The tower in Kokhanovo has been recognized as a historical and cultural value of Belarus

The water tower in the urban settlement of Kokhanovo, Tolochin District, has recently been granted the status of a real estate tangible historical and cultural value of the third category. The initiative, which was supported in the district and the region, came from local residents. Now, the unique structure, which is a metal hyperboloid construction, is to be assigned a special code and included in the list of state historical and cultural values.

What is so special about this water tower, popularly called the Shukhov Tower? The director of the Tolochin Historical and Local Lore Museum, Irina Pikulik, shared the details:

— The uniqueness lies in the unusual design of the tower and its famous "father" — the Russian engineer, architect, and inventor Vladimir Shukhov. According to his project, this strategically important facility for its time was erected in Kokhanovo in 1929. Water towers were used on the Belarusian Railway to supply locomotives with water. The construction site was chosen very precisely: 25 kilometers from Orsha, freight trains no longer had water to boost their boilers. Therefore, no freight train could pass by Kokhanovo station.

By the way, the tower was kept in working condition for about 80 years from the moment of its "birth." It has survived to this day with minimal changes. A total of four such towers were built in Belarus, of which only two have survived — in Kokhanovo and Borisov. This rarity of engineering thought is valuable not only within the country. There are 11 such unique structures in the world. It is worth recalling that Vladimir Shukhov, who created the first hyperboloid structures, became famous for the invention of grid shells. For example, they were used in such iconic buildings as the British Museum or The Gherkin skyscraper in London. The construction of the tower for the radio station on Shabolovka in Moscow remains Shukhov's most famous work. For many years, its image was the emblem of Soviet television and the intro for many TV programs, including the famous "Goluboy Ogonyok" (Blue Light).

"SB".