What do the central highway of Novopolotsk and Minsk's Independence Avenue have in common?
The history of Novopolotsk began in 1958 with the construction of a refinery and the creation of a workers' settlement, territorially belonging to Polotsk. The settlement of the first builders gradually developed, acquiring dormitories, new buildings, and postal addresses.
The street, running from west to east parallel to the Western Dvina River, was named Zelenaya, and on March 31, 1960, it was renamed Molodezhnaya, which is symbolic. Much of it was created by the hands of young people who came from various parts of the USSR for the All-Union Komsomol Shock Construction project to build the city-forming enterprise – the pioneer of Belarusian petrochemicals.
Novopolotsk received city status and its current name in 1963.
The first store, nursery, school, cinema, "tower" multi-story buildings, a square, and an administrative center appeared on Molodezhnaya. This street became the urban planning core around which microdistricts were strung.
Molodezhnaya became known as "The Street Without End." Soviet film director Igor Dobrolyubov made a feature film of the same name in 1972.
The plot is based on the feat of the first builder, the life of the young city and its residents, a story about friendship and true feelings. Location shooting took place in Novopolotsk, with one of the mass scenes filmed on Molodezhnaya Street with the participation of residents. Those familiar with the oil city will easily recognize the buildings of the former Palace of Oil Workers (now the Palace of Culture of Naftan OJSC), Builders' Square, and the Belarus Hotel building in the film.
Molodezhnaya was designed and built in several stages. For decades, it stretched towards neighboring Polotsk.
The distance from its beginning to the conditional "finish" near the Podkasteltsy bus station is about 15 km.
Like the main avenue of our country's capital, Independence Avenue, Novopolotsk's Molodezhnaya Street is among the longest streets in Belarus.
Myth of the Three "S"s
In the initial versions of the master plan, Molodezhnaya Street was designated with the letter "S," and in the 1980s, S-shaped residential complexes sprang up along it. Three "S"s standing next to each other from above resemble the well-known abbreviation – USSR.
Apparently, the collapse of the Soviet Union prevented the construction of houses in the shape of the missing letter "R," local residents decided. Thus, the myth of microdistrict No. 7 was born.
– The version suggests itself, but it's just folklore, – smiles Max Shleimovich, chief architect of Novopolotsk in 1970–1981. He is one of the laureates of the State Prize of the BSSR in the field of architecture for the planning and development of Novopolotsk.
– Initially, it was proposed to build a group of houses in the shape of a rectangle in the 7th microdistrict, but we had to adapt to the configuration of the hill, and in the end, we found an optimal solution. We did not plan to create an abbreviation out of the houses, – summarized the associate professor of the Department of Architecture of Polotsk State University, honorary citizen of Novopolotsk.
Mosaic of Creativity
Molodezhnaya Street is also interesting in terms of decorative and artistic design. Take, for example, the mosaic decoration of building facades and panels at the entrance to the stairwells. How much effort and imagination artists and masters from art workshops put into creating unique panels that have become a distinctive feature of the city. One of the authors of these works is Viktor Lukyanov, a member of the Belarusian Union of Artists and an honorary citizen of Novopolotsk. He was the chief artist of the city for a long time and did a lot to give the oil city its unique charm and magnetism. Every corner of it is dear to Viktor Mikhailovich in its own way.
Young artists also draw inspiration from the urban landscape of their small homeland. For the 60th anniversary of Molodezhnaya Street, the Museum of History and Culture of Novopolotsk organized a drawing competition "Street of Youth" for children under 15 years old.
The exhibition featured 45 works by students of educational institutions, as well as pupils of the Palace of Children and Youth, reported museum director Vladimir Belyaev. First, second, and third degree diplomas were awarded to Anastasia Sindrevich ("Trip down a familiar street", I. Khrucky Children's Art School), Valeria Pugacheva ("Bastille", I. Khrucky Children's Art School), and Ekaterina Bugai ("City Lights", Secondary School No. 7), respectively. Based on the results of online voting and a survey of exhibition hall visitors, Daria Krivach's work ("The First Tent", I. Khrucky Children's Art School) won the audience award. In addition, nine drawings were recognized in nominations for original imagery, creative approach, and bold compositional solutions. The best of them are planned to be included in a set of postcards depicting Molodezhnaya Street.
