Month: July 2013

Findings like this one always make me more than happy.

It was by pure chance that I had found this house in the very heart of Novosibirsk! If only all the 150-years old ones were cared with new fence, drains and new green roof. Great!

My today’s story is about a book outstanding for many reasons.
First, it was written by Ivan Zabelin, an archaeologist and historian, Corresponding Member of Russian Empire Academy of Sciences.
Second, it was written in 1900, in old style spelling and in rather different language peculiar to the period.
Third, it is one of the first books treating wood carving as originally Russian but not an alien phenomenon.
Continue reading “Book written by Ivan Zabelin: ”The Russian art. Distinctive character in Old-Russian construction””

While preparing my trip to Yaroslavl Oblast, I once again scanned the materials I had brought from there. So far, I have had pictures only from Myshkin, Borisoglebsk and Rostov, that is 9 more towns are waiting for me.

These two enigmatic window frames with pineapples send hello from the now distant year of 2007, exactly from Borisoglebsk!

In early May, in search of more window frames, I plan a long trip to Yaroslavl Oblast. This will be the very first trip arranged solely thanks to your donations! Here, I publish only my minimum plan, as it is always better to feel happy when you go above it, than vice versa:))

Minimum plan covers 1.234 km and 12 places, while maximum one embraces 1.536 km and 17 places. I mean, if I will have time to visit the town of Gryazovets, Vologda Oblast, Kashin, Pistsovo, Teikovo and YurevPolsky, Tver, Ivanovo and Vladimir Oblasts, respectively.

Many thanks to everyone who helped my trip come true!

 

Among Navashino window frames, I have found this very curious one, decorated with church domes. The motif could be common for, say, 19^th century, but this window frame was carved back in 1950-1960s. Horses, domes…For some reason, I suspect the Soviet Community hardly approved the carver. Moreover, the house was built of stone and did not need window frames. Yet, they had been carved, put and have remained… Surprising, indeed

 

In this Saturday morning, I wish in one day engineers will invent and introduce some method for wireless and postless transferring of electrical power. And then, this bright house from the town of Ryazsk, Ryazan Oblast, and thousands of its mates will thank those engineers as their (houses) window frames, porches etc. will be shown up! And I will have to find some other place for my copyright. But I’ll be happy with it :)

On the threshold of very long holidays, when everyone is trying to depart, I wish the ticket office, you get your tickets from, should look at least like this one! Have a nice holiday! And this pearl among wooden houses stands in Omsk

Kazan had had only a few surviving houses with window frames (as well as without ones), and most of them vanished in last couple of years, as the city was being made neat and tidy by Universiade 2013. Well, one cannot make an omelete without breaking eggs…

But back in 2009 I had luck to find some interesting wooden houses in the very center of the city!

This is one of them.

PS: The decoration is totally unusual for Kazan; most probably, it is the design of the house owner.

Words from Russian song “Gde tvoi krilia”. “Nautilus Pompilius” group.
“…мне хочется плакать от боли,
или забыться во сне.
Где твои крылья, которые
так нравились мне?!”

This is Chita city, Transbaikalia.

Vast majority of traditional houses are shaped as a rectangular or a cage. All wooden constructions are based on rectangles, hexagons and octagons. And any house diverting from the traditional shape causes a burning interest.

Just look at this one, with a cutaway corner, found in Irkutsk!

And what is more – it stands at the slope!