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« 2025. # 2 (182)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2024. № 2 (182), 333—359

UDK [39:728.012:747](=161.2:477.81/.82-2):303.446″1920/1930″

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

THE VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF WESTERN POLISSIA. BASED ON RESEARCH MATERIALS FROM THE 1920S—1930S

LONCHUK Serhii

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2489-3947
  • PhD student,
  • The Ethnology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
  • department of Historical Ethnology,
  • 15, Svobody Avenue, 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: serhiy.lonchuk@gmail.com 

Abstract. Introduction. General features, regional peculiarities and local specificities of dwellings constitute one of the main signs of traditional ethnic culture or a characteristic of the ethnic group in general.

Today, researchers have greater access to scientific sources, including foreign ones, some of which were previously inaccessible to Ukrainian scientists. This provides new opportunities for a renewed understanding and study of vernacular architecture in general, and the vernacular architecture of Western Polissia in particular. Full-fledged research in this area requires, among other things, extensive involvement of the works of Polish ethnologists and architects from the 1920s—1930s. A comprehensive analysis and introduction of these works into scientific circulation will allow for a more complete and objective exploration of the chosen topic, which underscores the relevance of this research.

The purpose of this article is to analyze and characterize the vernacular construction of dwelling and household buildings in Western Polissia based on materials from field research and inventories of vernacular architecture from the 1920s—1930s.

The object of the research is the vernacular architecture of Western Polissia, while the subject is the layout of settlements, estates, and yards; planning, constructional peculiarities, building materials and techniques, heating systems, and interiors of dwellings, as well as household buildings and small architectural forms.

The main methods used in the research are comparative, typological, and comprehensive analysis methods.

The territory of the research includes parts of Western Polissia, specifically certain villages in the Liuboml, Kovel, Kamin-Kashyrskyi, and Brest areas.

Conclusion. According to the analyzed materials, the studied villages mostly had a street layout. There were various variants of free-standing and connected yard layouts, as well as transitional types — combinations of a free-standing yard with a connected or enclosed yard. The most common were three-chamber dwellings (dwelling + passage + storeroom), though two-chamber dwellings (dwelling + passage) were also found. In several villages, there were different variants of dwellings with two rooms, but only in Verbka was the two-room, one-sided dwelling (dwelling + kitchen + passage + storeroom) the most common. The constructional peculiarities, building materials and techniques, heating system, and interior of the dwelling described generally reflect Western Polissia features.

Keywords: Polissia, vernacular architecture, yard, dwelling, layout, building materials, constructional peculiarities, heating system, interior, household buildings.

Received 4.03.2025

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