Barrel house

These two houses connected by a common gate entrance constitute a single whole. Now they house a bar and a coffee-shop jointly called Starovilenskaya Korchma. Korchma is an old-fashioned word and can mean either an eating place that serves meals and drinks or an inn that offers lodging and meals to travelers.

In medieval times such eateries and inns were a compulsory attribute of old Belarusian settlements.

Korchmas were usually distinguished by lanterns above their entrances and massive doors with iron-wrought handles and latches, and big inviting signs. This modern-day korchma has all the attributes of its 19th-century counterparts – special door and window wooden decorations, a tiled roof, an outside stairway and stucco molding. Its interior is retro-styled in line with the 19th-century traditions.

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