3/27/13

Part 3 Uglich fashion and regular houses



There is the Museum of the town living in the center on Uspenskay (Assumption Day) Square. It's small but interesting and has some entertaining exhibits which show vividly how people used to live.
The Museum of Uglich's Kremlin also houses armory, clothes, shoes, cutlery that date back several ages.

Dushegreya (soul-warming clothes, sort of)) was worn since 17th century. I think it used to be a warm comfortable clothing article for a working woman. The climate in Russia is severe and women needed warm clothes, that would not tie them up or restrict movements. This kind of clothes seems to be the suitable one.








Some Russians still have samovars at dachas(country houses) The real one needs space since when you warm it up, you put pieces of coal or wood inside it and put them on fire. The upper cover (where the tea pot is) has a hole for a chimney.

I can give you my word: Russian tea ceremony may be less refined than the Japanese's one, nevertheless, not less vivid and impressive.


This! seems to be a smaller samovar, a more elegant alteration.


 The museum also houses some icons of 14th - 18th centuries.

To tell the truth, when you take a walk around Uglich, it seems nothing has been built in the town since the 19th century, when the Fire station, the red plastered building below, was built.

On one hand that tells a lot about the condition of Russian economy... although we're selling oil and gas all around the world, ordinary people still live in the 19th century. Most of the population - even in the 15th century without running water, central heating, or warm toilet.

On the other hand, if by chance you stay in such towns, you feel like you travel through time. ALMOST NOTHING reminds you of the progress that has been made. The atmosphere of the 18th-19th century and sometimes of 16th is almost tangible in such places.

That's the reason why I never go to Red Square: so sleek and oppressive with hoards of migrant workers waddling around,  it would sooner associate with  Putin, excessive luxury of unashamed Russian feudalists repulsively protruding on the general background of the overall poverty and shabbiness rather than with rich Russian history and culture.

 regular streets of Uglich


this beautiful house is being renovated

this house is abandoned


No comments:

Post a Comment