Irkutsk Wooden Architecture
As one steps off the major squares and streets of historical part of Irkutsk and walks through narrow streets of old districts he can discover a lot of quaint wooden houses with fancy hand-carved wooden window frames. These old log houses have always been a major character trait of Irkutsk.
Sometimes you might happen to walk along the vestiges of wooden sidewalk in some lane. Turning around you will see a time blackened wall of a log house with small woodwork window trims. Time steps back allowing you a momentary visit into the past. In the earlier times Irkutsk citizens used to decorate facades of their houses with beautiful elaborately carved woodwork also known as the “wooden lace of Irkutsk”. Even now the remaining old wooden houses are fascinating.
Though, the city is located in Asia it is included in the list of European historical cities for its unique wooden architecture. The architecture is the main thing that local architects of dispute over. Some of them want to restore all wooden buildings as opposed to those who are for modern Irkutsk and insist that only unique houses should be restored and moved to the open-air museum of wooden architecture in Taltsy.
However, it is not an easy problem to solve as many people are still living in wooden houses built in the beginning of the last century which have stove heating and no running water. In the central part of the city there are many extremely decrepit wooden houses, and most of them are historical monuments which cannot really be restored.
Local authorities have designed the project for the complex reconstruction and restoration of one of the block in historical Irkutsk. All the wooden houses will be refurbished. They will accommodate businesses connected to the travel industry including tour agencies, traditional craft shops and souvenir kiosks. The newly restored block should be done by 350-year anniversary of Irkutsk which will be widely celebrated in 2011.
Sometimes you might happen to walk along the vestiges of wooden sidewalk in some lane. Turning around you will see a time blackened wall of a log house with small woodwork window trims. Time steps back allowing you a momentary visit into the past. In the earlier times Irkutsk citizens used to decorate facades of their houses with beautiful elaborately carved woodwork also known as the “wooden lace of Irkutsk”. Even now the remaining old wooden houses are fascinating.
Though, the city is located in Asia it is included in the list of European historical cities for its unique wooden architecture. The architecture is the main thing that local architects of dispute over. Some of them want to restore all wooden buildings as opposed to those who are for modern Irkutsk and insist that only unique houses should be restored and moved to the open-air museum of wooden architecture in Taltsy.
However, it is not an easy problem to solve as many people are still living in wooden houses built in the beginning of the last century which have stove heating and no running water. In the central part of the city there are many extremely decrepit wooden houses, and most of them are historical monuments which cannot really be restored.
Local authorities have designed the project for the complex reconstruction and restoration of one of the block in historical Irkutsk. All the wooden houses will be refurbished. They will accommodate businesses connected to the travel industry including tour agencies, traditional craft shops and souvenir kiosks. The newly restored block should be done by 350-year anniversary of Irkutsk which will be widely celebrated in 2011.
