Description of the attraction
The fire tower in Grodno is an architectural monument of the early XX century, an operating fire station and a museum of fire and emergency services. This, in every sense, an outstanding building is located on Grodno-Zamkova Street, which is rich in historical events.
If you study the history of Grodno, with its many troubles, coups and wars, you can see that the most cruel and merciless enemy of Grodno residents at all times was fire. Fierce fires raged in the city at all times, claiming the lives and property of entire neighborhoods, monasteries and even castles. It is not surprising that the Grodno aristocracy wanted to place the fire tower closer to them, giving the former castle stables for the needs of the fire brigade.
In 1885, another terrible fire broke out in Grodno, in which more than 600 houses burned down. To protect themselves from fires, residents of Grodno raised money, and the first wooden watchtower was built with these voluntary donations in 1870.
However, it soon became clear that the wooden watchtower was too low and did not give a full view of the city. Then, in 1902, instead of a wooden one, a stone 32-meter tower was built. A watchman was constantly on duty at the watchtower, who, when a fire was detected, loudly rang the bell. The fire brigade, armed with barrels on carts, went to the scene.
During the First World War, an incident occurred: the Germans considered the watchmen on the watchtower to be Russian spies and decided to shoot them. The misunderstanding was resolved by a brave priest, who explained to the Germans the meaning of the fire watch. Firefighters got, as they say, from the fire and into the hollows, because in a few minutes they already had to put out a big fire in the city.
Nowadays, both the tower and the fire department have undergone a major reconstruction, after which the fire department began to work in the same mode, and part of the premises was allocated for the museum of the fire and emergency rescue service. The museum contains curious exhibits that tell about the largest fires in Grodno and about methods of fighting the fire.
Nobody uses the watchtower now. A staircase with 120 steps leads to its upper level. After restoration, a sculpture of a sentinel firefighter was installed on the observation deck, and a weather vane with the emblem of the Grodno fire service was installed on the roof.
Like the rest of Grodno, the fire tower and the building of the fire station with a unique fresco are very beautifully illuminated in the evening.
