"Ears" at the windowsills. What are they needed for?

Have you ever wondered why there are ledges on the sides on any windowsill? At first glance, absolutely useless gizmos, because you can't put something on them, since there is very little space. Some kind of ill-conceived and irrational design, you might think, but these ears still have a function! Moreover, everyone knew about her before, but today they simply forgot. I will try to remind you and tell you in detail about everything.

Before 1955, home windows were much more complex than they are today. At that time, inside the window there was always a lining, which was decorated with decorative elements made of stucco, wood and other materials. At the same time, the window sill protruded slightly and expanded towards the window opening.

And the ears were made so that the window trim had some kind of support. In those days, the ears were an indispensable element of any window, since the window sill could be decorated with wooden carvings. or other decor that weigh quite a lot, and without such ears, they simply would not hold on to the vertical surface. In those days, such decor was very fashionable, and was found in almost every home.

But when Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin died, the government decided to move to practicality, and not decorate the windows. The authorities estimated the time it takes to install wood or stucco moldings, and decided not to decorate windows in houses, as well as the pace construction is significantly reduced, and the cost of one square meter of housing due to such decor is significantly increases.

As a result, the beauty of architecture, excesses and decor remained in the distant past, and this was even enshrined at the legislative level. Officially, in 1955, a law was passed, according to which all developers had to simplify the decoration of houses - to do everything the same way and without unnecessary elements. The changes also affected the window sills - they stopped making the covers, but the ears on the windowsills remained. Probably the builders thought that in the cramped Khrushchev buildings, this ledge could become an additional shelf, which is very useful.

And today, such protrusions on the windowsills do not even raise any questions for anyone, although they have no practical value, and are not useful - neither decorative nor technical. They do not even take the load on themselves. There is and there is, what's wrong with that!