Architectural Guide Minsk

Minsk, founded in 1067, was a small, inconspicuous town lost in the backwoods of Eastern Europe for many centuries. Ironically, it was the devastation caused by the Second World War that drove the Soviet authorities to transform Minsk into a major city of true importance. The post-war development turned Minsk into one of the world’s fastest growing cities in the 1960s and 1970s and also left behind bright, visible traces of how ideas of the ‘perfect’ Soviet city changed over time. Today Minsk is seen by many as a reserve of Soviet architecture and city planning, situated in a rather peculiar political and economic context.

The Architectural Guide Minsk presents not only the city’s popular attractions, it offers a comprehensive picture of all layers and aspects of the city. The architectural works presented range from 17th century churches to arenas and hotels built for the 2014 Ice Hockey World Championships; from iconic symbols of the capital to the distant but intriguing outskirts. This volume also focuses on the twentieth century and the industrial housing of Soviet Modernism, which particularly defines the cityscape of Minsk.

The author and architect, Dmitrij Zadorin, who himself comes from Minsk, tells the story of the city by presenting what he calls its ‘seven faces’: 200 buildings, ten squares, five war monuments, seven parks, all metro stations, as well as ten residential estates and twenty mass housing series that together contributed to what became known as the ‘Minsk Phenomenon’. The volume is structured geographically, and its ten chapters offer a sweeping tour, from the old city in the pre-war centre, to the Socialist City, through to the city’s suburbs, each of which forms its own coherent spatial unit.

This thoroughly researched 500-page architectural guide can claim to be a comprehensive documentation of Minsk, offering a representative overall picture of the Belarusian city.

Dimitrij Zadorin
Architectural Guide Minsk
134 × 245 mm, 540 pages
900 pictures, softcover,
ISBN 978-3-86922-239-4 (english)
€ 38,00 / CHF 46,40
July 2018. DOM publishers, Berlin

The Architectural Guides by DOM publishers are handy travel companions for readers interested in architecture and culture. Projects are carefully selected and researched to make each individual book a ready work of reference, while background information and attractive design inspire armchair travellers to imaginary journeys. In 2014, the series was awarded with the „Iconic Award“ by the German Design Council, and in 2016 with the „German Design Award Special“. Further information: www.dom-publishers.com

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This release was published on openPR.