Council Square in Ulan-Ude is the heart of the city. Here are concentrated the main administrative, scientific, educational and cultural institutions of the Republic of Buryatia. The former wasteland today is an example of modern buildings, where convenience, rationalism and an aesthetic component are woven together.
Description
Sovetov Square is located in the historical center of the capital of Buryatia, between the Selenga River and the Trans-Siberian Railway line. On an area of about 5 hectares, the Government House, the residence of the head of the republic, the People's Khural, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus, the Buryat Philharmonic, the registry office, the corps of the Buryat State University, other administrative, public, scientific, cultural institutions were located.
Shaping
By its birth, the area of the Soviets in Ulan-Ude is due to the construction of the Odigitrievsky Cathedral in 1741. The temple became the first stone building in Verkhneudinsk (the former name of the city). From the religious building from south to north, a central city street was laid, which was called Bolshaya. At the opposite end is Nagornaya Square (now the Soviets). Two important paths departed from it:
- on Chita - today Erbanova Street;
- to Irkutsk - Ranjurov street.
At the end of the 19th century, an idea arose to erect a large temple for 700 parishioners on the wasteland of Nagornaya Square dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Fundraising has begun. However, the 1917 revolution changed the way of life and brought confusion into the measured life of provincial Verkhneudinsk. First, someone stole the money raised for the cathedral, and later the church was generally outlawed by the Bolsheviks. Thus, the main territory of the Council Square in Ulan-Ude remained free of capital structures. However, an authentic architectural ensemble was gradually created around its perimeter.
Royal gate
An event of a planetary scale for a quiet contingent town was the highest visit of Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich on June 20, 1891. At the behest of Father Nicholas III, the future Tsar Nicholas II headed the Committee of Siberian Roads and traveled from Vladivostok to Petersburg along the route of the future Trans-Siberian Railway, the greatest railway connecting the center of Russia with Siberia and the Far East.
In honor of such an extraordinary event, the city authorities decided to build a wooden arch at the entrance to Nagornaya Square, later called the Tsar’s Gate. The project was entrusted to Nikolai Augustovich Pauve. In 1936, in the wake of the struggle against any manifestations of tsarism, the building was dismantled, but restored in stone by descendants in 2006. Today, the arch rises almost at the same place as a century ago - this can be seen if we compare the photo of the Council Square in Ulan-Ude with archives.
Rosenstein House
The Trans-Siberian Railway breathed new life into the patriarchal city. Trade flourished, contacts were established, and new technologies and ideas gradually came. One of the richest merchants of Verkhneudinsk was Samuel Iosifovich Rosenstein. Following the trends of metropolitan fashion, he decided to build a three-story stone house with intricate stucco molding in the modern style in the most prominent place - the western end of Nagornaya Square.
By the way, this was the first such construction in the region. The new building has become an occasion for discussion for many months. Someone criticized the owners for their artsy taste, and someone admired the new trends. The building today is an adornment of the Council Square in Ulan-Ude, a mute witness of turbulent historical events.
Government House
Of course, the main architectural dominant of the city is a magnificent administrative building - the Government House. It occupies the entire eastern part of the area. The white building with gray window arches still looks stylish and fresh today.
The project was carried out by the famous Leningrad professor of architecture A. A. Ol. He won the competition by offering the most interesting, innovative for that time concept of an office building in the style of post-constructivism - functional, spacious, filled with light.
The main building was completed in 1933. The right and left wing were built in stages to him. They housed the Council of Ministers of Buryatia and the Communist Party Hill. At the entrance is one of the most unusual monuments in Russia - the bronze head (and not a bust) of V.I. Lenin. By the way, the largest in the world. The Central House of Life of Ulan-Ude on Council Square is located behind the government house.
People's Khural
In the northern part, along the street of Sukhbaatar, the building of the People's Khural of the Republic of Buryatia is located. A strict ceremonial structure, decorated with columns, was built in the period from 1939 to 1941 under the leadership of Moscow architect V. Sidorov. Initially, there was a regional regional committee of the military-industrial complex (b), and in our time there are the Administration of the Head of Buryatia, republican government structures, and the People’s Khural.
Western ensemble
The following buildings are located on the western side of Council Square in Ulan-Ude:
- ROSNO-MS (insurance company);
- Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus;
- Federal Cadastral Chamber of the Federal State Budgetary Institution;
- Corps of Buryat State University;
- Geological Museum, Department of Geology, Tsentrzibnedra;
- Radio House, State TV and Radio Company "Buryatia".
The complex of buildings is made in a single style.
South wing
In the southern part of the square are important public and cultural sites:
- city branch and the registry office of Buryatia;
- Buryat State Philharmonic Society;
- regional branch of the Union of pensioners of Russia;
- Hotel "Baikal Plaza".
Sberbank ATMs on Sovetov Square (Ulan-Ude) are located in the left wing of Baikal Plaza, and also opposite (across the road) at the end of the building of the Government House. The third ATM is located in the northeast corner of the square - in the building of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus.