Today, on July 15, the opening of the exhibition "Minsk and Minsk Women" took place in the main building of BNTU. In an official setting, the exhibits were viewed by Timur Matyushinets, Vice-Rector for Ideological and Educational Work, Armen Sardarov, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture from 2005 to 2025, an outstanding architect and professor, as well as employees and students of the Belarusian National Technical University.
For your information, the project was created by the Minsk City Organization of the Belarusian National Public Association "Belaya Rus" and the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The exhibition features a diverse range of female characters, including government officials, architects, diplomats, and actresses.
Before the viewing of the exhibits, Timur Matyushinets addressed the audience:
– The exhibition has been open for a week. Today, we have gathered to give it a grand opening. I have invited Armen Sergeevich Sardarov, a man who has personally interacted with many of the people whose achievements are showcased at the exhibition. I am confident that he will be able to provide insights into the interactions and personalities of those represented here. The exhibition aims to highlight the role of women in today's society. It is commonly believed that the powerful individuals in the world are men. However, if you look at all the faces that are presented here, and read their stories, then it is true that women have done a lot for our capital in the fields of science, art, culture, and politics. I am very glad that most of the women are present at the opening of the exhibition. It all depends on you: how our capital, our country, and the entire world will develop.
The women architects, whose professional activities are closely related to BNTU, have aroused particular interest among the attendees. Armen Sardarov shared his memories of those whose achievements are today the pride of Belarus and, in particular, of our university.
– I will start with architecture, because I have devoted my life to it. For me, the architects represented here on the easels are not just portraits and biographies, but people I interacted with when I was still young. Olga Borisovna Ladygina is a remarkable architect. She worked primarily at Belgosproekt. She dedicated most of her life to our housing. There is a microdistrict, a group of houses, and others. For example, a residential building with a deli called "Stolichny" near Yakub Kolas Square. This building is made with precision. Fine. Go down Kozlova Street – the huge house at the end is her work. This is a person who worked constantly and made a huge contribution.
In addition, the author of the sign “The Beginning of the Roads of Belarus” told us about his studies under Lyubov Usova.
Lyubov Dmitrievna Usova helped to restore the main building of the Belarusian National Technical University together with Lev Nikolaevich Ryminsky. She truly gave her heart to the Polytechnic. I think she's a very subtle lyricist, because her work is wonderful: the observatory, the planetarium, and the cafe in Gorky Park are amazing and beautiful places. She taught me. She started as a practitioner, and then, after gaining respect in her field, she came to teach us. She was a very strict person. We all tried to do what she said. We apologized a lot if we didn't have enough time, and we asked for more, but she was a true teacher.
While restoring the most famous building of the BNTU, Lyubov Usova also expanded the library, built a sports complex, and constructed several dormitories. She once said, "I didn't care if it was a large or small project, as long as I was working." She instilled this love of hard work in her children, as three of her children also became architects.
Natalia Makletsova is a true pride of the BNTU. As the first female architect in Minsk, she combined her work as an architect with teaching at the BPI since 1934. After the war, Natalia Makletsova actively participated in the reconstruction and rebuilding of the Belarusian capital.
– In January 1945, the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute reopened. Classes were held in various parts of the city: in the corridor of the surviving building of the Institute of Physical Education, in the basement of the House of Trade Unions on Svobody Square, and in the 13th school on Y. Kolas Street… The rooms were very cold. Students studied in their coats, overcoats, and mittens. The students lived in a restored building on the university campus, which had a roof, floors, and glass windows, and the bedrooms were spread out across the entire floor, from one staircase to the next. There were 200 people living in each room. However, none of this mattered compared to what they had experienced during the war. Everyone had a strong desire to both teach and learn," Natalia Nikolaevna recalled.
For many years, Natalia Makletsova taught at the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, was one of the leading teachers at the department, taught the course "General History of Architecture," and supervised the coursework and thesis projects of students in the architecture department.
In addition to the biographies of female architects, the exhibition also features the achievements of Stefania Sanyut, Nadezhda Novosiltseva, Ariadna Kazey, Alexandra Stepanova, Maria Osipova, Elena Mazanik, Vera Khoruzhy, and many others, whose lives serve as an example of unwavering determination and true love for their work and their country.
We invite everyone to visit the exhibitions and learn more about the women of Belarus!
