo 8.5 (by Guz Architects).
Vanguard– bright and custom style, unexpected and provocative color solutions, contrasts and shapes, using textures and materials that are incompatible at first glance, with extraordinary solutions when combining volumes and planes, creating asymmetrical designs, bizarre shapes and bends. Photo 8.5 (author AM Atrium).
The cost of building houses with modern architectural style is approximately 1,000-1,500 dollars per sq.m., excluding interior finishing and engineering systems.
It must be emphasized that almost each of the above architectural styles There is also a pseudo-style, where for various reasons it deviates from standard canons, the proportions and composition of facades are lost and inexpensive imitations of natural finishing materials are used.
