BrezhnevkaA brezhnevka (Russian: брежневка) is a type of concrete apartment building that was built in the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1980 under the leadership of Leonid Brezhnev, after whom the building type is named. The brezhnevka was preceded by the khrushchevka. HistoryThe brezhnevka originated from a desire for an update to the khrushchevka. As the needs of the population increased, so did the need to build higher-capacity housing.
Panel buildingA panel building is a structure assembled from factory-made concrete panels which are then transported to a site and connected together like a large-scale kit. Following massive destruction from World War II, Europe faced a massive housing shortage and governments needed to house millions of soldiers and relocated workers. Prefab houses were seen as the best fit because they can easily meet the demand are cheap and quick to build.
StalinkaStalinka, Stalinist apartment buildings or Stalin-era buildings, are a common colloquial term for apartment buildings constructed in the USSR from 1933 to 1961, primarily during the rule of Joseph Stalin. They were predominantly built in the neoclassical style (Stalinist Classical). Stalinkas are solidly constructed multi-apartment buildings with full utilities, featuring non-combustible materials and typically at least two stories high.
Functionalism (architecture)In architecture, functionalism is the principle that buildings should be designed based solely on their purpose and function. An international functionalist architecture movement emerged in the wake of World War I, as part of the wave of Modernism. Its ideas were largely inspired by a desire to build a new and better world for the people, as broadly and strongly expressed by the social and political movements of Europe after the extremely devastating world war.
MasonryMasonry is the craft of building a structure with stone, brick, concrete, or similar material, including mortar plastering, which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar. The term masonry can also refer to the building units (stones, bricks, concrete blocks, etc.) themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks and building stone; rocks such as granite, marble, and limestone; cast stone, concrete blocks, glass blocks, and adobe.
Ernst MayErnst Georg May (27 July 1886 – 11 September 1970) was a German architect and city planner. May successfully applied urban design techniques to the city of Frankfurt am Main during the Weimar Republic period, and in 1930 less successfully exported those ideas to Soviet Union cities, newly created under Stalinist rule. It is said May's "brigade" of German architects and planners established twenty cities in three years, including Magnitogorsk.
Nikita KhrushchevLeader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964First Secretary of the CPSU, 1953–1964Premier of the Soviet Union, 1958–1964Khrushchev Thaw20th Party CongressOn the Cult of Personality...22nd Party CongressDe-StalinizationRehabilitationSixtiersThe Thaw (novel)One Day in the Life of Ivan DenisovichDomestic policyTransfer of CrimeaSeven-year planCorn campaignVirgin Lands campaign (Tselinny Krai)Anti-Party GroupThird Program of the CPSUSovnarkhozyKhrushchevkiAnti-religious campaignMonetary reformDomestic unrest1956 Georgian demonstrations1958 Grozny riotsNovocherkassk massacreForeign policyPeaceful coexistenceHindi rusi bhai bhaiHungarian Revolution of 1956Kitchen Debate1959 visit to the USSpace Race1961 Berlin CrisisCuban Missile CrisisSino-Soviet splitCatchphrases and incidentsKuzma's motherWe will bury youShoe-banging incidentManege AffairCommunism in 20 yearsBibliographyBibliography of Stalinism and the Soviet UnionBibliography of the Post Stalinist Soviet UniontNikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (15 April [O.S. 3 April] 1894 – 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964.
Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from its formation in 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It was the world's third-most populous country, the largest by area, and bordered twelve other countries.
Khrushchev thawPeriod of Soviet history, 1950s-60s The Khrushchev thaw (Russian: хрущёвская о́ттепель, romanized: khrushchovskaya ottepel, IPA: [xrʊˈɕːɵfskəjə ˈotʲːɪpʲɪlʲ] or simply ottepel) is the period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s when repression and censorship in the Soviet Union were relaxed due to Nikita Khrushchev's policies of de-Stalinization and peaceful coexistence with other nations.
Public housingResidential properties owned by a government Public housing in Bishan, Singapore. Singapore's public residential developments range from studio units to executive condominiums, contributing to a 90% home-ownership rate, one of the highest in the world.Public-housing complex in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong. The Kin Ming Estate comprises ten housing blocks, providing housing for approximately 22,000 people.
Romanization of RussianThe romanization of the Russian language (the transliteration of Russian text from the Cyrillic script into the Latin script), aside from its primary use for including Russian names and words in text written in a Latin alphabet, is also essential for computer users to input Russian text who either do not have a keyboard or word processor set up for inputting Cyrillic, or else are not capable of typing rapidly using a native Russian keyboard layout (JCUKEN).
ApartmentAn apartment (North American English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English) or unit (Australian English), is a self-contained housing unit that occupies part of a building. The housing tenure of apartments also varies considerably, from large-scale public housing, to owner occupancy within what is legally a condominium (strata title or commonhold) or leasehold, to tenants renting from a private landlord.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.