Minsk City Hall

Minsk, Belarus

Minsk City Hall is a symbol of the city government. It appeared in the city in connection with the acquisition of Magdeburg Law in Minsk including the 15 largest cities in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The first mention of a stone building of the Minsk City Hall belongs to 1583. Later it was rebuilt many times and changed its appearance. In the XIX century it was the court, the police guardhouse, archive, and City Theatre. In 1857 Hall was destroyed by order of Emperor Nicholas I.

On the reconstruction of the Minsk City Hall first began in 1980. For a long time various archaeological research were carried out, d many historical documents, graphic and pictorial images were analyzed. Approximately 15 years were needed for experts to prepare a draft restoration work. The project was very complex in execution, but all the same Town Hall was restored to its historic location. Its appearance is the same as at the beginning of the XIX century. Even the thickness of the walls, as before, is half-meter. Reconstructed and adjacent to Town Hall Square, now looks almost like it was 100 years ago. The restored Minsk city hall was inaugurated on November 4, 2004.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1583/2003
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Belarus

More Information

minsktourism.by

Rating

4.9/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Mars Hartdegen (5 years ago)
So freedom here.
Edu Maguiña Quilcate (7 years ago)
White building not expect any fabolous...
Rob Curry-Smithson (7 years ago)
Not much to see. Main attraction is a statue of a horse drawn carriage.
Gatto Uno (8 years ago)
This is actually the heart of the Old Town. Ancient buildings were reconstructed recently, and they probably lack the authenticity, but still this place is a remarkable one for Minsk residents. The City Hall and the main Orthodox Church are situated here. Cafes and take away coffee spots, souvenir kiosks.
Matthew McDonald (8 years ago)
Minsk Town Hall or Minsk City Hall as it is also known is located in the centre of the city in Liberty Square. The building was first built in 1583 but has since been rebuilt many times in different forms but was last destroyed in 1857 and the rebuilding process began in 1980 with 15 years planning before construction began to recreate the building that last stood there down to the half metre thick walls before reopening in 2004. The building looks like it was built hundreds of years ago and the level of detail is remarkable. It's essentially an office building now but there are tours available.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Bengtskär Lighthouse

Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.

German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.

After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.