When did the first dachas appear, and what dacha bans existed in Soviet times

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Today it has become customary for Russians to live in the city, and spend weekends and vacations at a dacha not far from the city. This tradition goes back to the times of Peter the Great, when the tsar gave his entourage the land near St. Petersburg so that they would not disperse to their distant estates for the summer and would always be “at hand”. The history of summer cottages in this review.

Where did the word dacha come from, and what does Peter I have to do with it?

The first country houses intended for summer vacations appeared in Russia in the 18th century near St. Petersburg. This innovation belonged to Peter I. The sovereign granted land to his subjects in order to keep them close to the city in the summer and not allow them to disperse to distant estates and "abroad." The officials who received the tsar's gift were ordered not to delay and within several years to build houses on the received plots suitable for habitation, as well as to carry out the improvement of the adjacent territories.

The allotments donated by Peter I were called the word "dacha", which was widespread in those days, which meant a gift, a gift and was derived from the ancient verb "dati", which today is pronounced as giving. Hence the name of the dacha, familiar to our ears, appeared, which today is called a site outside the city.

Aristocrats built houses along the road to Peterhof, in the most beautiful places near the northern capital. Peter, who was on his way to his country palace, could inspect on the way or simply observe how his subjects spend their time at their dachas.

Summer cottages in Imperial Russia

At the beginning of the 19th century, summer cottages began to rapidly gain popularity. The first areas began to form around both capitals. Ostankino, Perovo, Kuntsevo, Sokolniki - near Moscow, Gatchina, Severskaya, Krasnoe Selo, Duderhof - near St. Petersburg.

Moscow suburbs “filled up” evenly, dachas appeared in all suburbs, but most of them appeared along railway lines.

Initially, dachas were built exclusively for the purpose of pleasant pastime, friendly meetings, performances and concerts. They began to be considered as a subsidiary farm much later. Many country estates became the most favorite places for walking, restaurants and shopping stalls appeared.

For example, in the first third of the 19th century it was very fashionable to relax in Ostankino, whose owner was then Count Sheremetyev. His courtyards, quickly realizing the benefits, proceeded to re-equip their houses and began to rent them out to the townspeople. Some were so successful in this business that they became very wealthy people. Many dacha buildings were so flimsy that when they moved in, an instruction was issued, which indicated that for the sake of safety, dancing in the house.

When the construction of railways became more active, dacha villages began to arise in a considerable distance from Moscow: Khimki, Khovrino, Tarasovka, Pushkino, Malakhovka, Tomilino.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the most fashionable places in the Moscow region were the villages of Klyazma, where there were almost 500 summer cottages, and Malakhovka, in which about 1000 country houses were built. The settlements already had a well-developed social infrastructure, even electricity was installed, and it was possible to ride through them on a horse-drawn carriage.

Near St. Petersburg, dachas were built in the palace suburbs, as well as in some villages. Construction began to gradually move to the Karelian Isthmus only at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1892, a guidebook "Where to go to the dacha?" Was even published, in which a special place was given to Gatchina.

The constant growth of rent at the beginning of the 20th century led to the fact that many townspeople could no longer live in the city center. Relocation to the suburbs began. At first, an increasing number of people remained to spend the winter in the country, which led to the transformation of summer cottages into settlements where people lived all year round. The townspeople who stayed at their dachas for the winter were called zimogors. To shelter such people, places such as Ligovo, Olgino, Novoselye, and others have appeared

Soviet dachas and their specificity

After the October Revolution, if we discard the former manor estates, most country houses looked like light buildings, erected without much effort. Many peasants rented them out, earning additional income.

Most often, dachas were built so that it was possible to go to the city by train at any time. There was no electricity or running water at most of the sites. By the 30s, dachas began to turn into a kind of agricultural land. People came there to look after the vegetable garden and orchard.

In Soviet times, the construction of country houses for employees of various organizations was actively underway, the only difference was that ordinary employees and workers received plots with one-story buildings for several families at once, and high-level officials built huge houses, and the state paid for this.

Under Khrushchev, the concept of collective gardening appeared. The size of a standard suburban area was 6 square meters - this is what the state rented out. The Soviet elite could afford everything - huge plots, high multi-storey buildings, living in gated communities. Ordinary residents worked peacefully in their gardens on 6 acres and lived in their one-story houses with verandas.

21st century: transformation of country houses into palaces

In the eighties of the XX century, restrictions on the number of storeys and sizes of country houses were lifted. Real palaces of white and red bricks began to appear, of various shapes and sizes - everything depended on the imagination and financial capabilities of the owner.

Today there are many villages where old dachas are located, donated by the state to the elite of society for some services to the fatherland. They are usually located near the city, in a good, convenient place, are distinguished by their quality and beautiful appearance. At the moment, such buildings belong to the category of elite real estate; only very wealthy people can purchase them. Many of them have nothing to do with the first owner of the house at all.

The tendency to use the dacha as a private farm is gradually dying out. More and more often outside the city people just have a rest, grill kebabs, go skiing, have fun in their free time.