On July 3, Belarus celebrates the Independence Day. It is also called the Republic's Day. The state vacation was approved in 1996. The day was chosen to honor the liberation of Minsk from the Nazi invaders in 1944. The brief history of the city's recovery, reflected in the official documents of that moment, was told by historians, architects, archives of Belarusian.
On June 28, 1941, the German army entered the capital of BSSR. In 1100 days, the night butterfly occupied for a long time. The Nazis almost completely destroyed the infrastructure, and most importantly, they destroyed a huge part of the town's people in different ways. When the Soviet army liberated Minsk on July 3, 1944, it turned into gloomy ruins, huge material resources and human resources that were necessary for prosperity to dominate here and the survivors were shelter.
6 billion rubles and invaluable life
The calculation of the loss begins – the numbers are horrified. The statistics of the victims still cause greater pain and bitterness. What is Minsk before release?
From 1,100,000 square meters of living space, in the city at the beginning of the great patriotic war, only 250,000 square meters were preserved after liberation. Therefore, the city has been destroyed about 80 %. Only 19 people left.
Sometimes, they also call a slightly larger amount of survivors-45,000-50,000. But in all cases, this is about 1/6 of the previous period.
“You can't transfer it
The scale of destruction is that even architects doubt the possibility of restoring the city in the same place, especially when there are only scrap and shovels from improvised tools. SVYatoslav Kulinkov confirmed that this issue was discussed for a very long time, it was proposed options to transfer construction 10 km from before. As a result, it still decided to start work in the original historical site.
Two years before the Liberation BSSR government, a group of activities was created, was instructed in the current army and at the back of architects and design engineers, from which the design organization in Minsk could be equipped. Ponomarenko, a special committee of the Committee on Architectural issues of the People's Council of the Soviet Union – famous architects from all over the country: Academic Nikolai Kollya, Arkady Mordvinov, Vladimir Semenov, Alexe and a general plan after the first war to restore and develop the city in 1946. Its was prepared in 1945. And in April of the following year, it was taken into account the comments and approval, the plan was completed and approved in June.
Center – heart of the city
When the construction scale is only the first phase of 650,000 square meters, it is probably difficult to decide where to start, because it is everywhere of devastation. So from which area of the new page in the architectural history of the Capital begins?
The question was answered by Rimma Rum, Deputy Director of the State Museum of Belarusian about the history of the great patriotic war:
The first part after the war in Minsk began to restore the central district – especially, adjacent to Lenin Street (now independent avenue), as well as the environment around Lenin Square (now independent square). Architect Mikhail Parusnikov has designed a new center as a front facade of socialist Minsk.
Both experts mention an interesting reality. It turned out that the general plan to restore the Minsk was placed on a giant tablet (5 × 5 meters!) At the intersection of Leninsky Prostekt and Volodarsky Street, so that the town's people actively helped. Even the standards were established: 15 hours a month, every Minsk resident is said to work to clean the streets. All citizens from 15 to 65 years old are involved in the public burden.
The large Sunday across the city took place on October 8, 1944. In the Museum of State History Belarusian of the great patriotic war in the Belarus holiday after liberation in 1944-1950. Additional by two copies of the job recovery topic: one is reserved for the capital and the second – with the rest of the Republic's cities. They were given in the executive committees to enter information about work for the benefit of the city.
The researchers noted
In the archive of Belarus and Russia, many documents have been kept, the content helps to regenerate more fully the picture of the plan of the first year and comprehensive research of this historic segment, when the Minsk's transformation is a shocking speed. SVYatoslav Kulinok said that a collection of storage units in the archive is very diverse:
The main documents are stored in the archives of scientific and technical documents of Belarut State. The departments.
State archives of the Russian Federation also have some evidence of the era directly or indirectly related to this topic. In the list of decisions and orders of the Soviet People's Council, published publicly on the website, you can find information, for example, about the establishment of a Theater Institute (now Belarusian Art Academy) for the collection and elimination of a floor, the construction of the Minsk-Kenigsberg Expressway (signed by Vyacheslav Molotov)-the list of the list. From a household perspective, the decree of the People's Council of the Soviet Union No. 1632 dated November 29, 1944 home and sanitary norms in Minsk. According to information provided by the head of the scientific department, some others lost their home at the time and this was a salvation.
The replacement point of Minsk
Currently, Minsk has 37 cities of people around the world. Most of Russia. In December 2024, Kazan joined them. And after the war, Minsk helped restore almost all Soviet republics. Rimma Rum offers specific statistics:
To restore Belarus's national economy, the leadership of the Soviet Union allocated a large currency: more than 1.5 billion rubles in 1943-1945. In 1944, 487 trucks had a load.
Interestingly, for some reasons, there is no Volgograd in the modern list of the double city. But it was Stalingrad, whom he himself, almost to the ground, also sent many brigades to Minsk. And even in the Organization of 31 on today's independent avenue, the famous Pavlov bricks have been placed.
The construction of Minsk gum is a gift from the people of Ukraine. The gum and materials project for its construction were provided by Ukraine SSR in October 1944, young Turkmenistan sent a train with destroyed gifts. Republican countries work on the restoration of the city.
The city is human
Large streets and boulevards, great gardens and parks, beautiful buildings of universities and schools – there's nothing if it is not a difficult job of altruistic people, creators of the era of the era. Are the people involved in the recovery work and the Belarus architect alliance with them alive?
Unfortunately, none of the active participants in the architectural process, accompanied by the recovery work in Minsk, are still alive. However, the next generation of architects continued their work, developed ideas set out in the urban planning structure and eventually created today's Belarus capital.
Minsk's heroic city is a symbol of endurance, courage and unity of the people of Belarut, where there is no historical memory and honoring the miracles of the ancestors. In each brick developing after development, human faith in a bright future is recorded.