Kastravickaja House, Art Nouveau residential building near Volodarsky Street, Minsk, Belarus
The Kastravickaja House is a three-story stone building at the corner of Kirava and Volodarsky Street with curved lines and organic motifs shaping its exterior. The decorative elements spread across the entire facade display the craftsmanship of the Art Nouveau style.
Architect Otton Krasnopolski designed this residential building in 1911 for owner Jadwiga Kostrowicka while Minsk was expanding its urban footprint. Its completion occurred during a period of significant urban development in the growing capital.
The building shows how affluent residents of that era chose to design their homes by blending European design trends with local construction practices. The ornamental details on the facade were a sign of taste and prosperity in the expanding city.
The building sits at a central corner in Minsk and is easily reached by public transportation. Visitors can view it from outside to appreciate the architectural details, which are especially visible in daylight.
Each floor displays different ornamental patterns that create a vertical sequence of architectural details from bottom to roof. This method of gradual detail variation was a deliberate design choice to guide the eye when looking upward.
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