Description of the attraction
Pishchalovsky Castle, or Pishchalovsky Ostrog, is the notorious Minsk prison on Volodarsky Street. The early classicist building was commissioned by collegiate adviser Rudolf Pischalo in 1825. The author of the castle project was Kazimir Khrschanovich. Some sources call Pischalo the author of the prison, but this is not so, he was just a customer carrying out an order for the Russian Empire.
In 1821, the governor of Minsk, Gritsevich, reported to the Russian authorities that there was an acute shortage of prison premises in the city. The provincial prison was destroyed, it was unsafe for the health and life of prisoners.
After the construction was completed, it was decided to consecrate the prison. A prison temple was specially built, but it turned out that the altar in the church was facing west. As a result, the consecration did take place. The people said that this is an unkind sign. Indeed, the prophecy was justified. During its long 200-year history, the prison has been destroyed several times. The first time this happened a year after its construction. A major overhaul was required, which flew into the treasury a tidy sum. The last time the decorative prison tower collapsed was quite recently. They haven't had time to repair it yet.
Many revolutionaries were imprisoned in Pishchalovskaya prison, as well as the flower of the Belarusian advanced creative thought - poets, artists, philosophers, writers, musicians. Those were the times. For patriotism one could end up in prison, for thoughts about an ideal society - there too. However, the majority of the prison population were still ordinary criminals.
To this day, the Pishchalovsky Castle is a prison. For obvious reasons, this architectural masterpiece can only be viewed from afar.
