Raek

(1) A type of entertainment at fairs prevalent mainly in Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries, similar to the peep-show. A box with two round openings fitted with magnifying glasses was set up; through these openings viewers looked at pictures that were attached to a wooden axle rotating inside the box. The showing of the pictures was accompanied by rhyming explanations delivered by the raeshnik.

(2) An obsolete term for the upper tier of a theater; the gallery.