Upper Town of Minsk is the historical centre of the capital of Belarus, which preserved the atmosphere of the old city, the settlement of which began in the 12th century.
In 1499, on the basis of Magdeburg Law, Minsk became self-governing, and the city centre was moved to Kozmodemianovskaya Hill, a hill on which a monastery of the same name had been erected by that time. From that very moment this area was called the Upper Town, and the former centre, accordingly, became known as the Lower Town.
From the 16th century, the Upper Town attracted the attention of the wealthiest residents. Contemporaries would call this neighbourhood prestigious - the houses of the nobility were located here. The coexistence of the powerful, whose religious views belonged to different confessions and their possession of considerable capital contributed to the construction of temples and houses of worship, some of which nowadays constitute the cultural heritage of Minsk. Various architectural styles are intertwined in the monuments of antiquity: classicism neighbours with baroque, art nouveau intertwines with eclecticism.
In the 19th century, as well as during the World War II, many cultural monuments belonging to the Upper Town were completely or partially lost, but thanks to the efforts of Minsk residents, the Upper Town area was restored, and recently the historic city is beginning to regain its original appearance.
The ensemble of the Upper Town now consists of Herzen Street, Cyril and Methodius Street, Revolutionary Street, Torgovaya Street, International Street, Musical Lane, partially Engels and Komsomolskaya Streets and Freedom Square.
