Masons' House is one of the most mysterious buildings in Minsk. It appeared in the Upper Town in 1817. It was rumored that it was built at the initiative of a Masonic lodge whose aim was to help poor and disadvantaged townspeople.
However, to this day there is no evidence that this building is in any way connected with the Freemasons. Although in 1922, when it came time for restoration, it turned out that the structure does indeed resemble a Masonic cross in shape, and the glazed windows were bricked up from the inside. That was exactly when the first theory appeared that this was necessary for holding secret meetings.
The exterior of the building, designed in the early Neoclassical style, has hardly changed since it was built. But the interior layout no longer corresponds to the original.
At different periods in history, this house had different owners, and many apartments were rented out: on the second floor, for example, the family of the future Belarusian and Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko lived for some time. This building also housed the draft office of the Minsk Governorate. Today the “Masons' House” is under the authority of the Museum of the History of Theatrical and Musical Culture of Belarus.
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