The Russian Dacha: From Imperial Residence to Country Cottage
Since the 18th century, Russians have escaped to their dachas in the summer to plant gardens and to relax with family and friends
Екатерина Кулиничева
September 27, 2016
Dachas, or second homes, are an architectural and cultural phenomenon in Russia. They emerged in the 18th century and still enjoy major popularity today. Let’s look at how these Russian country houses have changed since the days of Peter the Great, and then we’ll tour four modern dachas.
The summer dacha of Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, in Peterhof near St. Petersburg, has porch columns that look like birch trunks. It dates to 1829.
A dacha isn’t a particular style of architecture but is more a way of living. The first dachas in Russia emerged during the reign of Czar Peter the Great (1672-1725). In the 18th century, “dacha” (from the Russian verb meaning “to give") was the name given to small — by the standards of the time — estates where one could take a break from courtly life and its strict protocols to enjoy simple pleasures like planting a garden or a vegetable patch. Thus, in the beginning, dachas were a retreat for those who already had a palace.
A dacha isn’t a particular style of architecture but is more a way of living. The first dachas in Russia emerged during the reign of Czar Peter the Great (1672-1725). In the 18th century, “dacha” (from the Russian verb meaning “to give") was the name given to small — by the standards of the time — estates where one could take a break from courtly life and its strict protocols to enjoy simple pleasures like planting a garden or a vegetable patch. Thus, in the beginning, dachas were a retreat for those who already had a palace.
The so-called Seaside Dacha in Peterhof, pictured, was built in 1727 and rebuilt in 1843. It belonged to Empress Elizaveta Petrovna and was a private place designed for solitude where no one could appear unannounced. It consisted of a two-story stone house, a wooden wing and a nearby farm.
By the mid-19th century, every Russian aristocrat wanted to have such a dacha. There weren’t enough houses and plots for everyone, and so a rental boom began. People would lease small buildings on their ancestral estates and parks.
These dachas could be rented empty or equipped with everything necessary for country life. In the former case, the family would move into the dacha with their own furniture, tableware and bed linen.
Moreover, people would lease not only individual houses on their estates, but also an unused wing of their big country palaces. In this case, the hosts continued to live in their houses and would show up to breakfast formally dressed in corseted gowns, sticking to protocol. But those who rented could afford more liberty regarding etiquette. To this day, the Russian dacha is not a type of structure but a way of country living.
By the mid-19th century, every Russian aristocrat wanted to have such a dacha. There weren’t enough houses and plots for everyone, and so a rental boom began. People would lease small buildings on their ancestral estates and parks.
These dachas could be rented empty or equipped with everything necessary for country life. In the former case, the family would move into the dacha with their own furniture, tableware and bed linen.
Moreover, people would lease not only individual houses on their estates, but also an unused wing of their big country palaces. In this case, the hosts continued to live in their houses and would show up to breakfast formally dressed in corseted gowns, sticking to protocol. But those who rented could afford more liberty regarding etiquette. To this day, the Russian dacha is not a type of structure but a way of country living.
Privacy and a casual lifestyle are characteristics of dacha life even today. Modern Russian citizens living in small apartments tend to have smaller dachas in the suburbs. Those who already own a country house build a second, more remote dacha, where they can do things they would never do in “in real life.” Only here can a miner plant cucumbers and a minister fight Colorado potato beetles side by side.
This wooden dacha in Komarovo, near St. Petersburg, was built in the Art Nouveau style in the early 20th century.
Artist Alexandre Benois’ family dacha dates to 1892.
There are two seasons in Russia: winter and dacha. From the beginning, people would typically go to their dachas in the spring and stay there until late autumn. Alexandre Benois (1870-1960), a famous Russian painter and art historian, recalled that his family preferred to “be cold and wet at the dacha, only to get out of St. Petersburg as quickly as possible.”
The aristocracy of that time enjoyed long walks in the park at their summer village, as well as picnics, boating, gymnastics and bike rides — all things they couldn’t do in the city in the 19th century. This reflects a European trend of that time: experiencing nature. For example, in France, the Impressionists went out into nature to paint, while in Britain, nature-inspired landscape gardens emerged and the picnic became popular with Queen Victoria.
There are two seasons in Russia: winter and dacha. From the beginning, people would typically go to their dachas in the spring and stay there until late autumn. Alexandre Benois (1870-1960), a famous Russian painter and art historian, recalled that his family preferred to “be cold and wet at the dacha, only to get out of St. Petersburg as quickly as possible.”
The aristocracy of that time enjoyed long walks in the park at their summer village, as well as picnics, boating, gymnastics and bike rides — all things they couldn’t do in the city in the 19th century. This reflects a European trend of that time: experiencing nature. For example, in France, the Impressionists went out into nature to paint, while in Britain, nature-inspired landscape gardens emerged and the picnic became popular with Queen Victoria.
A family enjoys Russian country life at the turn of the 20th century.
Here is how the famous Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) described life at the dacha in his 1898 story Novaya Dacha, a work known to every student in Russia: “Not to plough or to sow, but simply to live for pleasure, live only to breathe the fresh air.”
Here is how the famous Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) described life at the dacha in his 1898 story Novaya Dacha, a work known to every student in Russia: “Not to plough or to sow, but simply to live for pleasure, live only to breathe the fresh air.”
Nowadays, Russians spend the summer season, from May to October, at their dachas. Some follow the spirit of Benois and spend a solid half a year there, while others go there every Friday and come back on Monday, having barbecue parties and enjoying the simple life amid nature.
This dacha with a terrace is typical of those built in the 1930s through the 1950s.
The dacha is designed for sunny summer days. As historically people stayed at their dachas only in the warmer months, this was reflected in the architecture. Bright porches with stained glass windows or balconies with carved ornamentation were not very suitable for harsh winters but evoked a romantic mood and created a feeling of proximity to nature.
An enclosed front porch or a veranda was usually built on the south side of the house to give it time to warm up during the day. In the daily routine of the country life, it would serve as living room, dining room, study and sometimes even bedroom.
The dacha is designed for sunny summer days. As historically people stayed at their dachas only in the warmer months, this was reflected in the architecture. Bright porches with stained glass windows or balconies with carved ornamentation were not very suitable for harsh winters but evoked a romantic mood and created a feeling of proximity to nature.
An enclosed front porch or a veranda was usually built on the south side of the house to give it time to warm up during the day. In the daily routine of the country life, it would serve as living room, dining room, study and sometimes even bedroom.
A neo-Russian-style dacha, in the Novo-Peredelkino district near Moscow, was designed in the early 20th century by architect Fyodor Schechtel.
The Soviet-era dacha was for politicians and the privileged. After the revolution of 1917, almost all dachas became state property. But while in general the pre-revolutionary lifestyle was disavowed, the culture of dachas did not disappear. It changed significantly and became strictly regulated. For example, a resolution issued in 1938 limited the number of rooms (including kitchen and living room) to eight for state officials with families.
In the 1930 through the 1950s, the models of the genre (and the objects of desire) were dachas of state officials, writers, academics and other privileged categories of the population who were granted a dacha. They could be state- or privately owned.
In the 1930 through the 1950s, the models of the genre (and the objects of desire) were dachas of state officials, writers, academics and other privileged categories of the population who were granted a dacha. They could be state- or privately owned.
“Doctor Zhivago” author and poet Boris Pasternak’s 1930s-era dacha is in Peredelkino, near Moscow.
Writers’ unions and architects’ associations would build their own summer villages where all the neighbors had the same occupation. The same principle was used later when Soviet companies would give plots of land to their employees, and the workers from the same plant or factory would be neighbors.
One of the most famous summer villages near Moscow is called Peredelkino. Here, the dacha of Nobel laureate poet Boris Pasternak (1890-1960) has been preserved almost intact. The first dachas in this village were built using German designs and resemble European cottages.
Writers’ unions and architects’ associations would build their own summer villages where all the neighbors had the same occupation. The same principle was used later when Soviet companies would give plots of land to their employees, and the workers from the same plant or factory would be neighbors.
One of the most famous summer villages near Moscow is called Peredelkino. Here, the dacha of Nobel laureate poet Boris Pasternak (1890-1960) has been preserved almost intact. The first dachas in this village were built using German designs and resemble European cottages.
The dacha teaches self-discipline. The new dachas had nothing to do with the imperial villas of the past. Even a dacha of a major military officer was still a small house with no special facilities. The typical plot of land in the Soviet era was 6,458 square feet (600 square meters). This plot size, known as shest’ sotok in Russian, became a nickname for these Soviet dachas.
The charter of the suburban association not only regulated the number and location of trees on each plot, but also defined the permitted size of the house. For example, a family of three was supposed to stay in one bedroom and was not allowed to plant more than six apple trees.
The size rules changed often, but neither the plots of land nor the houses were ever big. For example, in the 1960s and 1970s, only houses up to 270 square feet were allowed to be built on the 6,458-square-foot plot. In the 1980s, the house could be no more than 540 square feet on 6,458 to 10,764 square feet of land.
Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya (1925-2015) remembered her family’s cooperative dacha in the village of Zagoryanka as a two-room clapboard house that the owners considered a “regal splendor.” In almost every house, the bathroom — a toilet and sink — would be located in a small clapboard outbuilding. However, dacha residents were not daunted by everyday discomfort.
The charter of the suburban association not only regulated the number and location of trees on each plot, but also defined the permitted size of the house. For example, a family of three was supposed to stay in one bedroom and was not allowed to plant more than six apple trees.
The size rules changed often, but neither the plots of land nor the houses were ever big. For example, in the 1960s and 1970s, only houses up to 270 square feet were allowed to be built on the 6,458-square-foot plot. In the 1980s, the house could be no more than 540 square feet on 6,458 to 10,764 square feet of land.
Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya (1925-2015) remembered her family’s cooperative dacha in the village of Zagoryanka as a two-room clapboard house that the owners considered a “regal splendor.” In almost every house, the bathroom — a toilet and sink — would be located in a small clapboard outbuilding. However, dacha residents were not daunted by everyday discomfort.
Since dachas were small, the kitchen was often in a separate building or outdoors. Today it has become almost a tradition to have an outdoor kitchen. This outdoor summer kitchen, completed in 2013, is by Buro Akimov & Toporov.
Dachas provided the space to grow food. Since the time of Nikita Khrushchev’s leadership of the Soviet Union (1955-64), when there were food shortages, the Russians have been using their dachas to grow their own harvests.
Together with addressing the food issue, the dacha became synonymous with riding in a goods-stuffed car on weekends, caring for your garden and spending evenings making harvested fruit into jam. Soviet people all became “weekend farmers.” Also, since agriculture couldn’t always wait until the weekend, people would go to their dachas after work on weekdays if the distance allowed.
Together with addressing the food issue, the dacha became synonymous with riding in a goods-stuffed car on weekends, caring for your garden and spending evenings making harvested fruit into jam. Soviet people all became “weekend farmers.” Also, since agriculture couldn’t always wait until the weekend, people would go to their dachas after work on weekdays if the distance allowed.
The dacha was a DIY project. The shortage of materials and money in the Soviet era encouraged people to be creative. Decorative elements, such as forged porch decorations and carved cornices, and frames with colored glass from pre-revolutionary buildings that were being demolished were often used for the construction of dachas. People would use almost anything they could find for their dachas, including old plastic bottles (to cover seedlings and even make greenhouses) and empty yogurt pots (to plant seedlings). They might make a garden shower from old bus doors.
While today DIY is more of a fun thing, back then it was simply a necessity.
While today DIY is more of a fun thing, back then it was simply a necessity.
The body of an old Zhiguli (Lada) car plays the role of garden gnome at this small dacha.
In winter, many dachas were used as temporary storage. People would store lace textiles, old Viennese chairs, decorated tea urns (samovars), chests of drawers and cabinets — the symbols of “Grandma’s style.” Today, people are thankful they didn’t throw everything away since they don’t have to shop at antiques stores for pieces with character.
In winter, many dachas were used as temporary storage. People would store lace textiles, old Viennese chairs, decorated tea urns (samovars), chests of drawers and cabinets — the symbols of “Grandma’s style.” Today, people are thankful they didn’t throw everything away since they don’t have to shop at antiques stores for pieces with character.
Tatiana Ivanova designed the interiors for this dacha with a large terrace, near Moscow.
A favorite dacha pastime is enjoying evening tea in the open air with family and friends.
A favorite dacha pastime is enjoying evening tea in the open air with family and friends.
The modern dacha is flexible and individual. Modern dacha owners are free to design and use their properties however they like. Some re-create Chekhov’s idyllic getaway, while others build a professorial dacha to write scientific papers, and many immerse themselves in farming. Nobody limits the size of the estate for modern Russians anymore. But there is an unspoken rule: The real dacha can’t be large and substantial, or it would be considered an improvisation of an enlarged urban apartment.
That’s why modern gardeners continue to love their small wooden houses and villages, remodel and renovate old dachas, and sometimes create their own variations of historical prototypes.
We can see this in the following four examples of modern dachas.
That’s why modern gardeners continue to love their small wooden houses and villages, remodel and renovate old dachas, and sometimes create their own variations of historical prototypes.
We can see this in the following four examples of modern dachas.
Four Modern Dachas
1. Caring for heritage
Owners: The Yakovenko family (since 1954)
Location: Komarovo, near St. Petersburg
Size: 1,736 square feet (161 square meters), including the veranda
That’s interesting: Aleksandr Volodin wrote his play Autumn Marathon (later made into a movie) here
Before 1913, Komarovo was called Kellomäki and was an area popular among the residents of St. Petersburg. In 1954, professor and military doctor Vladimir Yakovenko was allocated a dacha, pictured here in 1958.
“The dacha was built in the late 1950s,” says current owner Vladislav Yakovenko. “Over the past 15 years, all engineering systems have been completely replaced, but we haven’t reconstructed the house itself yet. Since the owner of the house was the chief doctor of the Russian navy, it had a warm bathroom,” Vladislav says.
1. Caring for heritage
Owners: The Yakovenko family (since 1954)
Location: Komarovo, near St. Petersburg
Size: 1,736 square feet (161 square meters), including the veranda
That’s interesting: Aleksandr Volodin wrote his play Autumn Marathon (later made into a movie) here
Before 1913, Komarovo was called Kellomäki and was an area popular among the residents of St. Petersburg. In 1954, professor and military doctor Vladimir Yakovenko was allocated a dacha, pictured here in 1958.
“The dacha was built in the late 1950s,” says current owner Vladislav Yakovenko. “Over the past 15 years, all engineering systems have been completely replaced, but we haven’t reconstructed the house itself yet. Since the owner of the house was the chief doctor of the Russian navy, it had a warm bathroom,” Vladislav says.
“The peculiarity of the dacha architecture stemmed from the fact that the architects were trying to create as much habitable space as possible while complying with the standard. The size of the residential area could not exceed 700 square feet. However, the house itself is more than twice the size. That’s why we have a house with a spacious, bright corridor leading from the center of the front porch to the hallway,” he says.
Indeed, the builders used a trick to get more space. As the official state rules about sizes and rooms sometimes didn’t take areas such as corridors or entrance halls into account, some dared to splurge there.
Indeed, the builders used a trick to get more space. As the official state rules about sizes and rooms sometimes didn’t take areas such as corridors or entrance halls into account, some dared to splurge there.
2. New life for an old classic
Location: Moscow region
Size: 1,937 square feet (180 square meters)
Designer: Yulia Nesterova
Before the revolution, this wooden house near Moscow, where many intellectuals gathered in the spring, belonged to the family of an imperial photographer. The current owner had long dreamed of an old dacha dating back to “Chekhov’s time” where one could drink tea on the front porch for hours and stroll through the gardens.
Immediately upon seeing this house with its mezzanine, porches and decorative trim, the owner fell in love. During the renovation, she asked architect Yulia Nesterova to keep the nostalgic atmosphere and appearance of the house, and update the interior. The team restored the facades, retaining the old windows on the porches and balconies. Nesterova decided to remove the previous internal partitions, increasing the size of the rooms.
Location: Moscow region
Size: 1,937 square feet (180 square meters)
Designer: Yulia Nesterova
Before the revolution, this wooden house near Moscow, where many intellectuals gathered in the spring, belonged to the family of an imperial photographer. The current owner had long dreamed of an old dacha dating back to “Chekhov’s time” where one could drink tea on the front porch for hours and stroll through the gardens.
Immediately upon seeing this house with its mezzanine, porches and decorative trim, the owner fell in love. During the renovation, she asked architect Yulia Nesterova to keep the nostalgic atmosphere and appearance of the house, and update the interior. The team restored the facades, retaining the old windows on the porches and balconies. Nesterova decided to remove the previous internal partitions, increasing the size of the rooms.
Although most of the decor is modern, it was carefully selected with the history of old dachas in mind. Muted paint colors, antique furniture, embroidered curtains and delicate tablecloths help create an atmosphere reminiscent of the early 20th century.
3. A modern DIY dacha
Owner: Designer Vitaly Zhuykov
Location: Izhevsk region
Size: 388 square feet (36 square meters), not including the terrace
Vitaly Zhuykov’s home studio is located not far from the city of Izhevsk, on the banks of the Kama River. He comes here from Moscow for the summer and travels through empty local villages — abandoned due to migration to the cities — searching for old boards, furniture, doors and frames, from which he creates items for his furniture business, Made in August.
Owner: Designer Vitaly Zhuykov
Location: Izhevsk region
Size: 388 square feet (36 square meters), not including the terrace
Vitaly Zhuykov’s home studio is located not far from the city of Izhevsk, on the banks of the Kama River. He comes here from Moscow for the summer and travels through empty local villages — abandoned due to migration to the cities — searching for old boards, furniture, doors and frames, from which he creates items for his furniture business, Made in August.
“Everything in my dacha is made from simple, honest materials, even if they look somewhat rough. It’s the roughness of the textures and the irregularities and imperfections that create the mood,” Zhuykov says.
His dacha changes every season, he says. “I come here and invent something and remodel all the time. I find old boards or a frame, and the house gets a new detail. The wood rack in this photo, for example, is made from a carved frame found in one of the abandoned houses. There are a lot of empty villages around here, and a lot of homes are going to be demolished. Sometimes you barely have time to get interesting things out from under the tractor,” he says.
His dacha changes every season, he says. “I come here and invent something and remodel all the time. I find old boards or a frame, and the house gets a new detail. The wood rack in this photo, for example, is made from a carved frame found in one of the abandoned houses. There are a lot of empty villages around here, and a lot of homes are going to be demolished. Sometimes you barely have time to get interesting things out from under the tractor,” he says.
4. Going back to its roots
Location: Kratovo, Moscow region
Size: 1,948 square feet (181 square meters), not including the terraces
Designers: Evgeny Asse, Grigor Aykazyan, Anastasia Koneva of Asse Architects
This house is located in the old summer village of Kratovo, near Moscow, in a beautiful pine tree forest. The two-story dacha with an attic was built using glued wooden beams. The project includes outdoor terraces on two floors reminiscent of the old Moscow and St. Petersburg dachas and their white openwork terraces.
Location: Kratovo, Moscow region
Size: 1,948 square feet (181 square meters), not including the terraces
Designers: Evgeny Asse, Grigor Aykazyan, Anastasia Koneva of Asse Architects
This house is located in the old summer village of Kratovo, near Moscow, in a beautiful pine tree forest. The two-story dacha with an attic was built using glued wooden beams. The project includes outdoor terraces on two floors reminiscent of the old Moscow and St. Petersburg dachas and their white openwork terraces.
Even modern dachas have their roots in old traditions. But in the end, the most important feature of Russian dachas of any era is the social life happening there. Dacha life plays a big role in the childhood memories of most Russians. From growing tomatoes or peonies to afternoon teas on terraces, from taking a Russian banya (bath) to filling buckets with apples in August, dachas are all about domestic happiness, sweet childhood memories and the happy return to nature.
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