The most mysterious and inaccessible building for the average person in Minsk is the Government House, located on Independence Square. It is often called the first Belarusian skyscraper.
This grand structure was erected in 1930-34 according to the design of architect Iosif Langbard, who received a substantial prize of 6 thousand rubles for it.
The construction process itself can now be regarded as a feat, because the workers had neither lifting mechanisms nor tower cranes. In those days, a height of 9 floors seemed almost фантастической. To this day, the Government House remains the largest administrative building in Belarus.
The architectural style of the structure balances between constructivism and classicism, both popular in the USSR at the time. Specialists note that Iosif Langbard managed to unobtrusively and implicitly use the experience of his Western colleagues to achieve harmony in the architectural composition.
Over its 80-year history, the Government House has been through a lot. It was even mined by the German occupiers, but their plan to blow it up failed. However, the purpose of the Government House has not changed over the years. Today, it houses the Parliament of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Education, the Presidential Library, and other administrative institutions.
