Zemlyanka (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

, Belarusian, uk, землянка. cz, zemljanka, pl, ziemianka, sk, zemľanka) is a North Slavic name for a dugout or ''earth-house'' which was used to provide shelter for humans or domestic animals as well as for food storage. Based on a hole or depression dug into the ground, these structures are one of the most ancient types of housing known. Zemlyankas can be partially or fully recessed into the earth, with a flat roof covered with branches or sod, or dug into a hillside. The use of natural earth for insulation and protection for

underground living Underground living refers to living below the ground's surface, whether in natural or manmade caves or structures. Underground dwellings are an alternative to above-ground dwellings for some home seekers, including those who are looking to mini ...

has evolved into the " earth shelter" technology used today in

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

World War II

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, partisans, or armed resistance fighters in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

sometimes lived in zemlyankas which were used as underground bunkers to provide shelter and a hiding place from enemies. Notably they were used by members of the famous " Bielski partisans" in modern-day Belarus, then

German-occupied Poland German-occupied Poland during World War II consisted of two major parts with different types of administration. The Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany following the invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II—nearly a quarter of the ...

, where they were called ''ziemianki'' in plural form.

In popular culture

''Zemlyanka'' was the name of an Eastern Front (World War II)

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

written by A. Surkov (lyrics) and K. Listov (music) in 1941 during the Battle of Moscow.Zemlyanka.mp3
mdash; by Community Music Project; from the album ''Dreams of Flying''; vocal & guitar: Jamuna; guitar & bass: Paul The use of zemlyankas by soldiers is mentioned in the song. However, due to its pessimism, the song was considered to be unpatriotic by the Soviet government at the time.

References

Belarus in World War II Subterranea (geography) House types Semi-subterranean structures {{russia-stub

World War II

In popular culture

See also

References