Our Cities Are Turning Ugly
(Excerpts from an article in Süddeutsche Zeitung, August 8, 2007)
Architectural Destruction of Horadnia continues
Horadnia is a beautiful city, - this cannot be said about most Belarusian cities. Most of them managed, with difficulty, to survive the wars, Nazi occupation and socialism. Horadnia, located on the country’s western edge (in a triangle where Belarus, Poland and Lithuania meet), preserved many of its historical buildings, temples and palaces dating from the times of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian empire. For a long time it served as a residence of Polish kings. In fact, the Saxon king August III ordered construction of a palace, patterned on the Zwinger palace in Dresden . The historical heritage of the almost 900 years old city is considered unique, and especially treasured. Its many preserved sites allow us to judge the country’s general history and provide a key for understanding the complex issue of Belarusian self-identification. No wonder that the Horadnia region became a bulwark of the national-conservative opposition.
Horadnia is on the verge of becoming an infamous example of a poorly executed renovation - actually a voluntary destruction of architectural monuments. Since the moment the historical center of the city on the Nioman river was “turned upside down” in 2005 by an officially approved architectural project, public resistance has been growing. Critics, bloggers and activists have spoken up against the “destruction of Horadnia.”
About 70 buildings from the end of 19th and the beginning of 20th centuries face demolition for the sake of widening streets, clearing space for new profitable buildings, and attracting new investors. According to latest news 20 to 40 buildings have already been demolished.
In fact, a wing of the Palace of the Horadnia Royal Administrator, built in the 18th century, was destroyed in the beginning of August 2007. “The authorities are doing this mostly secretly,” says one activist. “They use bulldozers without any previous warning . When we learn about it, we station a post near the monument and attempt to stop the excavators. However, we manage to do it for only a short time. By doing it we attract the public’s attention to the situation and draw attention to what’s happening.” Activists of the resistance have already experienced imprisonment and heavy fines. Initial encounters with authorities took place during the re-construction of a square dominated by a baroque Jesuit church. During this project foundations of the Radzivil Palace and the Ratusha (City Hall) were also damaged. Archeologists were consequently prevented from completing their regular excavations.
Polish deputies to the Europarliament and one the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Horadnia native Alaksandr Milinkevich, sent appropriate letters to UNESCO. Unfortunately, they met with little success. The administrator of the Web site horadnia.com has appealed to the internet users. “Historians hope for a future not destroyed by bulldozers,” he remarked.
The chief architect of the city of Horadnia is defending the authorities’ actions, declaring that they bring new perspectives to the city. “Guests from abroad notice the change in the city’s atmosphere. Facades and roofs have been repaired, and the city became cleaner.”
The real results are truly horrible. Some grotesque buildings and facades are springing up, as well as strangely duplicated buildings having nothing in common with the historical originals. Most of the buildings are painted with yellow-pink and mint yellow colors - a mixture of an artificial landscape and Legoland.
Tragically, soon we will be able to state: “Horadnia used to be a beautiful city.”
This article appeared in
Belarusian Review, Vol. 19, No.3
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