Numerous wars, terrible fi res and epidemics have left many scars that are still reminding of themselves. More than once Minsk has practically disappeared from the face of the Earth. But every time, due to the diligence and selfl ess labour of its citizens the city, like the Phoenix, rose from the ashes and ruins and became still more beautiful and comfortable. No matter what season you come to Minsk: in summer or in winter, in spring or in autumn, and no matter what you fi rst visit here or at what time of the day you may do it, you will always be received with hospitality and friendliness. This tour guide will help you explore the city of Minsk and form your impressions of it. WE WISH YOU THE MOST PLEASANT IMPRESSIONS OF MINSK AND ITS CITIZENS! THE AVENUE OF FIVE SQUARES There are a lot of interesting and beautiful places in Minsk, but its citizens take special pride in Nezalezhnastsi Avenue (Independence Avenue). The modern avenue and the central street of Minsk which is located on the highway Moscow – Warsaw is over two centuries old. Its name has changed 14 times. Many a time it grew in length and width and eventually has become one of the last neo-classical ensembles in the world architecture, becoming one of the longest streets in Europe. That is why Nezalezhnastsi Avenue is a candidate for inclusion into the world cultural and natural heritage of UNESCO. «Avenue» as Minskers call it for short, will most likely be the fi rst to be offered for doing the sights. NEZALEZHNASTSI SQUARE is the beginning «Government House», built in 1929–1933 upon of the Avenue of the same name 1 . This the project of architect I. Langbard 2 . The square is one of the largest in Europe and central nine-storey part of the building is shifted the most important square in Minsk. It has deep into space by 50 m and is surrounded by rectangular outlines. It is located on the axis side wings that gradually decline to fi ve fl oors west – east and covers an area of 7 hectares. creating the inner square. The Government On the northern side of the square there’s House is one of the few surviving monuments of the biggest building in the pre-war Belarus – architecture of the early Soviet constructivism. 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The conceptual and compositional center of and Alena (St. Simon & Helena) which was built the ensemble of the House of Government is in 1905–1910 upon the project of the Polish the monument to Lenin (sculptor. M. Manizer). architect T. Pojazdzersky with participation of The two-meter-high bronze fi gure of the leader the Italian architect V. Marconi 5 . of the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia is Citizens of Minsk call the Cathedral the installed on the pedestal with high reliefs on Red Cathedral (Czyrvony Kastsiyol) because each side: «October Revolution», «Defence of the of the peculiar color of the bricks that were Motherland», «Industrialization of the country», specially brought for the construction from «Collectivization of Agriculture». The sculptural the Polish town of Czenstochowa. The cost of composition itself shows Lenin addressing to the construction of the Cathedral was paid by the Red Army units in Moscow on May 5, 1920 Edward and Olympia Voinilovich. The death of when they were seen off to the Western front. their children – Symon and Alena had urged the The inauguration of the monument took place couple to make a proposal to build a Cathedral on November 7, 1933. in Minsk. There is even a legend among Minsk Creating the ensemble of the House of citizens that for the design of the Cathedral the Government I. Langbard also designed a square in architects used a drawing of a beautiful Gothic front of it that was intended for demonstrations cathedral that had been made by the deceased and military parades. In 1964 the square Alena when she was mortally ill. underwent a reconstruction (architect V. Anikin, In 1996, near the Cathedral there appeared engineers I. Shpit and R. Obraztsova) and in the sculpture of Archangel Michael who is the 1991 it got the name of Nezalezhnastsi Square guardian of Belarus (sculptor I. Golubev) 4 . (Independence Square). Today the architectural ensemble of the To the right of the Government House there is Square, except for the buildings of the pre- neo-Gothic Catholic Cathedral of Saint Symon revolutionary construction and the Government 7 House, includes the main building of Belarusian of the Japanese Catholic Church as a gift to the State University (architects M. Baklanov, Belarusian people. A. Dukhan, and engineer N. Moroz, 1962), the At the end of the last century intensive traffi c building of the Minsk City Executive Committee development began to cause problems to the (architects S. Musinsky, G. Sysoyev, 1964) 6 , carrying capacity through the Square. So, in the the engineering building of Minsk Metro early 2000s they held special competition with (architects Y. Grigoriev, D. Kudryavtsev, 1984) the aim to fi nd the best architectural solution ( 6 in the background) and the building of according to which movement of vehicles was Belarusian State Pedagogical University (the allowed only in the direction of Nezalezhnastsi new main facade – architects G. Zaborski, Avenue – an overpass, and the rest of the space V. Nikitin, I. Marchenko, engineer Basinkevich, was transformed into a walking area. The socio- 1990) ( 1 the high-rise building to the left). shopping center «Stolitsa» was built under the In September 2000, not far from the Red square. Three bronze storks soaring over an Cathedral there was installed the Nagasaki bell – eared fi eld crown the dome of the square over the a reminder of the victims of nuclear disasters. It socio-shopping centre «Stolitsa» (sculptors O. is an exact copy of the bell «Angel» that remained Kupriyanov and E. Kharaberish) 7 . Round the intact after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on dome there are the emblems of all the regional 9 August 1945 3 . At the base of the memorial centers of Belarus and a memorial plaque which there are capsules with the soil from Jerusalem, was installed in honor of the reconstruction of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Nezalezhnastsi Square and the construction as well as from the areas affected by the of the underground complex (architects Chernobyl catastrophe. «Angel’s» double was M. Gauhfeld, V. Danilov, and V. Nikitin, 2007). The cast by masters of bell casting on the initiative length of the «Stolitsa» is comparable with the 8 height of the Eiffel tower – 334 m, and its area is NEZALEZHNASTSI AVENUE is not just the more than 103 thousand square meters. city's main street that runs through it from west In 2007, near the building of the Committee to east for about 10 miles (more than 15 km). of Architecture and Urban Planning of Minsk It is east it the face of the capital of Belarus, a City Executive Committee 8 there appeared very beautiful and friendly face. The three- a sculpture dedicated to the architects of Minsk kilometer section of the Avenue stretching from of all times who had put their hearts and talent Nezalezhnastsi Square to Peramohi Square into the creation of the architectural appearance (Victory Square) is lined with buildings of the of the city. It has the same name – «Architect» same architectural style that were built upon one (sculptor V. Zhbanov) 9 . comprehensive project of one author's team of Nezalezhnastsi Square abuts on architects for only 10 years (1945–1955). No other Nezalezhnastsi Avenue which begins with country can boast of such a unique approach. two buildings – General Post-Offi ce (architect During World War II the centre of the city was V. Korol, 1953) 11 on the southern side, and the greatly destroyed. In 1944–1945 they organized hotel «Minsk» (architect G. Badanov, 1959) 10 the fi rst all-Union competition for the planning on the northern side. and building of the central architectural ensemble The side streets adjoining the Avenue have in Minsk. On the basis of the competition and preserved the beauty and originality of the pre- the materials of the subsequent elaborations revolutionary buildings in Minsk, the charm of the they worked out a plan of development of the art Nouveau. Theatres, museums, restaurants city’s centre (architechts G. Badanov, V. Korol, and cafes that are hidden in them will hospitably M. Osmolovsky, M. Parusnikov). The city’s centre open wide the doors to their visitors. included the section of Sovetskaya Street – So, let's start a walk along the Avenue. which was the central street of the city – from 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Lenin Square to Kruglaya (Round) Square (since № 17, architects M. Parusnikov and G. Badanov, 1954 – Peramohi Square). The street had been 1945–1947) 14 . It was organically connected conceived as the main street. Its total width was with the administrative building in neoclassical 48 m, the width of the carriageway was 24 m, style of the pre-revolutionary period (house № 15, and the width of the pavement was 12 m on architect G. Gai, 1915) 12 . Today it houses the either side. The proportionality of the street Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. Opposite along its whole length was created by the height these buildings there is a public garden in which of the houses which almost coincided with the a bust to the «Iron Felix» – Felix Dzerzhinsky is width of the carriageway. High compositional found – the «father-founder» of the Soviet police quality of the street building was achieved by and national security bodies (sculptor Z.