Banya | The Bathers
Balbuki is the very ordinary village in Pskov region one of many small regions in west part of Russia.
The local farmers who have lived and worked on this land in previous times are being gradually replaced with summer residents from nearest towns.
It is a normal way that some new attributes which had never used in these places has come together with new owners. But, unfortunately, there is a back process when a lot of customary things are disappearing.
The old style, wooden beams made and black heated Russian steam bath called Banya is one of them and to use it for washing becomes more and more exotic.
Banya, usually, is a small separate structure placed inside a farm or on outskirts of village. It is often builds near lake or river.
These banyas has a stove and a bucket of water that is poured over the heated stones of the stove.
Smoke is led out not through the funnel but trough a hole in the ceiling. By this method the steam bath can be heated very quickly with small consumption of firewood. The smoke darkens the wooden beams banya made from (therefore “black”).
Pskov region, Russia, 2007
The local farmers who have lived and worked on this land in previous times are being gradually replaced with summer residents from nearest towns.
It is a normal way that some new attributes which had never used in these places has come together with new owners. But, unfortunately, there is a back process when a lot of customary things are disappearing.
The old style, wooden beams made and black heated Russian steam bath called Banya is one of them and to use it for washing becomes more and more exotic.
Banya, usually, is a small separate structure placed inside a farm or on outskirts of village. It is often builds near lake or river.
These banyas has a stove and a bucket of water that is poured over the heated stones of the stove.
Smoke is led out not through the funnel but trough a hole in the ceiling. By this method the steam bath can be heated very quickly with small consumption of firewood. The smoke darkens the wooden beams banya made from (therefore “black”).
Pskov region, Russia, 2007
