Card The building of the regional executive committee. Brest, 1973

This 1973 Soviet collectible postcard features a view of the Brest Regional Executive Committee building and the adjacent Lenin Square in Brest.

What is shown on the postcard

In the foreground of the postcard, a parterre lawn with neatly trimmed decorative hedges and flowerbeds is visible. On the left stands the monumental four-story administrative building of the Brest Regional Executive Committee, featuring prominent vertical pilasters on its facade, topped with the flag of the Byelorussian SSR and red stars. In the center, the roadway of Lenina Street is shown with light traffic of vintage Soviet cars (including a GAZ-21 Volga). On the right, a red commemorative propaganda pylon is erected, reading ’50 years of the USSR’. In the background, behind the poplar trees, the distinctive domed historical building of the National Bank is visible.

Historical note

Lenin Square (formerly Traugutta Square during the Polish period) began developing as the city’s administrative core in the 1920s and 1930s. The original Voivodeship office (now the executive committee) was constructed in a style blending moderate functionalism with classicism. During the post-WWII Soviet era, the square’s architectural ensemble was redesigned and complemented with new administrative wings in the Soviet neoclassicism style, creating a unified, symmetrical look for Brest’s main administrative square.

Present day

Today, the building at 11 Lenina Street continues to serve as the headquarters of the Brest Regional Executive Committee. The entire architectural ensemble of Lenin Square is recognized as a protected urban monument. The general layout of the square, including its lawns and parkways, remains largely unchanged since 1973, with the obvious exception of temporary Soviet propaganda installations.

Location (map)

Address: 11 Lenina St, Brest, Belarus

Coordinates: 52.095427, 23.685834
(Google Maps)

Coordinate source: Coordinates of the Brest Regional Executive Committee building on Lenin Square.

Questions and answers

• Which building is shown on the left side of the postcard? The building on the left is the Brest Regional Executive Committee (Oblispolkom) located on Lenin Square.
• What does the red pylon on the right represent? The red pylon was a temporary Soviet propaganda installation commemorating the 50th anniversary of the creation of the USSR (celebrated in late 1972).
• What historical building can be seen in the background? In the background, behind the trees, the domed building of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus is visible (originally built in 1926 as the Bank Polski branch).

See also

• Brest postcards
• 1973 postcards

The «Old Postcards» archive includes other views of Brest from 1973.