Where was the first power plant located in Minsk?

In the second half of December 2022 at Minsk a new tourist point with a historical context has appeared - this is a partially recreated facade of the first urban power plant (transformer substation).

The construction of this power plants in Minsk began at the end of the 19th century, and in January 1895 years The facility has already been put into operation. The event really should be called a breakthrough and important, such stations at that time existed only in St. Petersburg, Kyiv and Moscow. The world's first power plant appeared in London in 1882.

One of the initiators of the construction was the notorious governor of Minsk (from 1890 to 1901) Karol Hutten-Czapski. Something suggests that the decision to add elements of neo-Gothic architecture to an industrial facility was precisely his idea. After all, the Chapskys at that time lived in rather unusual places (Palace in Priluki, manor in Stankovo) and understood a lot about architecture.

Already at the beginning of the 20th century, not only nearby houses were powered by electricity from the station, but also most of the shops, churches, banks, factories and theaters in Minsk. By 1912, the power plant was modernized, and its capacity was significantly increased. However, this did not become the limit; in 1926, the first Minsk power plant already provided electricity to most of the city.

An interesting fact: they were really proud of this enterprise, you could even go on a tour here on Sundays (from 13:00 to 15:00) and inspect the equipment.

Near the restored facade of the transformer substation, there is another interesting detail - this layout of the whole enterprise, thanks to which you can imagine the scope of the power plant.

In Soviet times, the complex of the former power plant was used for various needs, including sports. In 2011, they were demolished for the construction of a Kempinski hotel.

On the reverse side of the restored façade, there are three relief panels stylized as arched windows.

Another element of the entire composition is a memorial wall in memory of the partisans who defended themselves from German soldiers within the walls of the power plant.

This object is located on Independence Avenue, near the bridge over the Svisloch, below is a point on the map:

Another interesting industrial monument of Belarus is Drsvyatskaya HPP "Friendship of Peoples", and walking around the capital I advise you to look into Museum “House of Vankovichi”.