The Traditional Wooden House in Bucovina, a Model for Durability

Abstract

The wooden house in Bucovina evolved over hundreds if not thousands of years of permutations and assimilations to reach, by the end of the XIXth century, a coherent and rich original style that was diffused throughout the region. With a name derived from the Slavic word buk that means beech, the region thus named land of beech trees has always been and continues to be a very rich source of wood. Unsurprisingly, this was the material of choice for the houses in the land. Constructed entirely in wood, including apparent beams to the interior and exterior and wood shingles for the roof, the traditional house in Bucovina elevated the craftsmanship of woodwork to the level of an art. This is obvious when analyzing the constructive details or the ornaments that adorn the windows or the columns of the porch. Similar to the houses of the Moldavian region, on which the style originates, the pattern for the house in Bucovina implies larger dimensions, due to the abundance of the material, larger windows, classical proportions and the use of specific decorative elements. The wooden houses evolved for thousands of years, so the people who built them got an empirical knowing of the material that helped them adopt in time the best measures to insure the durability of the constructions. This article analyses the style characteristics of the house in Bucovina and focuses on the means of constructions that ensured the durability of this dwellings. It is with the purpose of learning from a historical pattern that proved its durability in time and establishing the rules for constructing today with the same material and in the same climatic conditions, those of Bucovina.