Some Features of a Typical Country House in Russia

Cattle, sheep and fowl live under one roof with humans. There are different entrances and rooms for animals, people, and fowl of course. The main part of the house is the master (bed-) room and kitchen. These rooms are heated at cold times. Fowls find their hen-house beneath these heated rooms. A basement is next to it. There is an unheated verandah, a summer bedroom and the pantry near the master bed-room. The other part of the house contains the horned inhabitants. Their earthen floor is covered with straw, which is added or renewed when necessary. We can find a toilet with a hole in the floor right under the cows/sheep room. There is an attic along the entire roof. It is full of hay, the main food for cows and sheep in winter. The house is heated by Russian stove. Water is taken from a draw-well. There is electricity and TV set in most houses. At the end of the 20th century many houses were equipped with gas cooking stoves (fed from a gas container). Now such type of houses is becoming more and more historical. Sometimes nowadays people use the room of cows as a garage. New generation builds newer architectural constructions, full of comforts.

Alexandr G. Lukash

28th Jan 2003

Thanks to Anka, SAR, for the proof-reading