Fortochka

A fortochka (Russian: фо́рточка, IPA: [ˈfortətɕkə] ⓘ) is a small ventilation <a href="/facts/Window/d89WmHTN">window</a> generally not greater than 35x45 cm. It usually spans the frame of one <a href="/facts/Paned_window_(architecture)/dbYEXnbB">window pane</a> and opens on <a href="/facts/Hinge/rjgLmMKr">hinges</a> independently of the whole window. Fortochkas are in common use in <a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russia</a>, other <a href="/facts/Post-Soviet_states/usrFwWTU">post-Soviet states</a> (<a href="/facts/Ukrainian_language/2zDw7rpD">Ukrainian</a>: кватирка, kvatyrka), and <a href="/facts/Finland/G5Ak6T91">Finland</a> (<a href="/facts/Finnish_language/lBuEIgs0">Finnish</a>: tuuletusikkuna).
A fortochka can be used for ventilation during cold winters, when opening a whole window would be impractical for heat conservation purposes.
The window was designed by Italian architect <a href="/facts/Francesco_Bartolomeo_Rastrelli/v39zXrLP">Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli</a> for the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1754.

Fortochka open-in-new

Fortochka