Minsk. The former Reiman Gymnasium.

In the very center of Minsk, on a quiet arrow formed by Kirova Street and Mikhailovsky Lane, stands a building that locals still often refer to as the Reiman Gymnasium. Its noble red brick facade stands in stark contrast to the monumental grey "Stalinist" architecture around. This is not just an architectural monument, but a real stone mirror of the turbulent history of the city - from tsarist times to the present day.

Architecture in the rhythm of eclecticism.

Built at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, the four-storey building became an ornament of the provincial Minsk. The architect, whose name, unfortunately, has not been preserved by the chronicles, worked in an eclectic style, generously flavoring it with neoclassical details. Rhythmic rows of tall windows, elegant cornices between floors and the noble color of the front brick gave the building both an official look and an educational solidity. However, the building was not originally intended for the education of noble girls at all: the headquarters of the 4th police station of Minsk was located here.

The tragic prologue.

This address is associated with one of the darkest pages in the history of the city. In 1905, at the height of the first Russian Revolution, the balcony of this building became a firing point. By order of Vilno Governor-General Krzywicki and Minsk Governor Kurlov, a machine gun was installed here. On October 18 (31), 1905, when thousands of demonstrators moved to the gathering place (now Independence Square), fire was opened from the balcony of the former police headquarters. The tragedy that went down in history as the "Kurlov massacre" claimed the lives of more than 50 people. The blood trail on the walls of the building became a harbinger of his future metamorphoses.

The pearl of education: Elizabeth Reiman Gymnasium.

After these events, the building changed its profile. In 1910, it was transferred to a private girls' gymnasium, which was headed by Elizabeth Dmitrievna Reiman. This amazing woman, a noblewoman from Vyatka, the widow of a general, put her whole soul into creating an elite educational institution. Reiman Gymnasium quickly became the most prestigious place for the education of the daughters of wealthy Minsk residents.

The curriculum emphasized the humanities and the education of secular manners. More than 500 students studied Russian, the Law of God, literature, history, as well as ancient languages - Latin and Greek. Mathematics and physics, although they were on the schedule, were considered secondary subjects. By 1917, there were already 30 highly qualified teachers working here. The unique curricula and summaries of those years are still preserved in the National Historical Archive of Belarus, allowing us to touch the world of pre-revolutionary pedagogy.

The twentieth century: to break and revive.

The 1917 revolution destroyed the fate of the gymnasium. Elizabeth Reiman, whose footsteps are lost in the whirlwind of the Civil War, was forced to leave her brainchild. The building was nationalized. In the early Soviet years, the former bright classrooms with high ceilings housed an ordinary working dormitory. Later, when the city was rebuilt after the war devastation, the music school moved in here, and then the education committee.

For many years, the historical interiors were hidden under layers of plaster and paint. But the building was destined to find a new life. During the large-scale reconstruction that preceded the placement of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union here, the restorers made a sensational find. Under the late decoration, ancient frescoes appeared in the niches of the arcature frieze (decorative arcade on the facade). This "unexpected gift of history" - perhaps the remains of the original interior or just a decorative element of the early 20th century - has become a real gem.

Today, the building of the former Reiman Gymnasium looks immaculate. The restored red brick, restored interiors and unique frescoes remind us that every house in Minsk has not one, but many voices.

And this voice sounds through the ages - from machine-gun fire to the ringing voices of high school girls and the silence of courtrooms.