Why in Europe used to sleep in closets (5 photos)

When we hear the idea of sleeping in a closet, we immediately imagine either a caricature-stereotypical story about a husband who returned early, or novels about Harry Potter, who lived in a closet.





Only now a dream in a closet is not part of a folk epic or Potterians. This is quite a common practice in Europe, which continued until the beginning of the 20th century.



Yes, if you suddenly find yourself in European museums, then almost you will surely see a strange piece of furniture there - a closet, inside which sleeping area is located. Only this closet is so small, which is not even entirely clear - how can an adult and healthy man? Still, some cabinets are only a meter long. twenty to thirty centimeters.

The answer is simple: people in those days slept half-sitting, leaning on back against a pile of pillows. Considering that people were lower back then, there was enough space to relax. The reasons for such a strange posture no one knows yet, but dozens of explanations can be found on the net: from the fact that people did not want to sleep lying down, so that the demons would not confuse them with dead, to the point that in this way medieval doctors fought with cerebral hemorrhages.





But all this does not answer the main question: why do people did you get into those cabinets at all? Why didn't they like ordinary beds? They take up less space and are easier to make. Replies immediately some.

Safety and comfort

Let's start with the fact that wardrobe-beds took care of health medieval inhabitants. Here you need to understand: familiar in the same Rus' or in There were no Asian ovens in Europe. Strong from late autumn to early spring wind and chilly weather added considerable discomfort to people in in the absence of any heating. Cabinets that close on doors, could protect well from the cold: due to a small space, the air with a person inside quickly warmed up, frost retreated.



True, due to the high humidity of the air and all the same closed The aroma of doors in these cabinets was simply monstrous. With hygiene and so on there were problems in the Middle Ages, and now imagine that all the dirt, all sweat and stench were locked in a cupboard. In general, people of that time could just sympathize. In addition, fleas and bedbugs often started in such wardrobes, so it was almost impossible to sleep comfortably there.

However, this is better than the rats and mice that could to run at night not only on the floors, but also on the beds of Europeans. Doors on closets kept rodents away, providing people with a more or less restful sleep.

Privacy

In addition, the closet doors provided some privacy. Previously, there were cases when the whole family lived in one room, and servants often huddled in a small room. To give people the opportunity to sleep well and keep, albeit small, but the feeling privacy, such cabinets were perfect.



To save space, bedroom closets often had two floors, which often used both to accommodate servants and to accommodate children. There were also double wardrobes - for couples.

In general, claustrophobic people in those days, apparently not suffered, but from the aggressive effects of climate and pests - constantly. And sleeping closets partially saved people, allowing them to sleep with minimal comfort.