Russia is depopulating. From Vladivostok to Kaliningrad you can find thousands of deserted villages. The village lifestyle is becoming a thing of the past.
This process – the exodus of people to cities – is global. In Russia, mass flight to the city was fueled by post-Soviet reforms, when city-forming industrial and agricultural enterprises were artificially destroyed on a colossal scale.
Technological progress, modern people’s desire for a more comfortable life, mobility and the numerous development opportunities that the city offers – it’s all there. But isn’t this widespread flight a destruction of the connection with one’s own history, with one’s own roots?
Those who managed to immerse themselves in the simple life of the village, coming as a child on vacation to their grandparents’ house, often associate their most intimate memories with the village.
Below are photographs of abandoned and ruined houses in one of the few surviving villages in northern Russia.
The village is located in the middle of an endless forest and the houses here are massive, made of large logs. Even when the roof collapses, the log frames remain standing for a long time, maintaining their geometry, until they are swallowed by vegetation.
It is impossible to imagine a house without decorating. Carved platforms, ornate pediments, intricate window frames on terraces and bright halls: a tradition developed over centuries that has recently been passed down from master to student.
Near each house there was always a bench where the whole family gathered on summer nights. From this bench you could see the street and the people passing by, with whom the neighbors of the house exchanged news. Here we discuss the past day and plans for the next.
Beekeeping items have been preserved in many houses. Once upon a time, Russia was the first in the world in honey production. Now this is China and Russia isn’t even in the top five.
Houses with boarded up windows occupy entire streets. Sometimes there are inhabited ones among them.
In the harsh northern climate, it was customary to place a barn at the back of a residential building. Livestock lived here, household goods and food were stored. The barn was connected to the entrance to the house through the so-called bridge.
The interior decoration of the cabins impresses with its warmth. Here every household object is decorated in some way: either with embroidery or paintings. It was as if the people who lived here sought to fill their world with light and beauty. This can be seen even through destruction and desolation.
In many houses, miraculously preserved curtains with the finest embroidery in the Richelieu technique hang from the windows. Today, this is an amazing handmade jewelry. And for the villagers this was a familiar decorative element.
A “red corner” is preserved in each cabin. This was the most revered place in the house. Here, on a special shelf, there were icons and a lamp. The corner was decorated with curtains with the most beautiful embroidery.
In one of the houses there were sketches of portraits made by a professional hand. In another there is an entire dark room with a collection of photographs and negatives. In many houses there are piles of books, record sets and maps on the walls. These traces of the past tell us that life here was in full swing, that it was full of meaning.
Old household objects, perhaps preserved from the last century, are kept in the attics.
And again there are beautiful examples of embroidery, which are used to decorate curtains, towels (towels) and borders (a decorated strip of fabric that covers the space between the bed and the floor).
In the past, the entire female part of the family spent long winter afternoons doing sewing. The owner of the house and her daughters showed their skills with elegant lace and complex embroidery.
This life that quietly disappears into oblivion is covered with oblivion. It is no longer clear how the new generation will be able to feel what is reflected in classical Russian literature, which describes the poetics of the people.
It’s impossible to understand what a Russian town is like by driving through the noisy tourist spots of the Golden Ring or visiting pretentious, novelty resorts like Plyos. It is still not very clear how this intangible fabric of popular culture should be preserved so that it becomes a source of strength and inspiration for future generations.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.