minsk
The worlds cleanest capital
Minsk, for some home city of a dictator, for others a soviet city and for even others just a borring place. This is what most people think of it. Minsk is clean and tidy. No unrest, no beggars and no drunk people at 5 am - not even dirt on the ground. Everything seems to go verry well, it has got a brand new old town, a great ballet and a lot of things to buy. Like the rest of the country, tourists come here rarely - so to find a post card you have to go to the post office (The staff of the souvenir shop will look strange at you if you ask after one). By the way credid card is king, so you can use it every where.
Belarusian State Academy of Music
The Belarusian State Academy of Music (Беларуская дзяржаўная акадэмія музыкі) is the primary music and higher teacher education institution and research center of musicology, folklore, aesthetics, music pedagogy in Belarus, based in Minsk.
Minsk had earlier had a conservatory, Minsk Conservatory. It was founded in 1932 and up to 1992 was known as the Belarusian State Conservatory. In 2000 the Belarusian Academy of Music was granted status as the leading institution of the national system of education in the field of musical art, alongside the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. The building is frome 1952 by Roman M. Gegart |
Belarusian state Circus
1884 the first circus was build at Liberty Square. In 1930 in the City Garden (today — Gorky Park) there was built a circus tent for 1200 sitting places. At the very beginning of the war on the 25th June 1941 during the bombing by fascist aircraft the circus was burnt down. Boris Efimovich Kabischer, director of the circus at that time, evacuated the artists and animals who managed to survive to Moscow, and then to Omsk, where already on the 7th November 1941 the Belarusian Circus gave its first performance to the military men, who were leaving for the front.
In 1952 a decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR about building permanent winter circuses in the country was issued. To pay a tribute to Belarusian people who contributed much to the victory and reconstruction of national economy it was decided to build the first of them in Minsk. The construction began on October 30, 1954. Exactly 4 years after on January 31, 1959 the first permanent winter circus with 1667 sitting places was opened. The square of its premises was — 7600 m2, the space — 5700 m3. The architect was Vladimir Zhukov It is the only circus in the world adapted for all circus genres performances, as well as for concerts, sporting events, and keeping all types of animals including sea animals. |
Belarusian State University
Belarusian State University (BSU) (Belarusian: Белару́скі дзяржа́ўны ўніверсітэ́т) was founded on October 30, 1921. The BSU is a higher education establishment in the Republic of Belarus. In the 1950s-80s several new buildings were build since most were destroied during World War 2. Today aprox 35000 students go here
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city gates
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Opposite to the modern building of the railway station, there are the symbolical "City's Gates" - two 11-storeyed towers erected on the corners of five-floor apartment houses. The Railroad square started to get its modern look in 1946-1952 when the reconstruction of all railroad area was begun under the project of Petersburg architect Boris Rubanenko. On one of the towers constructed in Stalin classicism style, there is the biggest clock in the republic - diameter of the clock-face is more than 3.5 m. This clock was made in Germany more than 100 years ago and was brought to Belarus as a military trophy after World War II. Recently eight sculptures symbolizing a worker, a collective farmer, an engineer and a soldier have been put back for 30-meter height - four sculptures per each tower. "City's Gates" are the coeval and the symbol of the post-war Minsk.
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Great Patriotic War Museum
Museum and ideological composition of the stele single functional and architectural ensemble. The building was built in 2010-2013 by architects B. Kramaranki, Nikitina, A. Grishaev. Opened July 2, 2014.
Compositionally, the building consists of four main blocks, which symbolize the four years of war, 4 fronts, liberated Belarus. Between the blocks there is a space with a glass roof. The main facade is made in the major forms of a victory salute. Stainless steel, which is laid on pylons, is based on the architect's idea that no other material should reflect the specifics of the war, and the glass of golden color - a golden Victory. The rear facade is made of more monumental forms, reflecting the power struggle and offensive movements. All the elements of its facade to the west, where the war came frome, and where to direct the victory. The eastern facade embodies the world. Its mirrored facade reflects the park, its nature, peaceful state, greens, trees, landscape . Inside the museum 10 rooms are arranged in chronological order showing military action. All the rooms share one large room called "The Way of War", which can be accessed sequentially in the first, second and third blocks, gradually rising in relief, as "The Road" follows the mark terrain park. "The Way of War" ends with a hall of Victory, which is located on the roof of the museum. The building is filled with a variety of technical means, as on a par with unique historical exhibits here are self-service terminals, screens, projectors, as well as system FogScreen - video projection on the wall of fog. The amount of space, their height is large enough, due to the fact that there are a variety of trophies on display until the aircraft to hover in the space of the hall. |
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Holy Spirit Cathedral
The Holy Spirit Cathedral (Belarusian: Кафедральны сабор Сашэсця Святога Духа) is dedicated to the Holy Spirit. It is the central cathedral of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.
The history of the Cathedral begins in the 1633-1642 years, when it was built Bernardine Church and Monastery. In 1741 the building was destroyed by fire, which led to the reconstruction of the monastery. In 1852 the monastery was abolished and transferred to Shults. Since 1860 the old church became the Orthodox church. The building was rebuilt several times. In 1869, at the request of the Archbishop of Minsk and Bobruisk Alexander (Dobrynin), from the treasury had allocated the necessary funds to bring the church and adjacent buildings in proper order, to open a male Orthodox monastery. It was allocated the sum of 13 thousand rubles, half of which was used in the repair of the church and to the device in it the new iconostasis. The opening of the monastery took place 1870. The monastery existed until 1922. The cathedral was closed in the early years of Soviet power. Believers were able to resume it in the service only in the conditions of the German occupation of Belarus. Almost immediately after the liberation of Minsk Soviet authorities closed the main Orthodox church in the city - Peter and Paul Cathedral, which also began to operate again in the years of occupation, and thus the Holy Spirit cathedral became the cathedral church of the diocese of Minsk. Since 1990 there are regular services again. |
house of government
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The place for the construction of the Government House at the end of 1920 a special commission identified the land "on the Soviet street, beginning and ending with the Novomoskovsk Bersana." Demolition went all wooden buildings, placed randomly around the site of the future construction site. Iosif Langbard's project has been recognized as the best in the All-Union competition in 1929. Construction lasted for four years (1930-1934).
The arrangement was based on the Government House simetrichal increasing volumes and heights of peryferyi of the main facade to the center. Before the main facade is a monument to Vladimir Lenin, Iosif Langbard developed together with the Leningrad sculptor Matvey Manizer. The 7 meters high bronze statue of Lenin was the tallest in the whole USSR. However, during the occupation, fashists stole and sent it to Germany. Only years later, in 1945 it was casted again from a model which survived in the studio of Manizer. During the German occupation of 1941-1944 at the Government House was made the headquarters of the SS, the Gestapo, the Luftwaffe and as food warehouses. During the retreat the building was mined and burned, but was not blown up. It is the largest building in the Belarusian architecture. Its volume is 240 thousand cubic meters. Despite its large size, cold gray tone and a plaster stone crushing volumes, the building does not seem bulky and heavy. |
Independence Avenue
Independence Avenue (Belarusian: праспект Незалежнасці) is the main street of Minsk. Independence Avenue crosses Minsk radially from its center towards the North-East. Length of the avenue is about 15 km. Several key landmarks are located at the Independence Avenue. It got its present name in 2005 but its history goes back to 16th century. Back then it was built by C.E. Korneev as road linking Vienna with Moscow
This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on January 30, 2004, in the Cultural category. |
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Independence Palace
The purpose of the Palace of Independence is to host important and landmark events, meetings of foreign delegations, honoring of big families, and the admitting of children to pioneer organizations.
The building was erected 2011-13 by Uladzimir Archanhielski. The total area of the Palace of Independence is around 50,000 square meters and has several hundred rooms within. The first official events in the palace were the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council at the level of heads of state, and the meeting of the Council of CIS heads of state. The meeting on Ukrainian crisis between presidents of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and representatives of the European Union was held at the Palace of Independence in Minsk on 26 August 2014. |
Independence square |
The area was first built in the 1930s by the architect I Langbard as the main square of the capital and originally bore the name of Lenin. On it was built the Government House of the BSSR and a monument to Lenin. From 1934 the Red Army parades on the square.
The Government House and the Red Church were among the few buildings in Minsk pre-war buildings not destroyed during World War II. After the war, Lenin Square was built according to the new general plan of Minsk. From it began the main street of the capital - Stalin Avenue (present Independence Avenue). The functions of the main square of the capital went to the central square, in the 1950s parades and demonstrations were hold here. In the 1960s Lenin Square got is a rectangulsquarer size measuring 450 × 160 meters. Since 1984, with the start of construction on the October Square of the Palace of the Republic, Lenin square was again the venue for demonstrations. In 1991, the area became known as Independence Square. In 2002-2006 the area was reconstructed. The shopping center "Stolista" and a parking lot were build as well. The above-ground part of the area has become a relaxation area with light and a music fountain. |
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KGB building
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The building which houses the State Security Committee, has three- and four-storeys with a complex three-dimensional compositions. The central part with the entrance risalite allocated with a massive four-column portico of the Corinthian order, completed by a triangular pediment. Wing from the Avenue adjacent to a neighboring building. At the junction of two volumes - driving through the gate, flanked by Corinthian columns supporting semicircular pediment. The second wing oriented side facade on the street. The rectangular window openings on the second floor have a frame of pediments
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Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University
Minsk State Pedagogical University (first name - Minsk teachers institute) admitted his first students in 1914. For a long period the institution was reorganised into a pedagogical department of Belarusian State University. After being a part of another university for ten years the Decree of the Ministry of People's Commissars of the BSSR proclaimed the Pedagogical Department of Belarusian State University an independent Belarusian State Pedagogical higher institution named after the Soviet author Maxim Gorky in 1936. Since that the pedagogical institute has its continuous history. In 1972 the institute was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour for its success in preparing teachers and for its research activities. In 1993 after Belarus achieved its independence and in frames of the policy of the development of sovereign educational system the institute got a status of the University. Two years later the University was renamed after the Belarusian Soviet poet Maksim Tank. Since 2007 the University is a member of the Eurasian Association of Universities.
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Minsk-Arena
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"Minsk-Arena" was established in late 2005 by Presidential Decree on the construction of a multipurpose sports complex, work began in the spring of 2006. The general designer of the complex was "Belproekt" and the general contractor - "Minskpromstroy." First, on December 30, 2008, it was put into operation as Velodrome. On it in July 2009 was the European Championships Track Cycling. December 2, 2009 was held the first training on the ice skating stadium. The first hockey game at the "Minsk-Arena" was held December 26, 2009. The first official match took place on January 14, 2010 - in the framework of the regular season CHL Minsk "Dynamo" took Magnitogorsk "Metallurgist".
Inauguration of the "Minsk-Arena" was held on 30 January 2010 in the framework of the Match stars KHL. At the time of opening was the largest arena of all the teams of the CHL and fourth capacity among hockey arena in Europe (the first three - in Cologne (18500), Prague (17360) and Bern (17131). Architect Kutsko VB, Budaeva VA Shabalin AA for the creation of multi-cultural and sports complex "Minsk-Arena" was awarded the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus in 2012 and awarded the title of laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus Presidential Decree number 401 of September 9, 2013 . In May 2014 "Minsk-Arena" became one of the two sites, which held matches of the Ice Hockey World Championship. |
minsk Central Post Office
The Central Post Office designing started in 1947. Vladimir Korol, a deputy chief of the Department for Architecture at the Council of Ministers of the BSSR, was entrusted with this truly royal work. Later Abram Dukhan, a disciple of Mikhail Parusnikov, who was the main architect of Minsk, joined the project.
It was the first work of Adam Dukhan. He put all his talent in the Central Post Office designing. And Vladimir Korol, how it was considered, just made minor corrections into drawings. Rumors about this strange sharing of responsibilities where the main part of work was given to the assistant rapidly spread throughout the city. The Central Post Office building can be easily called the masterpiece of manual work; it was constructed without any lifting cranes and special equipment. It was built on the sweat and blood of workers. So there is no wonder that the building looks like a new one, however, it hasn’t experienced any major maintenance of the facade. The Central Post Office construction took 4 years (1949 - 1953). It was constructed for the funds of the Ministry of Communications of the USSR. So the emblem of Soviet Union has the right to decorate the Central Post Office building. |
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Minsk Railway station
The station was built in 1873 as Vilenski vakzal, Vilnius station (Belarusian: Віленскі вакзал). The initial wooden building was demolished in 1890 and rebuilt in stone. During World War II Minsk railway station was completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1945-1946 and served until 1991. The new building of Minsk-Passazhyrski railway station was built in 1991-2002. Its construction was delayed due to financial difficulties. However now Minsk boasts one of the most modern and up-to-date railway stations in the CIS.
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Minsk Town hall
The five-storey rectangular building was built in 1963-1964 gg. by architects S. Musin and GV Sysoev. It forms the south-eastern side of the development area. The blades on the entire height of the building, three central and one on each side, creating dimensional rhythm on the facade. Planes between the shoulder blades punctuated ribs, which simultaneously pushed the main and side entrances.
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National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus
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The National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus is located in a park in the Trinity Banlieu of the city of Minsk. Local people call it the "Opierny Teatr" (Belarusian) or the "Opera and Ballet Theatre". It opened on 15 May 1933 but it first did not have its own venue for presentations at the Belarusian Drama Theatre building until 1938.
The first permanent theatre was founded in Belarus in 1933 on the basis of the Belarusian opera and ballet school, the organizer of the studio being the famous Russian Opera singer Anton Bonachich (Bonatschitsch) (ru: Антон Петрович Боначич). He was the first head of the new theatre. But he stayed in this position for a very short time, dying in 1933. The current theatre building was opened in 1939. It was designed by the Belarus architect from Leningrad, Iosif Langbard, whose original design was only partially implemented and some design details were omitted yielding to financial and other problems; the theatre has reliefs done by Zair Azgur. |
October Square
The original name of the area was Central Square. The area was designed and was built in 1949-1950. The architects were GP Badanov, B. King, L. Mackiewicz, M. Osmolovsky.
On the area is the sign "Kilometer Zero" and a large television screen. On the side of Independence Avenue to the October Square adjoins Central Square with former government stands in the core of which is the old fountain with the sculpture "Boy with a swan." Around the Square are the Central House of Officers, the residence of the President of the Republic of Belarus and Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre. Currently, the area is often a venue for concerts, festivals, as well as socio-political action in which the area is decorated with the appropriate attributes. Since 2000, every winter in the middle of the square is set the country's tallest christmas tree |
old town hall
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The first town hall stood on this place 1600-1857. At the end of the XVIII century it was rebuilt in the classistical style by architect. F. Kramer. On the main facade of the large elongated central part acted with staircase, which culminates in a tower, covered with a hemispherical dome with a spire. The central part of the building were decorated 4-column Ionic portico that took two more column.
The idea of restoring the Town Hall appeared in 1980. Draft Recovery historical and cultural value is based on the research: the study on authentic drawing, drawings, documents found in the archives of Vilnius, Warsaw, St. Petersburg and Moscow. Excavations in 1978 and 1988 strongly complement the information on the destruction of monuments of architecture. In 2002, at the original site work began on the restoration of the architectural monument. The works were led by architect Sergei Baglasov. The internal layout of the monument is not copied completely. The thickness of the walls, as in the old building, is a half-meter. The building was put into operation in late 2003. In February 2004, the town hall has been open to visitors, and November 4, 2004 it held its grand opening. |
Palace of the Republic
The idea of building such the palace was creted in the early 1980s and begun 1985. However, the collapse of the USSR and the worsening economic situation led to a de facto freeze on construction in the 1990s. The opening of the Palace of the Republic was held on December 31, 2001. It is used for concerts and confrences.
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Republican Palace of culture
In 1949 began the construction of the Palace of Trade Unions on the draft V. Yershov. Completion of construction - in 1954. The opening took place on July 3, 1956.
April 26, 2008 with the gable of the building, with the help of cranes, were dropped by nearly half, to the restoration of adorning his sculptures. As it has been restored and the composition, placed on the front of the building. This is - the girl with the violin, the boy with the globe, worker, farmer, sportsman and scientists (the authors of the works - the sculptor Sergei Selikhanov Alexei Glebov Viktor Popov). On the ground floor of the Palace of Culture is a roomy and rich in its internal device columned hall. There is also a theater of the Palace of Culture. The hall of the theater is designed for 850 seats with the ground and tiered. The stage is equipped with that samples the Big Academic Theatre in Moscow. The walls of the column and the theater are caught in stucco. In 2005 it opened a new dance hall, equipped with machines and a mirrored wall. Guests can visit the Palace's cozy "Art Café" with 60 seats. |
St. Joseph Church
St. Joseph Church is a former Roman Catholic church in Minsk, Belarus. The building, which is an example of the Baroque architecture style, was completed in 1752. The church was named after the monastery to which it belonged. In 1864 the church and monastery were closed and confiscated by the Russian authorities for the participation of citizens in Minsk in the national liberation uprising. The Church adapted the regimental Orthodox Church of St. Cyril and Methodius, and monastery buildings were converted into barracks fot the Kolomna Infantry Regiment premises investigative commission.
Since march 1872 it was used as archive. In March 1992 it is the Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation and the Archive-Museum of Literature of Belarus. In 1983, the facades of the temple was restored by architect G. Bosak. On March 19, 2005 members of the Roman Catholic community of St. Joseph organized daily evening prayers for the return of the building of the church to the faithful. July 15, 2009 the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs of Belarus Leonid Gulyako said that Minsk Bernardine church can not be returned because there are no funds. The monastery is converted into a hotel complex. |
stolista shopping center
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The shopping center is build between 2002-06. According to many it's Minsk’s best shopping centre. Stolitsa is a great place for gift shopping as it’s got pretty much everything from clothes to alcohol to souvenirs. As well as heaps of retail outlets on three floors, this centrally located, 75,000 square-metre underground gem features a host of cafés, restaurants and, at the time of going to press, an internet café.
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Suvorov Military School
On 5 February 1921, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Byelorussian SSR in Minsk organized short-term 81st Infantry commanders courses in a former seminary. In 1921, it was renamed "Minsk Infantry Training of the Red Army", managed by the People's Commissariat of Defence. On 9 October 1924, the 7th United Belarusian Military School was organized from these organizations, with a three year training period. The school focused on preparing staff commanders for the cavalry, infantry and the artillery of the Red Army. Almost a third of the curriculum was devoted to general education subjects. Students received training in squad tactics during the second year and platoon tactics in the last year of study. The school initially trained officers for the 2nd Rifle Division.
In February 1931 on its 10th anniversary, the school was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. On 8 September 1933, Mikhail Kalinin visited the school, which was soon renamed after Kalinin, becoming the Minsk Military Infantry School named after Mikhail Kalinin. The school was closed after Operation Barbarossa. After the war, the Minsk Suvorov Military School was established in the same building on 21 May 1952. The Suvorov Military Schools are a type of boarding school in the former Soviet Union and in modern Russia and Belarus for boys of 14–18. Education in these schools focuses on military related subjects. The schools are named after Alexander Suvorov, the great 18th century general. This type of schools was created in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War in December, 1943 to provide boys of school age, particularly those from families of military personnel, with a secondary education specializing in military (Army, Navy, Intelligence, etc.) subjects and training. Boarding school aspect was particularly important at the time because many students were war orphans, either without parents or with only surviving mother unable to support them. |
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trade fair building belexpo
Victory Square
Victory Circus (Belarusian: Пло́шча Перамо́гі) a circus in the centre of the City. The circus is located in the historic centre of Minsk nearby with the museum of the 1st Congress of RSDRP, Main offices of National State TV and Radio and City House of Marriages. A green park stretches from the Victory Circus to the river of Svislach and to the entrance to the M. Gorky Park. Victory Circus is the key landmark of Minsk. Holiday parades go through the circus. The newly married traditionally take their picture at the circus. Victory Circus is the Belarusian version of Red Square in Moscow in The Russian Federation.
A 3-meter replica of the Order of Victory crowns a granite column of 38 metre erected in the centre of the circus. The Sacred Sword of Victory is at the base of the monument. The monument was built in 1954 in honour of the soldiers of the Soviet Army and partisans of Belarus. Sculptors: Z. Azgur, A. Bembel, S. Selikhanau. Architects: U. Karol, G. Zagorski. The four facets of the pedestal hold bronze relief thematic images: "May 9, 1945", "Soviet Army during the Great Patriotic War", "Belarusian Partisans", "Honour to Heroes who gave their lives for liberation". The four bronze wreaths around the obelisk signify the four Fronts. The soldiers of these fronts gave their lives fighting to liberate Belarus from German Fascist invaders. |