House in Goritsy, northern Russia (3)
This house is kind of cute. I've seen several houses with these lacy window wood carvings throughout northern Russia. Apparently, the custom dates back to the 19th century – and probably earlier – when ornaments were added to window and door frames as a talisman to protect the house and the family from evil spirits. The motifs used range from geometric patterns to floral, animal and human figures. This house is quite rich in ornaments, one of the fanciest that we saw in Goritsy. The owner recognized the tourist potential of his house and hopes to earn a few rubles by having people visit the place (see the hand-painted panel on the right). In fact, this is all part of the cultural heritage of northern Russia and there seems to be some effort put into preserving it (see next).
House in Goritsy, northern Russia (3)
This house is kind of cute. I've seen several houses with these lacy window wood carvings throughout northern Russia. Apparently, the custom dates back to the 19th century – and probably earlier – when ornaments were added to window and door frames as a talisman to protect the house and the family from evil spirits. The motifs used range from geometric patterns to floral, animal and human figures. This house is quite rich in ornaments, one of the fanciest that we saw in Goritsy. The owner recognized the tourist potential of his house and hopes to earn a few rubles by having people visit the place (see the hand-painted panel on the right). In fact, this is all part of the cultural heritage of northern Russia and there seems to be some effort put into preserving it (see next).