Slutsk. The building of the former commercial college.

The opening of an educational institution in Slutsk was driven by the growing need for qualified personnel to run a business. Mikhail Kiriakov, a wealthy landowner and retired colonel, took over the financing of the institution. Edward Voynilovich, a respected judge of the Slutsk district and a public figure, as well as Vaclav Zalessky, a landowner from Rachkovichi, participated in the creation of the school. The Jewish community has also contributed to the development of the educational institution.

The Slutsk College accepted young men over the age of 12 on a fee basis. The majority of the students were children of burghers, officials and nobles (more than 60%), there were significantly fewer peasants.

In July 1920, retreating Polish troops set fire to the building. In 1924, it was restored and became a place for trade union committees and the House of Culture. Most of the premises were occupied by a seven-year school, which was replaced in 1927 by a pedagogical college, which was transformed into a pedagogical school in the 1930s. Primary school teachers were trained here.

According to rumors, the Gestapo school was located in the building of the pedagogical college in Slutsk, which trained agents to infiltrate partisan detachments. The school had up to 200 students for three months. The program included sabotage methods, subversive activities, methods of infiltrating partisan detachments, recruiting partisans, as well as studying Russian, Belarusian and German.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, the building was transferred to the juice factory. It was decided to create the largest cannery in the BSSR, which was successfully operating. A few decades later, the factory was closed, the building fell into disrepair and was under threat of demolition.

The initiator of assigning the status of historical and cultural value to the building of the former commercial college was the Faculty of History of BSU. The proposal was approved by the Council of Ministers.

Currently, the building is a historical and cultural value, is not in use and is included in the list of facilities where financing can be transferred to investors.