Round Table “Who Wins from Destroying Hrodna?” Held

Historians, architects, intellectuals, and journalists took part in the round table “Who Wins from Destroying Hrodna?” The event was organized by Belarusian Historical Society, “Historical Almanac” editorial board, and Hrodna city branch of The Belarusian School Society. The even was open for the public. In the beginning the participants spoke about the pieces of architecture which have been destroyed in Hrodna recently. It turned out that many buildings have already been lost, despite the General Development Plan until 2020. The authorities “reconstruct” the town even in spite of the document, signed by the president, which prohibits such reconstructions.

Both the scholars and representatives of the public gave many proposals on how to rescue the historical part of the city. One of the round table initiators Ales Smalianchuk, PhD, assured the participants, that all the recommendations would be used to rescue the historical center of the ancient city. The  create restoration institutions and to give wide coverage to the probleroundtable participants passed a resolution, drawing attention to the critical situation with maintenance of the unique culture of the Old Town, and demanding from the city and regional authorities to strictly follow the General Development Plan of Hrodna,m in mass media.

In their turn, the participants of the round table are ready to give lectures about the history of Hrodna, to help carry out scientific research, and to help restore the destroyed monuments of Hrodna’s history and culture.