Aliaksandraŭski Garden Square, Garden square in central Minsk, Belarus.
Aliaksandraŭski Garden Square is a garden square in central Minsk bounded by Independence Avenue and Karl Marx, Engels and Krasnoarmeyskaya streets, adjoining the Janka Kupala National Academic Theatre. At its centre stands the "Boy with Swan" fountain, built in 1874 to mark the opening of the city water supply; the sculpture is by Berlin sculptor Theodor Kalide, after his work for Charlottenburg Palace Park. The square holds two maples and an ash over 140 years old.
In 1836, city head Leopold Delpats had a square cleared on the site of the New Market, described as a square overgrown with grass and crossed by ravines. In 1872 vice-governor Mikhail Daragan turned the market site into a garden square, donating money and collecting funds from builders of railways passing through Minsk. A decree of 6 December 1874 named it after the chapel of Alexander Nevsky, which stood from 1869 until the 1930s at today's entrance at Engels Street and Independence Avenue.
Locals call the square Panikoŭka, after the fountain's popular name Panikouski. Its name comes from the chapel of Alexander Nevsky that stood from 1869 near today's entrance at Engels Street and Independence Avenue. The square holds two maples and an ash named Apollo, each over 140 years old, and in the 1990s Panikoŭka was a well-known meeting place for gay men in Minsk.
The square is centrally located where several main streets meet and is easily accessible on foot from the city center. Visitors can find seating throughout the grounds and can explore the site in any season, with the tree-lined paths being particularly pleasant in warm weather.
The fountain's "Boy with a Swan" sculpture was made by Berlin sculptor Theodor Kalide for the Charlottenburg Palace Park; Minsk's 1874 cast, installed for the opening of the city water supply, is one of over 200 copies worldwide. The figure was damaged in the Great Patriotic War and restored by sculptor Zair Azgur.
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