Fire tower description and photo - Belarus: Grodno (Topic)

Fire tower description and photo - Belarus: Grodno. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

The fire tower in Grodno is an architectural monument of the early 20th century, a functioning fire station and a museum of fire and emergency rescue services. This, in every sense, an outstanding building is located on Grodno-Zamkova Street, rich in historical events.

If you study the history of Grodno, with its many troubles, coups and wars, you can see that the most cruel and merciless enemy of Grodno residents at all times was fire. Fierce fires raged in the city at all times, claiming the lives and property of entire neighborhoods, monasteries and even castles. It is not surprising that the Grodno aristocracy wanted to place the fire tower closer to them, giving the former castle stables for the needs of the fire brigade.

In 1885 another terrible fire broke out in Grodno. in which more than 600 houses burned down. To protect themselves from fires, residents of Grodno raised money, and with these voluntary donations, the first wooden tower was built in 1870.

However, it soon became clear that the wooden tower was too low and did not give a full view of the city. Then in 1902, instead of a wooden one, a stone 32-meter tower was built. A watchman was constantly on duty at the watchtower, who, when a fire was detected, loudly rang the bell. The fire brigade, armed with barrels on carts, went to the scene.

During the First World War, an incident occurred: the Germans considered the watchmen on the watchtower to be Russian spies and decided to shoot them. The misunderstanding was solved by a brave priest, who explained to the Germans the meaning of the fire watch. Firefighters got, as they say, from the fire and into the hollow ones, because in a few minutes they already had to put out a big fire in the city.

Nowadays, both the tower and the fire station have undergone a major reconstruction, after which the fire station began to work in the same mode, and some of the premises were allocated for Museum of Fire and Rescue Service. The museum contains curious exhibits that tell about the largest fires in Grodno and about methods of fighting fire.

Nobody uses the tower now. A staircase with 120 steps leads to its upper level. After restoration, a sculpture of a sentinel firefighter was installed on the observation deck, and a weather vane with the emblem of the Grodno fire service was installed on the roof.

Like the whole of Grodno, the fire tower and the building of the fire station with a unique fresco are very beautifully illuminated in the evening .

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Topic: Fire tower description and photo - Belarus: Grodno.