Time slowly destroys them and they lower their roofs and windows, like hands and heads, slowly opening their structure, as if showing the beauty of their soul ... Old - timers houses of Rokytne village, Ukraine.
They often live longer than their owners and stand under the sky, reminding us of how our ancestors lived ...
The village where my father was born is ancient. My father, who is 81 years old, says that it was during the Mongol attacks of the Tatars. It is stretched for 7 km.
Part of the village has an asphalt road, which was laid by a rich man who built a house here.
Twice a week we drive our with grandfather in a jeep to the end of the village to a spring with silver water.
And every time I admire from afar the picturesque landscapes and old half-ruined huts that can be seen among the green gardens.
One day my daughters and I decided to go for a walk on hero scooters to be able to take a close-up photo of these unique ancient architectural monuments, which show the life and way of life of the peasants several hundred years ago.
We go on the road, and on both sides there are various fences. Some of the wood has remained, as it was in ancient times. But more often fences are made of wooden boards, and the modern version - wire mesh, which is no longer interesting :)
We move along the fast-flowing river Mlynivka, which does not freeze even in winter, admiring the white meadow flowers on its banks. On the way there is a chapel, where we used to collect water. But now we like more silver water from a distant source.
Here is the first yard that caught my attention. There are two houses in a row. One of them, smeared with blue clay, was a dwelling. And the other wooden hut was probably a stable for cattle. Both houses are covered with slate. There is a wooden ladder near the hut, near a small window upstairs - there lived chickens, which go outside on this ladder in the morning. I saw this as a child in my grandmother.
If the old people had children who wanted to stay in the village, then next to the old wooden house built a brick, and the old to use as a barn for firewood, as here for example.
The main thing in the yard was a well. It was dug hard and deep, because the village is at a height and the water is far away. For example, our well has a depth of 25 meters. And 27 turns need to be done to get one bucket of water upstairs. Water is essential for life, so the peasants always save water and used it only for cooking, and used in rivers and ponds. It also happened that only rich people could afford to dig a well. And the neighbors went to them. Or carried water from a spring far away.
We move on and see a long house, which smoothly turns into a stable and barn. There is an interesting element of rural life, which is attached to the wall of this house - a long ladder. This is definitely needed on the farm. The gardens grew tall, especially cherries. And to gather berries, it was necessary to rest such a ladder on the branches. And then someone bravely climbed this ladder !
My dad used to climb cherries well, and fell several times. But his grandchildren are no longer so brave and the cherries on the upper branches remain for the birds 😀
Houses were built similar. Basically it was two rooms, in the middle of a small corridor and there could be a ladder to the attic. And in front of the house is a small veranda with windows that had many frames and small windows.
Near a peeling old house on a hill, I saw an old tree and a bench and wanted to sit down. Maybe this house was an old shop or inn. But I'm fantasizing))) In any case, the photos turned out unique: me and the old colorful house :)
I've always been fascinated by "old refrigerators", or as my grandmother used to say "cellar" - a basement made of earth was built near the house in the hill and a door was inserted into it, as you can see here!
There used to be few young people in the village of Rokytne who stayed here. Because the work of the peasants was cheap, and people went to the city and stayed there. Therefore, the village was deserted. But now the land is becoming valuable again. And here we see a rare house among the old ones - made of new round wood, which is immediately visible from afar.
Years will pass and there will be no these old houses. Only photos and memory will remain in the heart about this difficult life and life without the Internet. Apparently we found something. But maybe lost something ... For example, calmness, slowness and minimalism. This is what I want to keep...
Thank you for your visit 😊