City History / История города (English version)

 History of Minsk - a history of wars and destruction. This is the story of the city, which thanks to the will and diligence of its people many times rose from the ruins and ashes. Minsk - one of the oldest cities in Europe, despite the fact that he now looks quite young. During its existence, Minsk was destroyed more than 10 times.



The first mention of the city belongs to the 1067 this year on the river Nemige there was a bloody battle between the princes of Kiev and Polotsk prince Yaroslaviches and Vseslav. This battle is described in old epic poem "The Song of Igor's Host.

















                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Castle site - Detinec early feudal Minsk - located near the confluence of the rivers Svisloch and Nemiga. In terms of Detinec had a shape similar to an oval area of 3 ha, surrounded by high earthen wall, his original width at the base reaches 14 m, and then was increased to 22-25 m. The thickness of the shaft, archaeologists have found massive logs onto his slopes and base. Entry into Detinec was a passage between two separate towers carcass construction (second half of XI century).. Lower log-gating the towers were filled with sand.

Excavations at the ancient castle site (area of modern area of 8 March) found the foundation of a small (12x16 m) trehapsidnoy stone church in the XII., Dozens of houses and outbuildings, timber flooring street bridge, found a lot of antiques. All this confirms that Minsk had already at that time was a great trade-craft and cultural center on the southern outskirts of the Principality of Polotsk.



Excavations indicated the stability of the planning structure within Detinets; consolidating existing areas of streets, construction of new buildings on the site of the old, etc. One of the main street crosses the eastern part of Detinets from north to south. Its width was about 4 am building estates were carcass houses an area 16-25 m ² and outbuildings often columnar structure.



With increasing economic importance of Minsk and the increase in population size Detinets becomes insufficient to settle, and the city beyond the ramparts, occupying neighboring lands, the most suitable for development. To the south of Detinets within a radius of 300 m are found built urban tenements XIII-XIV centuries. Here there was an area of Lower market with trade rows.



From the middle of the XVI century. Minsk castle site is losing its military significance, being a residential area, ringed the old ramparts. Last fortifications were razed in the first half of the XIX century. and only retain the title - castle, the Old Castle - witness the historic first principle of Minsk. Since the XVII century. urban center is the upper city with trade area (from the XIX century. - Cathedral Square, now the Liberty Square), which was formed on a large hill near the ancient castle site. Here we construct the town hall, a group of temples and monasteries, residences of feudal lords, big merchants, officials.



Throughout the XVII-XVIII centuries. the territory of Minsk is growing in the south, east and west of the ancient castle site. Only wetlands in the north remained free of development. The town surrounded by semi-ring of new fortifications in the form of embankments with ravelins. River and adjacent wetland areas maloprohodimye were like extra borders. Thus, the defensive line in Minsk at the time were strong enough.



The city territory is divided Svisloch river into two parts: primary, which included a castle site. Lower market to the surrounding areas, the Upper City with an extensive area - the Upper Market and beyond the rivers, or Trinity - a new residential education in a bend of a river. Plan of Minsk received myatogo oval shape, which took the middle range of developed area of the Upper Market with building monumental buildings. Location on a hill, a large scale space-planning turned it into a dominant band of the city. Developed network of streets in the main part of the city took its origin from the Upper Square. Main Street, historically the direction of the foot castle, passing in the road to Moscow, Warsaw and Vilna, was Nemiga. In the planning of Minsk has traces inherent to most free cities in Belarus XVII-XVIII centuries. This architectural and planning system of radial streets, contracting to the center of the ensemble. Semiring directions of streets in terms of Minsk only outline the contour of earthworks on the outskirts of the city.




Since the beginning of the XIX century. Minsk, with regular planning project, the system begins to lose its medieval street network. However, the main directions, as well as all of the monumental building of XVII-XVIII centuries. Persist. The main street of the city went on high watershed and joined at the village Co-marovki a country road - Borisov tract. She took a dominant position in terms of (line of contemporary Leninsky Prospekt). Existing now a rectangular network of streets of the city center to the middle of the XIX century. Then we define the direction and main dimensions of modern streets of  Karl Marx, Engels, Lenin, Kirov, Krasnoarmeyskaya, Yanka Kupala, etc.



For nine centuries of its existence the ancient city on Svisloch witnessed many historical events: seven times he was sacked, destroyed and burned foreign invaders. But every time an enemy driven, and Minsk newly rebuilt and expanded.



Most valuable in the architectural and artistic monuments of Minsk is a capital civil and religious buildings XVII-XIX centuries. Most of them are, naturally, is located in the historically established areas of the city.



Upper Town district has witnessed many historical and revolutionary events, the heroic struggle of the underground during World War II. Since 1979, its old buildings drawn on the account and under state protection. The project of restoration of the Liberty Square and surrounding neighborhoods, work began on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Trinity and Rakovski suburbs, which constitute the three security zones of the city. In the near future, an ancient part of Minsk turn into a cultural center: the restored old buildings will be adapted for new purposes. It will house a museum, concert halls, houses of creative unions, specialized workshops, shops and so on.



Aside from the historic center of Minsk has survived a number of works of monumental architecture of the past. Among them, the gates Calvary cemetery on the street. Opanskogo, built in 1830 in the forms of classical architecture, the former church of St. Simeon and Helen (Red Church) on the street. Soviet, 15 (1908, architects V. Marconi, T. Poyazdersky) in the pseudo-forms, the former church of St. Roch (1861-1864 gg.) On Independence Avenue, 44a, used now as a Hall of chamber music, etc.