The Allure and Horror of Stalinist Housing: A Closer Look
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- Опубліковано 28 лип 2024
- You LOVE Soviet architecture but you don't really want to spend your life living in some gray box? You always wanted to have a statue of lion right beside your window? Then you came to the right place - today we will discuss Stalinkas! The very best Soviet apartment buildings constructed under mighty Joseph Stalin. Today I will show you the world of luxurious monumental buildings that were the dream of every Soviet citizen...but we will also see the dark side of them.
00:00 - What is a "Stalinka"?
02:59 - Living conditions of people in USSR before WW2
06:48 - Different types of Stalinkas
09:39 - "Pseudostalinkas"
12:56 - Why Stalinkas are amazing
Stalin's houses or "Stalinkas" got their name in honor of Joseph Stalin, it was during his reign that this type of building flourished. The main period of "Stalinkas" building was from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s. Although different types of houses were designed at the time, the most famous buildings were in the style of the "Stalinist Empire", with its monumental, pompous and even somewhat theatrical decorations. It was in this style that the central streets and avenues of major cities were built. Conventionally, the era of the "Stalinkas" can be divided into two periods: pre-war and post-war. There is a pretty easy way to distinguish them The first were with wooden interfloor ceilings, the postwar ones with reinforced concrete ceilings. In addition, the latter were more ambitious in architectural planning, which required prevailing ideology - the triumph of victory, a demonstration of the greatness and power of the Soviet country. Despite the considerable age of these houses and the difficulty of repairing them, Stalinist houses are still elite types of housing. This is due to the monumentality of the buildings and the Soviet quality. They have an interesting infrastructure and architectural design and nowadays they are one of the most sought-after apartment buildings in the real estate market of Russia. But Stalinkas are not only good for their spacious apartments and interesting layout - the buildings itself can be considered architectural monuments, symbols of grand era of the great empire of the middle of the last century.
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Hey there. Somehow you found my video and decided to watch it. So let me introduce myself. I'm Sergei and I'm from Russia. My channel is about my native country. I want to tell English-speaking viewers about the real Russia, about its past and present. Unfortunately, you can find a lot of propaganda about Russia on the Internet, both from the Russian media and from the Western ones. I want to tell you about Russia, as it really is, the country in which I was born, grew up, and lived all my life.
Some additional links and sources:
www.hisour.com/stalinka-in-ar...
J. Scot. Behind the Urals. An American Vorker in Russia's City of Steel. - Indiana University Press. 1989.]
digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/vi...
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...
www.theguardian.com/cities/20...
www.rbth.com/arts/2013/12/03/...
strelkamag.com/en/article/pro...
www.hrono.ru/dokum/193_dok/193...
arzamas.academy/materials/595
prometej.info/zhilishnoe-stro...
www.habrealty.ru/planirovka/p...
Free Stock Footage provided by Videvo.net and Videezy.com. - Розваги
May I suggest Soviet engineering as a topic for a future video? The USSR has a reputation for building stuff that ranged from "cheap and shitty, strange design quirks, half the time it doesn't work at all" to "simple but very effective, cheap to manufacture, extremely reliable, easy to repair". Many of its inventions like the Soyuz rockets or the AK-47 have outlived it and are still being used to this day. It'd be super interesting hearing how engineers in the USSR were educated and your take on the topic in general!
Optics and computers would be interesting too, and a good case for your suggestion
What inventions are you talking about? Everything was stolen from the west. Lada was copied from Fiat. Nuclear weapons design has been stolen. Even their covid vacine “sputnik” has been stolen from astra zeneca
Yes there is this stereotype (is it a stereotype?) that russian goods are always low-quality. Would be interesting to know why!
@@jurgisgl most of their tank technology, rockets and some optical designs are original to them
@@jurgisgl Lada was licensed build Fiat, Setarko alrady have video about them. Sputnik and Astrazenica are two totally different vaccine.
OMG I remember seeing the 2 story wooden buildings in my home town, but they are all gone now, thankfully! Still, cannot imagine people living in those in the dead of Russian winter...
they are actually warmer and easier to heat than the stone ones 😉. It's not a coincidence, that a typical Russian (but also Baltic, Finnish & Scandinavian) dwelling is an izba - a wooden log house. The use of concrete is warranted by mass construction, lower maintenance and fire safety.
Wooden houses are still considered far healthier to live in.
@@SovietMoviesExplained Yah they didn't seem like Izba tho, not made of logs, but weird wooden panelling (tho I'm not sure what's inside the walls). You're quite right though, if done right, they can also be pretty cozy! (For instance, I miss the russian banya!)
I filmed some of those in my latest video. You are right, they must be awful in winter. It would be great to know your opinion. I'm also a significant fan of this channel and I also make vlogs with regards to life in Russia. However the youtube algorithm has actually not been as kind to me yet. Practically all those who watches my vlogs says that it is very good, however not many are able to see it. Can you be extremely sincere and inform me just how I can improve the content? I value your honest opinion.
@@SovietMoviesExplainedMy grandmother use to tell tales how that was there first living arrangement after arriving in Siberia from Estonia. They were sad stories but you could see that she was proud to make it through that.
@@MrKuti89, Wow, what a story! Which town was that, I wonder?
Honestly, those low rise stalinkas are almost identical in construction to most cheaper housing build in western europe from about 1900 to the 1940's. The wooden floors, lath and plaster interior walls. It's really just typical pre war construction methods. My house in belgium was originally made in the 1790's, but with a major rebuild in the 1920's, and the construction is very comparable.
To me it seems like the only reason some of them look bad is because a lack of renovation bringing them up to date, and a lack of maintenance.
I live in stalinka in a medium-sized city in Russia. It is a four-story building located near the center of the city. The flat has 2 bedrooms and a really long hallway. The building technology is quite peculiar: the building has sturdy and thick brick walls, the walls inside of the flat are plastered using clay laid upon wooden lath ( btw the construction was done right after the end of the Second World War).
In soviet times it was a communal flat, so 2 families occupied a room each and had to share the bathroom and kitchen. We were fortunate enough to buy both rooms in the 90-s and thus integrated the flat into one. Although the house is quite old it is very comfortable and cozy. My favorite feature of the flat is the high ceilings which create a feeling of spaciousness. You would rarely find any newly built flat with high sellings as it is now considered a luxury.
Awesome info! As an American with limited accurate knowledge of Russia, hearing things first hand is great! I’ll always be fascinated by your country
No living room?
@@HeathenDance there is, I believe in US terms I would call it 1-bedroom apartment
@@reddoren Ah, I understand. Thank you.
Nice 😎 does it still have the old Soviet communal heating ?
Beautiful, this is how I like to avoid studying for my Networking exam… 😎
Love these videos!
Would be good if the exam was on the subject of Stalinka's. I'd be fascinated to know your opinion. I'm additionally a significant fan of this channel and I also make videos about life in Russia. unluckily the youtube algorithm has not been as courteous to me yet. Almost all people who views my channel says that it is very good, yet not many get to see it. Can you be completely honest and say exactly how I can improve my content? I value your sincere point of view.
Old Soviet housing is fascinating 😎I am from Belfast Northern Ireland and live on 1st floor (Soviet 2nd) of a 14 floor tower block built in 1966 ! 13 years ago government spent £5m bringing them up to modern standards . Now my home of 30 years is due for demolition in 2024 😭😭
Wait, your 1st floor is different from Soviet first floor? TIL.
@@Setarko There are 2 systems of floor numbering. One starts from 1th floor but other one from 0 (ground floor). So 2nd floor in Russia is called as 1st floor in Czech republic or Germany. I dont know how it is in Ireland.
Yeah in central Europe we mostly call the floor on ground level parterre (or something related to that french word depending on language) and start counting the floors on top of it.
In Germany its also "Erdgeschoss" so elevators have buttons like K (cellar), E,1,2,3
@@Setarko Yeah. In Britain we call the 1st floor the 'ground floor'. Our 1st floors are actually one story up
@@xsc1000 In Russia, too, low ground floors are called ground floor. But the high first floors are called the first floors
Stalinkas are quite popular in Poland too. To be frank, they are the best buildings of the communist era. My grandmother used to live in one built in the early 50's and it was way better than later 70's prefab block of flats where I used to live with my parents. First of all I like the idea of socialisation places for tenants in the green areas around the stalinkas. The second thing was the great idea of easy communication system between other stalinkas, provided by big gates/arches (like in 2:39) and many pathwalks. Thirdly, stalinkas were made of bricks, not a concrete, what made you feel more comfortable to live there because of lower air dryness etc. Of course, the proportion between space of the flat and the space of a corridor was ridiculously stupid (flats smaller than corridors), but I believe it was a sign of the socialist mindset.
Those are just pew fab buildings, not Stalinkas
I have noticed ventilation is a problem in almost every low-rise stalinka. I once found chicken bones and vodka bottles behind one of the walls.
Good job! 👍
Soviet engineers figured out that they can build cheaper houses and not worry about ventilation, as long as the windows are poorly fitted and leaky.
But the people living in these houses did not like cold rooms and drafty windows, so they replaced most of them with new airtight plastic windows as soon as those became available (after the end of USSR).
I lived my early childhood in Stalinka "opchichitie". Our apartment had one room and the whole dorms had common WC and even one kitchen.
There are many such buildings still in use. It would be great to know your opinion. I'm additionally a substantial fan of this channel and I additionally make videos concerning life in Russia. for some reason the youtube algorithm has actually not been as great to me yet. Almost all people that sees my content states that it is incredible, yet very few get to view it. Can you be brutally honest and say exactly how I can improve my content? I value your honest viewpoint.
You never fail to impress me with quality content. I do remember those tiny elevators in baku, they called them "lift" . They were fast as F and most of the time without any light!!! Brings back childhood memories
Were they in Stalinka's? It would be amazing to know your opinion. I'm also a big fan of this channel and I too create videos concerning life in Russia. However the youtube algorithm has actually not been as wonderful to me yet. Practically all those who find my vlogs claims that it is top notch, unfortunately few get to enjoy it. Can you be brutally straight up and tell me exactly how I can improve the content? I value your straightforward viewpoint.
"Lift" is what most of the world calls vertical-moving building transport. So, that isn't unusual.
Elevator is an American word derived from a brand of lift. It's like how brits call vacuums "hoovers".
I also used to live in 4 floor worker-class stalinka. In my case it was also communal apartment, but we were lucky as our neighbor (old gramma) went to a different city to live with her relatives. This building curiously lacked bathroom. There were separate room with a sink but it was way small to install a bath. Right now it would be pretty easy to install shower box but in soviet times there were no prebuilt shower boxes, and also this wooden floor situation - no one was sure if it was even possible to achieve water insulation there. So yeah, we had to use public baths.
I've spent the whole morning watching your videos! A witty young man speaking perfect English with a very, very heavy Russian accent... I'm in love.
I wouldn't call Setarko's accent "heavy" or "Russian" 🤔. He has a slight one, but it's not the stereotypical "Russkij" unless he deliberately makes it so.
@@SovietMoviesExplained It is 'hay-vy'. It is 'Rush-shan'. It is 'day-lee-shus'. Ay kud leessen to eet for ow-ars. But sank you for deeforent point of view!
@@cerberus6654, noice imitation there 🤣🤣🤣 For a moment I thought that you started writing in Dutch 😅
@@SovietMoviesExplained For English speakers to try a Dutch accent first we must contract bronchitis, then sever the muscles under the tongue and lastly, gargle with three egg yolks, To write in Dutch, well, that has been forbidden sincev1643.
I assume he thickens it up for his videos.
A critical point of architectural history is that for every building which is made to be beautiful and monumental, there are many buildings which are thrown up as cheaply as possible with the intent that they live out their lifespan and be demolished without comment. Not every Roman lived in a classical villa with marble columns and porticos.
Having Stalin in charge would not change this fact.
True, divided from elegant villas, Roman population lived in insulae, concrete tenements.
Great job as always my man!
So much information in one video. I'd be fascinated to know your opinion. I'm likewise a substantial follower of this channel and I also make vlogs with regards to life in Russia. Unfortunately the youtube algorithm has not been as helpful to me yet. Virtually everybody who find my videos says that it is great, however not many get to see it. Can you be completely honest and inform me exactly how I can improve my content? I value your truthful viewpoint.
I've stayed in a rental Stalinka in Minsk. To be fair, it was divided in two appartments. I love Soviet architecture, from the Stalinka's over the brutalist buildings to Yugoslavian Spomeniks.
Wonderful things !
Very well made, very informative. Thank you!
Amazingly resilient people to live and share space in the worker's houses.
Yes! It would be so difficult and many of these houses still exist. It would be great to know your opinion. I'm additionally a significant follower of this channel and I too make content regarding life in Russia. unluckily the youtube algorithm has not been as favourable to me yet. Almost everyone who watches my channel writes that it is brilliant, unfortunately not many get to enjoy it. Can you be brutally straight up and say just how I can improve the content? I value your sincere viewpoint.
I really appreciate your videos. Thank you so much for explaining all these things. It's very enlightening.
It's very interesting to learn that they are all Stalinka's because in Russia only the true Stalinka is known as a Stalinka. It would be amazing to know your opinion. I'm also a significant fan of this channel and I too create videos regarding life in Russia. I don't know why but the youtube algorithm has not been as courteous to me yet. Virtually everyone that watch my content states that it is excellent, unfortunately very few get to view it. Can you be brutally straightforward and say just how I can improve? I value your truthful opinion.
Excellent video my dude!
I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS TODAY,
watched your vids on the others and wanted more on stalinkas, thanks bro!
Fun fact about the palace of culture in Warsaw: The Soviet authorities decided that 6 streets (that were still standing, and completely functional!) had to be demolished in order to build the Palace. Those 6 streets had 80 functional apartment buildings and 3500 habitable rooms!
They could provide comfortable housing until all the ceilings caved in. Ha! Great work as always!!!! Spacibo!
Oh no! That must have been horrible! Di the floor above collapse on you?
Great video! Can you maybe get some information on Tsar time buildings? (1800s) High ceilings, wooden main joists, vaulted basements etc.
The most people lived on the country side and in extreme poverty. There was a reason for the revolution. 75 % of the citizens where illiterates.
Loving this channel more every time I watch a video even though I spent my conscription fighting Soviets but it's good to see how you lived and what you built
There are many beautiful Stalinki buildings in Minsk's center, Belarus. If you want to stay in a Stalinka hotel, stay in Hotel Minsk, or try to rent an apartment in city center.
I have no idea why your video ended up in my feed, but I'm very happy that it did.
I guess once in a while UA-cam get's it right.
Great video! Keep up the great work!
Have you been interested in Russian for a long time? It would be amazing to know your opinion. I'm additionally a huge fan of this channel and I also make videos to do with life in Russia. unluckily the youtube algorithm has not been as great to me yet. Almost anyone that watch my channel writes that it is brilliant, however very few get to view it. Can you be completely sincere and say how I can improve my vlogs? I value your straightforward viewpoint.
man I love your videos so much please don’t stop creating content
Very nicely-researched and thorough video 👏👏👏 Architect approves 🏅😅
I would only add that the cheaper and few-storeyed houses were called "German" also because they were copies of the German projects for inexpensive houses for workers.
There are still many of them preserved and lived-in in Germany, wooden beams, floors, roofs and walls of stuccoed-over reeds included 👌
You seem to know lots about this subject. It would be great to know your opinion. I'm additionally a significant follower of this channel and I also make content regarding life in Russia. I don't know why but the youtube algorithm has actually not been as courteous to me yet. Nearly all those that watch my videos writes that it is top notch, but few are able to see it. Can you be brutally truthful and inform me exactly how I can improve the content? I value your sincere point of view.
@@SamsRussianAdventures, thanks for your trust, but I'm really in no position to give out advice - my following is even smaller than yours 🤣 and I suffer from the same aliment.
My personal strategy is perseverance: if the content is consistently good, then it would break through sooner or later 🙏
@@SovietMoviesExplained I also do this outreach. It’s brings me a few new subscribers each day.
Good video, though there are several myths and misconceptions in research. The difference between "elite" and "ordinary Stalinkas" is mainly in the external decoration. People were settled in communal apartments in both types. The size of apartments, as a rule, in ordinary stalinkas is the same.For example, in the tower on the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment in the central core, all apartments are 2-rooms of pretty mediocre size. That is, there was no such division even close to Orwell's "all animals are equal, but some are more equal" - because he actually described his own society and not the soviet's. And the apartments on the floor are 2-piece or three-piece apartment, even on the above plans in the video you can see it. This is because it was built with a reserve "for the future", when the communal apartments will be resettled. However, not a word about that in the video. Finally, a myth about german prisoners - hardly more than 1% of these low-rises of 50s were built by german and other prisoners - though author says that not all "german houses" were built by germans.
Неплохо, но некоторые мифы снова тиражируются автором. Разница между "элитными" и "обычными сталинками" лишь во внешнем убранстве. В коммуналки селили и там, и там. Площади квартир как правило не больше, чем в обычных сталинках. В той же башне на котельнической набережной в центральном ядре все квартиры - двушки, с не особо-то большой площадью. То есть не было и близко такого разделения "все животные равны, но некоторые равнее" - да,учёные и интелликенция, а также генералы получали квартиры побольше, но и ответственность у нихбыла повыше (в случае чего именно их расстреляют ;). И квартиры на этаже двушки-трёшки, даже на приводимых планах это видно. А всё потому, что строили с заделом "на будущее", когда коммуналки расселят. А про это - ни слова. Ну и миф про пленных немцев во всей красе.
@@1815dmitriy No, Orwell was indeed describing Stalin's system. Britain at that time did not even pretend to be equal at all. Very much a class riven society, as it still was when we left Britain in the 1960s.
Been waiting!!!!
Great video my g thanks for this series
I'm so glad I found this channel! I learned that I most likely live in a хрущёвка, though it was built later, it's only 4 stories high, and was made of concrete pieces like that. But idk if I can call it a хрущёвка if I'm not from the old USSR 😅 but the design definitely reached us here in Romania
Setarko, as always the amount of details and infos is outstanding. I simply love your videos, thank you for the effort you are putting in your videos, your works always have my attention.
Greetings to beautiful Russia! 🐻
It's great to learn so much from each video. It would be amazing to know your opinion. I'm additionally a huge follower of this channel and I also create content concerning life in Russia. Sadly the youtube algorithm has actually not been as kind to me yet. Practically everybody that enjoys my channel states that it is top notch, but not many get to enjoy it. Can you be completely honest and say exactly how I can improve my content? I value your sincere viewpoint.
I don't know why your channel have not blown up yet. Keep your good work going though, comrade Setarko.
These housing videos are definitely the way forward
As always awesome video.
I have visited many Stalinist appartments and all of them impressed me, especially how high the ceiling normally is.
great article. I had the pleasure of getting into house on embankment in Moscow. It has a museum and a time capsule stolovaya. There's a famous novel set there. Also, Stalin had moving walls, secret passages, etc. to carry off purge vitims in the night.
keep the content up this is so interesting
Yes, please
Agree!!
I love your channel. May I compliment your effort, and the fact that you have Serbian translation on your videos, which helps my mom tu understand and learn more about Russian lifestyle, because she loves it. :) Keep up the good work!
You are amazing extremely interesting and original content, keep it up. Hope you ll be more active 🙏🤟
Have you been interested in Russian content for long? I'd love to know your opinion. I'm likewise a huge follower of this channel and I additionally make vlogs regarding life in Russia. However the youtube algorithm has actually not been as kind to me yet. Virtually anyone who enjoys my vlogs writes that it is great, however not many are able to enjoy it. Can you be completely straightforward and inform me exactly how I can improve my vlogs? I value your sincere viewpoint.
Sometimes, they look so similar to prerevolutionary houses that you can't tell them apart. There's plenty of them in central Smolensk and Tver. They were quite destroyed during WW2 but probably because of their historical significance, they were rebuilt in Classicist/Stalinist style (at least in the central part).
It was so interesting to learn about the different types of Stalinka's. I'd love to know your opinion. I'm also a huge follower of this channel and I too create content regarding life in Russia. for some reason the youtube algorithm has not been as favourable to me yet. Virtually everyone who watches my material claims that it is incredible, yet few are able to see it. Can you be completely sincere and tell me just how I can improve my vlogs? I value your sincere opinion.
I can agree, but if you look at the details you can see the difference. In my city, on pre-revolutionary houses you can often see the date of construction (by which you can understand that it was built before Stalin), as well as many images of animals and people as decorations. On Stalinkas I also saw the date of construction, but less often, and they depict vegetables with hammers and sickles
Yay, more infrastructure videos! Constructivism next!
Then Futurism!!!! I'd love to know your opinion. I'm also a significant follower of this channel and I additionally make videos to do with life in Russia. for some reason the youtube algorithm has not been as favourable to me yet. Virtually everybody who enjoys my videos says that it is very good, unfortunately very few get to watch it. Can you be brutally honest and say just how I can improve the content? I value your straightforward point of view.
Great video as always. We have some stalinkas here in Estonia, too. The few which have been renovated look nice especially with the high ceilings. I have looked into renting one of these, but the con that keeps me from doing that is the heating prices. Because of the high ceilings, it takes a lot more to keep the apartment warm during the winter. Was that also a problem when these houses were first built or was that just the normality, that apartments were cold during heavy winters?
Hmmm, I've spent some time in Stalinkas and never really noticed that they were particularly cold in winter. It is true they are more difficult to heat, but they have very good insulation most of the times. Besides, in the Soviet Union heating was very cheap, unlike in modern Russia and Estonia. So I do not think that in the USSR it was a big problem in Stalinikas, but maybe it depends on the particular building
@@Setarko Okay yea, that makes sense. Thanks!
That may have been a reasonable argument as to why after the 50s the ceiling heights were significantly lowered.
From construction stand point most of the disadvantages are fixable. The low quality interior doors are easily fixable.
you on the algorithm bro, nice vid
Yes! It's great!!!! I'd be fascinated to know your opinion. I'm likewise a huge fan of this channel and I likewise create content concerning life in Russia. Unfortunately the youtube algorithm has actually not been as great to me yet. Practically all those who watches my material writes that it is incredible, unfortunately very few are able to see it. Can you be completely truthful and say how I can make it better? I value your straightforward opinion.
Thanks for taking the effort to make this series of videos. Now I know what it is like to live in this type of construction. I'm glad I didn't have to live in one.
Awesome Stalinkas !
Probably the best feeling about living in Stalinka is that you know in case of Nuclear War you will most definitely have some secret unground bunker or access to Moscow subway
When I moved to Russia 2 years ago, I specifically looked for a flat in a late Stalinka; they have concrete flooring and the walls themselves are brick, while the flats are larger, the ceilings taller, and the architecture is a lot more appealing. The house I ended up living in was built for MSU staff in 1954, and even had an underground parking lot, except some local businessmen bought it in the 1990s and turned it into a warehouse, so it's off the table now, unfortunately.
But I do get where you're coming from; my mother's hometown is crammed with the barrack-type Stalinkas that lack a proper sewage system and are in various states of decay, despite having decent facades.
Interior walls, in the kind of housing I grew up in, were also constructed with a kinds of material. Only that I come from Germany, but post-war buildings seem to have that in common.
In the mid-20s Stalin had had no influence on architectural designs yet. Hell of a way to begin the video, with such wrong information.
Until the mid-30s architecture in the USSR was avant-gardist and constructivist, Stalin's preferences only started materializing from the late 30s and on, and only really got streamlined in the late 40s because of the War.
I live in a stalinka converted to a large family house, it is great
Wow! It must be huge!!!
Informative video! Also, I found the fake ventilation system and the window between the kitchen and bathroom to be interesting details!
actually that bathroom window thing is not as silly as it sounds. they were placed uptop so one can not see anything apart from bathroom ceiling through it while at the same time it let enough light in to save on power. with current day eco trend i m surprized this concept is not yet brought back to life
Even those elite Stalinka skyscrapers has an awful sound isolation issue. There's documentary in Russian telling about modern times like in 2010s moscovites living in those and complaining that they can hear how the neighbor above going to the toilet at like 3 am.
you´re confusing a Stalinka with a panel Khrushchevka
@@dodgro8342 I was literally telling what people said from the first hand living in stalinka skyscrapers in Moscow
@@quite1enough there are plenty of people on the Internet who say the exact opposite . - that stalinkas are quiet, especially compared to panel Khrushchevkas. if You speak Russian, google it
You videos are really good 👍
А вот как раз ДО Сталина в архитектуре было самое-самое интересное, о чём действительно стоит рассказать
I've a relative in St.Petersburg who lives in one of those houses that are classified as a "Nemetsky" or "German"
Usually they are considered to be good.
Great, I am half depreessed now .... 😳
I really like you videos but if I imagine myself living in most of those houses, I really feel depressed
The architecture in Warsaw during this time are quite nice.
Really enjoy channel. Hope you are well.
Stalinkas - creme de la Kreml. :) Thank you for these films. It has been interesting.
creme the la Kreml pretty accurate 😢
I loved everything about this video 😂 👏
History , sense of humor , good footage … maladietz (sp?)
spaceeba 🤓
The wooden Stalinka are the hardest to find any info on. Depending on the region they could be very plain or quite ornate and pretty to look at. Seem to be the most hated though, as they're demolished or abandoned wholesale. For awhile it seems the Russian gov was specifically targeting them for demolition and replacement with new housing. Pity, as some would look great restored. A huge number of them were built from logs. Always had a love for Russian wooden architecture.
I grew up in Hyde Park in Cincinnati Ohio. Our dining room ceiling collapsed one morning. Stalin had nothing to do with it.
The great charm of Stalin Classicism
I'm a huge fan of constructivist building (1920s-early 30s). That was true and organical architecture, before stalin's ideology affected it. I wish more of them were built and at least those that survived were taken care of. There are a bunch of them in Minsk, my favourite is "factory-kitchen" just behind the Red Church
There were some interesting buildings of course, but they were just experimental. When it comes to mass construction of such conceptual buildings they became really UGLY and never age beautifully. Classical style buildings are much more pleasant for the human eye and much better fit for the human brain. Over-simplistic or brutalist post modernist architecture is making people schizophrenic. Look at the High rise apartment blocks around the cities. When the high rise appears in the historical areas of the town it destroys the ambiance and life necessities of the locals. It looks as if today's architects really want to go wild in "creative" ambitions, but regretfully, their buildings look aggressive and out of the place.
Nice
The photo on the right in 6:06 is not in the Soviet Union. It was in fact taken in the province of Drenthe in the Netherlands in the 1930s. Fun detail: if you look closely, you can see the tyre of a bike on the roof.
Wow good catch
Это такое интересное видео, большое спасибо.
I looooveeee soviet architecture so I really really enjoy your videos so much!! The whole time watching, it reminded me of the Karl-Marx-Allee (fka Stalin-Allee) in former East-Berlin. The buildings on this avenue where inspired by Stalinkas (they're called worker-palaces here :D) and I just enjoy taking a walk there to look at their facades! My mum who was born in the Soviet Union once told me that she was kinda confused at how much it felt like her home town haha
I think they stoped useing clasical archetecture because it was to expencive and it took to long to construct but I find these flats esteticly the best
The most common "housing" in the Stalin era was of course the prison barrack in the Gulag.
America has about the same amount of prisoners held annually as the gulag.
I'm watching your videos because I'm training for OMON thanks Alot
Oh wow, the dugouts sound interesting! Are there any books on their construction?
Enlist in Russian army, there would be a good chance that they will teach you constructing one in practice.
Interesting to see this from a perspective from the US, where I come from housing is a big issue in part because there just aren't any houses in general. Instead people had to rely on a government subsidized housing or HUD as its referred. But there are very few of those units and many end up being dilapidated and abandoned because they budget has been slowly siphoned over the decades. For the state to actually go build and allocate homes by need would be pretty amazing and also impossible with our current political climate.
I wonder why there are no investors willing to build apartments to meet the demand in such a developed country? They would have many happy customers. In Europe we are building apartments and single family housing all the time + fix and renovate older structures that fell into disrepair.
@@CB-py1xh I'm pretty cynical I'll admit, but I think a big part is because nothing in the US is done unless it benefits some third party. You kind of see it in everything. Instead of just giving people money or buying them a house the government insists on loans instead. Huge developments in the US are often just property schemes or ways to hide money. Like with the recent apartment collapse in Florida, that thing was built cheap off junk bonds and cocaine money back in the 1980s. Even the big one that Democrats love to brag about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), all it did was make a online market for private health insurance. It did lower rates briefly but now they're actually even more expensive, so in the end the insurance companies benefitted more than regular people.
@@CB-py1xh Because generations were raised on a belief of housing as an investment and thus partook in repeated massive speculator bubbles funded by shit loans and remortgages, see any govt subsidized housing as a sin not just due to memories of the projects, but also because they don't want their tax dollars going to 'junkies' and gays. So land prices in the inner cities are sky high meaning any investor who can get the financing to build is going to be building yuppieblocks for IT professionals, nobody in the countryside wants the stupid poors, and they get shuffled from inner city to inner city across the country while the more radical morons in the country start calling for literal concentration camps to stuff them.
Libertarianism for me but not for thee has always been the defining ethos of this country.
@@CB-py1xh it is because they have stupid laws against building appartments everywhere in the country to favor single family housing, and they are very attached to those laws to keep housing prices high (which make sense because if you have huge mortgage to pay for 30years you don't want to see the price of your house falling).
There are more empty houses than homeless, but the liberal elites will not tell you why.
I live in a high stalinka in Warsaw
Is it good?
I gotta say I love even just listening to your videos. My grandfather was from the Ukraine and you sound a lot like how he talked. I've never been to Russia but I was in Ukraine about 15 years ago and was fascinated by the old Russian apartments. You may think of them as ugly but I think they have an industrial look which is really quite in style now in other parts of the world. I appreciate your videos and keep them coming! I've learned a lot about Russia from your videos!
Russian housing is much better than Western. Russian houses have central heating and hot water supply. The houses are built of brick and reinforced concrete and have thick walls. Compare this with American houses built of boards and cardboard...
@@user-si2dr1pn3p Those american houses you talk about are individual houses in city sattelite area in warmer climate. But ofc there are standard city buildings from brick or concrete. Even the central heating was first used there, not in USSR :-) And ofc you "forgot" to compare with european houses, where even the individual houses in villages are built of bricks more than last 100 years.
@@xsc1000 Yes, I also forgot to mention the millions of American homeless and European apartments with an area of 8 square meters))))
And I've seen a lot of American houses. All of them are built of planks. In Russia, such "houses" are called chicken coops)))
@@user-si2dr1pn3p I know those propaganda from old soviet times, so dont try to fool me.
@@xsc1000 You and the other commentator are right about the houses. But a bunch of homeless people in the United States and problems with housing, for example, in Berlin (where they recently voted to nationalize apartments from large housing concerns) are really true. How often they say ironically: "Everything that Soviet propaganda lied to us about turned out to be true."
If only people took care of things and actually worked to preserve everything from back in the day...
Хорошее видео, как обычно.
YESSSSS I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE
These buildings should be preserved and updated. Their a wonderful part of history. And deserved to be shown and lived in by all.
Yeah....as a punishment.
Don’t you understand? We should all live equally in squalor. Well except for our elite rulers they deserve to live in nice house
@@curtissnow9546 YES! You know what you're talking about!
I mean, my wife's apartment (which was built in the 20s) was in similar condition here in the states.
Could be slumlords, who may or may not want a cheap sell to investors?
Subscribed again but are away often closer to a volcano
or an opposite direction on a fast 2008 Suzuki DR650SE.
My personal interests attend North America Speleology.
Hello, I wanted only to say you do a grat job. Do you have a plan of making a video about being a driver in USSR?
The day i became grateful i live in Khrushchovka
the idea of Stalinka was created by Stalin himself. most districts across the Warsaw pact that were built and funded by the USSR during that time were grand Roman inspired luxus structures. while the countries themselves were forced to build the crappy buildings. Soviet built buildings were probably the best built outside of the USSR.
Dougouts are actually pretty cool. Literally.
It feels like if most russian buildings were actually well-planned and made with effort and materials other than shit and spit, theyd look good and be pretty pleasant living spaces (by well planned i mean if they had the modern ammenities of the times, or in this case, if someone was to "remake them", included modern "utilities" like electricity and heating on top of... yknow, running hot water and such)
Weren't those low-rise wooden barracks meant to be temporary? However people still live in them. I heard a saying in a Russian documentary. "Не существует ничего более постоянного чем временное." sorry if it's written or spelt incorrectly.
They were temporary, and now they're mostly gone.
Soviet housing isn't pretty, but at least there aren't as many unsheltered homeless people and housing is actually affordable. Not to mention, a Stalinka is a better investment opportunity than the modern "commodity housing" we have nowadays.
Много интересно видео. Благодаря ви! Живях почти 4 години в Москва на Калужкия площад, до паметника на Ленин, и съм запозната с отделните видове строителство на Съветския съюз. Възприемам ги като доста подтискащи. Затова предпочитах да обикалям малките улички в центъра, където в различна степен е съхранена архитектурата отпреди 1917 година. Но това е друга тема и се надявам да ни разкажете нещо. Сърдечно от България!
Thanks! I think I will be able to make a video about pre-revolutionary architecture, but unfortunately not many houses are still in decent condition and used as residences. Though, there are definitely some interesting ones.
@@Setarko Благодаря ви! Вече съм ваш абонат и с удоволствие ще следя бъдещите ви материали, а ще прочета и предишните. От град Пловдив
Greatly enjoyed that😊 especially with the authentic Rrrrrraaasssian accent😂❤
"Third positive thing is that every house had a basement and a bomb shelter in case of war. Just kidding, hardly a big advantage nowadays"
Well... Unfortunately its became a huge advantage
At such moments, I feel happy that I live in a brezhnevka with brick walls more than half a meter thick.
Reminds me of Napoleon’s Empire style in Paris and much of France
Even at the time the black and white pictures were taken you could already see the concrete staining. The soviets really nailed the depressing aspect of postmodernism when it came to city design. Form follows function and then the depressed population that cant revolt
Thanks for the perspective. Lots of things they dont comment in the West.
“Comrades , I need more money for my mansions. You must work harder for me! “ 🤡
So true bestie
I don't think it is fair to compare these stalinkas built in the 1930s-1950s with nowadays rental apartments. Of course they look ass today because they weren't renovated a long time. In my City Delitzsch in germany we also had a school from the 70's which is falling apart nowadays because the state doesn't think it is needed. We even had a politician tell us to come and look at it one day, but he decided a few days before coming that he was "to busy" and now there is still mold and broken Doors. But I know that the school was gorgous when used until the fall of the GDR we even had old CD`s with our teachers on it, you could even recognize some of the older teachers.
forgot: good video tho, very differenciated, without the common SOVIET UNION BAD we know from other people making videos about the soviet union, thx for that.
May i ask what songs are the ones at 14:30 and at 17:10? They sound very interesting.
Hey there! Unfortunately, I've lost some files from this project, so I have no idea what songs are playing in those particular snippets, but they were taken from this compilation
ua-cam.com/video/7qwKALpsK1Q/v-deo.html
@@Setarko WOW! THE MAN HIMSELF! Thank You Setarko! Anyway, the video was great! As an european that had never been able to visit Russia and old Soviet Union's Satellite states, i find these kind of videos very interesting and cool. Maybe after this damn war is over i can finally go visit Moscow and the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics. Also thank you for answering my comment directly. Not many creators are as kind as you to take time and answer some questions like mine.