Historical centre under the threat of complete destruction

On June 10, a joint briefing was held by the head of the Belarusian Voluntary History and Culture Monuments Protection Society and of the residents of house No.32 at the Revalutsiynaya street of Minsk. The house residents could be evicted from the apartments owned by them as a private property, and the house – the 19th century architecture monument − could be destroyed with the future erection of a new commercial building in its place, as has been the rule in the historical centre of Minsk of late.

 

At the briefing, the statement of the Belarusian Voluntary History and Culture Monuments Protection Society (MPS) and the viewpoint of the residents of house No.32 and of the adjacent houses at the Revalutsiynaya street were voiced before the media representatives concerning the situation in the historical centre and the actions of the officials in relation to the Minsk historical centre’s monuments, as well as in relation to the fate and the problems of ordinary Minskers.

 

According to the common view, the actions of the Minsk City Executive Committee in relation to the historical centre’s monuments and to the simple Belarusian citizens who live at this unique site are not only unlawful but also immoral in their nature.

 

The Movement for Freedom (MFF) activist and the MPS head hopes that joint efforts would allow solving a set of cultural and social problems that appear in the historical enclave of Minsk due to the actions of those whose official duties mean they should solve these problems in strict compliance with the existing Law.

 

Based on the briefing’s results, the MPS made a statement that notes that the actions of the metropolitan authorities concerning the so called “reconstruction” of the capital’s historical centre contradict Articles 9, 10, and 37 of the law On Protection of the History and Culture Heritage of the Republic of Belarus, as well as other regulatory legal instruments, and even the regulations of the Minsk City Executive Committee itself. Moreover, the violations take place under the permission documents of the Minsk City Executive Committee and of its authorized entities, as well as of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus.

 

The Decision of the Minsk City Executive Committee No.3003 of December 17, 2009 On the Transfer of the Residential House No.32 at the Revalutsiynaya street to the Non-Residential Sector violates sub-paragraph 1.9.2 of paragraph 3.2.2.1 of The Principal Provisions of the Detailed Plan on Reconstruction, Restoration and Improvement of the Historical Centre of Minsk City that envisage in relation to house No.32 at the Revalutsiynaya street for a mixed type of use – the residential area and the location of the social and service facilities on the ground floor.

 

The eviction of the house residents and the closure of the house for the so called “capital repairs” or “reconstruction” would lead to the destruction of this architecture monument, as happened with the house No.17 at the Revalutsiynaya street that was ruined for the sake of business interests in order to erect an office building.

 

The statement points out that the buildings at Revalutsiynaya str. 12, 14, 24a, 17, and 32, as well as numerous other buildings of the historical centre, including at the Handlovaya street, the Bernardians monastery, the Freedom (Svabody) square 15 building, etc. are either ruined or are under the threat of destruction. Despite loud declarations, there are no positive changes and there is a complete absence of any will to perform the structural changes.

 

The MPS head states that the historical center of Minsk, as a monument of city construction, is on the verge of complete elimination, and calls for saying a decisive “NO” to the killers of the national memory.

 

According to pomniki.budzma.org

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