A Typical English House

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The Cossack kuren

The Cossack kuren is the name of the traditional house of the Cossack family. It is a two-storey, semi-stone structure, where the first floor is made of brick or stone, and the second is made of wood.

The high stone foundation, or the first floor (basement), was built of shell rock, sandstone or other stone. On the ground floor there were utility rooms like a workshop, kitchen, cellar or just a room for storing household tools. The second floor was wooden, and there were living rooms, the space of which was built in a circular circle. The important features of the kuren include the fact that it had two entrances – a working one on the first floor and a front one on the second.

Also, the house has always had a four-pitched roof, which was covered with reeds, chacan, and only in later periods was covered with iron or tiles.

Houses were painted in three main colors – ultramarine, it was extracted from blue, yellow was obtained from ochre, and clay gave a rich red. The whitewash was often used to paint the stone part. A special feature of the kurens was a large number of windows, which were necessarily shuttered. 

The stoves were made of adobe. They served for heating and cooking.

The main decoration is the icon in the red corner. A cupboard for ceremonial dishes must necessarily have glass doors so that the prosperity of the owners can be seen.

There were often weapons hanging in the kuren. In the event of an enemy attack, the kuren turned into a defensive structure. Everyone could shoot.

The outbuildings were located in the backyard. A stable, a shed for firewood and dung.