Zavarchino
A village with a centuries-old history of Siberian wooden architecture: izbas on stilts, shingle walls, old carved window frames.
Zavarchino is a monument village in the Tyumen region, one of the few places where Siberian wooden architecture can be seen "in the open" rather than in a museum behind glass.
What it is
The village stands on a river bank, and nearly all the houses are log-built, with the characteristic features of northern Siberia:
- stilt posts — the walls stand on stone or wooden posts so the logs never touch the ground;
- shingle walls — the walls are clad in tesar (split logs), for warmth and moisture protection;
- carved window frames — every window and doorway is carved, each family with its own pattern;
- bathhouses and barns — the outbuildings are also log-built, and often survive better than the dwellings.
History
The village is among the oldest settlements of the district: the earliest references date to the late 17th century, when Siberian agriculture was moving along the banks of the Tavda and the Tura. The local izbas were built to the same canons as the town churches — Siberian carving made no distinction between "town and village": the same workshops, the same techniques.