Many are sure that “Khrushchev” exists exclusively on the territory of the former USSR. However, it turns out that his name is also famous in Sweden, in honor of “Khrushchev buildings”. In Sweden, the first houses, outwardly very similar to our usual “Khrushchev”, began to appear in the 30s of the last century. And Swedish architects borrowed the ideas of German specialists such as Bruno Taut, Walter Gropius and Ernst May, who surpassed these two men. By the way, Khrushchev used the same principles. The Swedish prototypes of our “Khrushchevs” were popularly called “lamellhus”, which translates as “flat, narrow house”. And the buildings were really like that, because their thickness did not exceed 8-12 meters. It was so, because it was necessary to place entire residential complexes in small areas, sometimes with several dozen buildings. And since there had to be a distance of at least 21 meters 30 centimeters between the construction objects (so that the sun would completely illuminate all the walls, from the first floors to the last), the houses turned out to be flat. But they did not spoil the urban landscape and did not violate the harmony of the environment.
In the period from the 36th to the 46th year of the last century (that is, in one decade), about 25 thousand apartments were put into operation, which was approx. 85% of the total housing stock in Sweden. The original Swedish “Khrushchev” had some features. They were equipped with small French balconies, did not have attic spaces, but were equipped with capital basement levels, on which there were common living areas: pantries for storing various things, laundry room and places to dry clothes. Public garbage cans were provided, but there were no elevators. The number of floors was usually three to five. Inside the apartment, as in “Khrushchev”, there was a corridor, small rooms and a small kitchen.
The squares were not large. Adjacent areas were gentrified, taking into account the characteristics of the residents. Many “lamelhus” were built for not very wealthy families with children, so their surrounding areas were organized with children’s playgrounds, places for walking and outdoor activities, picnic areas and places for placing bikes and strollers. Lamelhus is maintained by the municipality and the housing authority, who regularly repair and replace outdated materials. The apartments were gradually expanded and furnished according to updated design and architectural trends. However, the basics remain the same. By the way, in their flat houses, Swedes are prohibited from glazing and messing up the apartments, changing the color of the facade, replacing important external elements. Such rules make it possible to preserve the original appearance of the buildings and not to violate the general style of the city.
