Jury Hardziejeŭ. The symbolic space of Hrodna in the second half of the 80s and early 90s of the 20th century

The article examines the issue of the transformation of Hrodna’s symbolic space during the period of perestroika and the first years of Belarus independence. Perestroika opened the way to the democratization of social and political life, but it also was the starting point to the process of Belarusian national and cultural awakening.

One of the defining features of the Belarusian political system in the second half of the 1980s was a negative attitude of the Belarusian communist authorities towards the national movement and, at the same time, the revival of national self-awareness. To a large extent, this ideological conflict more or less affected the space of the city, its historical and cultural heritage and even toponyms. Meanwhile politics of memory at the city level continued to develop along the lines of the official ideology. Its feature was the glorification of the Soviet past.

In the 80s of the XX century in the city a broad public discussion was initiated regarding the development of the historical and cultural space of the city. First of all, it concerned the revival of historical toponyms. It continued later, in 1990-1993 and was accomplished by calls for the de-Sovietization and de-Russification of the urban space. In the result of the cooperation between city authorities, toponymic commission and public activists some streets were renamed by their historical names in the early 90s of the XX century.

The second direction of memorial practices was related to attempts to remove Lenins’ monuments, as well as to build up monuments that would honor important historical events or half-forgotten names of Belarusian and local history, for example, Antoni Tyzenhaus or Kastuś Kalinoŭski.