About Belarus

Articles dedicated to Belarus history, Belarus politics, Belarus economy, Belarus culture and other issues and Belarus tourist destinations.

Dacha in Belarus

History

The word dacha originates from the old Russian word to give, to gift and was used to describe a land lot given by the tsar. In the 18th century a countryside manor of the gentry built for stays during summer was called dacha. This word acquired its modern meaning only about one and a half century ago.

The design of an 18th century city changed rapidly – randomly scattered farmsteads with tiny log houses and orchards were replaced with profit houses with apartments rented to mid class population. These made the first dacha owners for two reasons. First, summer months were easier to live through staying in the countryside, second, countryside houses were cheaper to rent than city apartments.

The first dachas were built within a short horse ride from Moscow and were normally rented. With the construction of the first railroads in the 1870s dachas became more remote.

The first 18th century dacha buildings were simplest log huts without any conveniences hidden away behind a village house. But most of them were still rented from villagers often making a significant contribution to their budget. The rental fees drew attention of the local authorities and soon big cities became surrounded with dacha settlements that with time evolved from chaotic housing into square blocks of template dacha buildings. By the early 19 century well-off dacha owners had cottages designed for them. These were often built in stone or bricks and featured modern conveniences but still were outnumbered by budget constructions.

The tradition of growing vegetables on one’s countryside lot dates back to the Soviet times when standard lots distributed to people were 600 square meters large. However, in the 1960s it was prohibited to build two-floor dacha houses or houses with cellars.

Modern days

Today dacha buildings in Belarus range from a plywood box where gardening tools are stored to two or three storey mansions with all modern conveniences depending on one’s income. These buildings are located either in villages or in so-called dacha comradeships – member organizations of dacha owners aimed to resolve different issues.

In Belarus trips to dacha and gardening are regarded as a form of recreation and very often in spring and in autumn commuter trains are crammed with enthusiasts. The adults seek a countryside escape switching to different activities on weekends. Belarusian women tend to occupy themselves with gardening activities, while men normally stick to constructions activities or whiling the time away. The youths pursue their own goals going to dacha, normally unaccompanied by parents, but armed with shish kebab and hard beverages…

The main focus of dacha activists in Belarus apart from recreation outside the modern city is growing vegetables. A typical Belarusian dachnik (dacha owner) is nearly mad on the crops he or she is growing – carrot, potatoes, cabbages… And although trips to and from dacha make the agricultural output cost 3-5 times more than in the market this shortcoming is compensated by the high quality of a domestic product.

If your Belarus friends invite you to go to their dacha, look forward to a lot of food, fun and freedom!