Mansard hotel

The attic appeared with the light hand of the French architect Francois Mansart, who lived at the beginning of the 17th century. It is he who is considered the founder of the traditions of classicism. François Mansart was the first to decide to improve the premises under the roof of the castle of the royal suite in Blois, which was named in his honor "attic". The reconstruction of the castle was carried out by François in 1635. Mansart is also considered to be the author of the project for the construction of the Maison-Laffitte palace. This palace has survived to this day - it uses a sloping roof, which is considered the first mansard ceiling.

The dormer floor turned out to be a departure from the Gothic and flat roofs of the Italian type that were widespread at that time. The horizontal division of the roofs allowed a new look at the process of erection of buildings and their decoration. In 1664, King Louis XIV invited Mansart to design the east wing of the Louvre. However, Mansar's participation was limited only to the drafting of the building project. Jules Hardouin-Mansart, François Mansart's nephew, was chosen as the architect who erected the Louvre. It is Jules who is the author of Versailles and the square Place Vendome in Paris.

In addition to the attic, which is firmly entrenched in everyday life, Francois also came up with a new type of staircase, devoid of internal partitions. Such a staircase received maximum illumination from the windows of the building located on different floors.

The mansards, offering a wide panoramic view, attracted creators of all stripes: artists, poets, writers, musicians. A poor class lived in them, which simply could not afford a separate comfortable room. At the end of the Second World War, the construction of attics again intensified, as there was a shortage of housing. Today the attic has not lost its relevance at all. They are used both in economy class housing and in expensive cottages with several floors.

In Russia, attics began to appear only in the 18th century. It was at that time in St. Petersburg that they began to actively build houses with attics, which were complemented by dormer windows. In Moscow, attics were not very common. Would you like to live in a fashionable hotel in the attic in the center of Kazan?)