Alabaster Hall Fireplace and Palace Gallery. How is going the reconstruction of «Svyatsk» and the Old Castle in Grodno?

It was decided two years ago to breathe a second life into the unique objects of the historical and cultural heritage of the Grodno region — the Old Castle, the former residence of King Stephen Batory, and «Svyatsk» palace and park complex. Since that time, construction work here has not stopped. Today large-scale restoration sites were visited by Yuri Bondar, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus. Vladimir Kravtsov, the chairman of the regional executive committee, took part in the working meeting.

-The old castle and «Svyatsk» palace and park complex is a visiting card of Belarus for those tourists and foreign guests who begin their journey around the country with a visit to the Grodno region, said Vladimir Kravtsov. The restoration of the facilities is ensured by the proper level of financing. Our task is to find the right approaches to the implementation of these projects.

The old castle is one of the oldest in the country. He is the only royal residence that has survived in Belarus. It is here, according to historians, that King Stefan Bathory spent the last months of his life. In general, about two and a half million rubles were allocated from the regional and republican budgets for the first stage of reconstruction of the Old Castle. Now construction continues on the entrance tower, fortress wall, gallery, and other internal objects. A lot of work has been done. The specialists of the Grodnograzhdanproekt Institute have already prepared proposals for the design of the interior interiors of some rooms — the chapel, the alabaster hall, the royal bath and the official rest. They will be based on wooden, stone and glass decorative elements, stucco moldings, wall and ceiling paintings. Castle fireplaces and furniture are under study.

It is not an easy task to recreate the architectural solutions behind which the history of centuries lies, especially when paintings, drawings and descriptions are practically not preserved in the archives. Fortunately, for now, designers and historians manage to find consensus. It is not known for certain how the castle’s premises looked during the king’s life, so the designers developed a design concept based on the interiors of similar objects of the same historical era. Now on the agenda remains the question of who will undertake the implementation of the planned sketches.

— «Svyatsk» and the Old Castle are landmark objects of historical and cultural heritage that are under special control, said Yuri Bondar, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus. All decisions on their restoration that have been taken are being implemented. New volumes of work are being opened in the process, adjustments are being made. All controversial issues are resolved in the shortest possible time in order to complete the work as soon as possible.

To date the roof and gallery ceilings have been completely restored in the palace and park complex «Svyatsk». According to the builders, it was not an easy task, given the architecture of the building. The reconstruction of the palace facades is ongoing — by September this front of work will be completed. One of the most difficult and critical stages of construction, which will soon be embarked on, is the engineering arrangement of the premises: equipment for the water supply, sewage, and ventilation system. It is planned that the complex will begin to work with tourists in the summer of next year, but it is impossible to talk about the completion of all work by this time:the gallery infrastructure will be ready to receive guests, however the museumification of the main building and the arrangement of the adjacent park will continue.

As for the Old Castle, its reconstruction provides for several stages of construction and phased delivery. Considering the real time, the residents of the city will be able to see the former residence of the king in a completely renewed appearance only after three to four years.

grodnonews.by
Written by Anna Radiuk, Photos were taken by Vadim Golotik,Translated by Olga Ilyuk