In the Soviet Union, the government tried to provide housing for all its citizens. Large-scale apartment building programs have been carried out over the years. Most of all, the citizens of the former USSR remembered, of course, the apartments "Khrushchev" and "Brezhnevka". They were the most widespread. Such housing and other "records" beat, for example, it was these apartments that distinguished themselves by the kitchens of the most modest area. Why is it so?
What "amazing" versions about the size of kitchens in Soviet houses you will not stumble upon while wandering around the Internet. The land of the Soviets was neither a paradise on earth, nor a utopia, but in modern "folklore" the image of a socialist state in some places takes fantastic outlines. While in the minds of some the USSR seems worse than Mordor from "The Lord of the Rings", in the minds of others it looks like an openly cheap popular land of the world and love. Hence all sorts of "wild" versions, including the size of the kitchens.
Most often, modern citizens write that small kitchens in apartments were made, they say, for ideological reasons. Under socialism, everyone must live modestly. Of course, real communists never welcome a life with excesses, but large kitchens do not contradict ideology in any way. Moreover, the "sunny tomorrow" in which the left sincerely believed, not only did not deny, but also promised large kitchens and even felt boots with rhinestones.
The only reason why such modest kitchen spaces in "Khrushchev" and "Brezhnevkas" is the question of expediency at the moment. The Khrushchev housing construction program developed in the post-war period. The country was actively recovering after the Second World War. Since 1944, collective farms have been restored in the liberated territories, agricultural land has been put in order, infrastructure has been repaired, and factories have been restored. In other words, food and production issues were primarily addressed. There was no time or resources left for the construction of housing.
When production was more or less restored, housing had to be built at the same accelerated pace. for people in cities who all this time were forced to huddle communal apartments and even wooden barracks. Accordingly, the architects designed the housing according to the “minimum program”. Even if today “Khrushchevka” may seem like some kind of horror to modern spoiled citizens, at that time, after the wooden barrack, “Khrushchev” was a real miracle. Moreover, it was planned that these buildings will stand for 20-30 years and then they will be changed to more modern, comfortable houses with spacious apartments.
READ ALSO:2 critical mistakes when decorating a corner kitchen, because of which your back then hurts
Another reason for the tiny size of the kitchen At that time, the idea of eating in public canteens appeared. It was assumed that the Soviet citizen would only have breakfast in his kitchen. Lunch takes place at his factory, and he will go to catering establishments for dinner. Moreover, at a certain period of time, huge canteens were really created, designed for a considerable influx of people, and ideologists actively promoted this idea to the masses.
>>>>Ideas for life | NOVATE.RU<<<
So, Soviet citizens would not be separated from the collective, and there would be no place for individuality. But, as time has shown, the idea of constant eating out of the house still collapsed.
"Sunny tomorrow" did not come, and the "Khrushchevs" still remained standing, right up to our days. Subsequent apartment projects, of course, were more spacious than those that were built under Nikita Sergeevich, however, they did not differ radically and fabulously. Although the area of the other rooms was growing, the kitchens were added in "squares" by no means much. And the reasons for this were exclusively economic. The USSR did not have the opportunity to "build palaces" for Soviet citizens.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read 6 tips on how to decorate a 4 sq. m. in Khrushchev.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/200220/53493/