A historic bakery in central Mogilev is being demolished: instead of the art space that residents requested, an 18-story office complex may be built there.
In the historical center of Mogilev, the demolition of the building complex of the former bread factory No. 2 has begun. The industrial buildings, erected back in the 1930s, have long stood abandoned. Residents of Mogilev had high hopes for this place, dreaming of a trendy loft space, like in the capital. But the city authorities, apparently, gave the go-ahead to another project that goes against the law.
According to local media, bakery №2 on Migaya Lane, 3, has not been functioning for over 15 years. This object—an example of Soviet constructivism—survived the war and fed the city for many years, but in recent decades the buildings have been empty, the territory has been abandoned, and the structures have fallen into disrepair.
The demolition puts an end to the hopes of citizens to turn the complex into a cultural cluster. The site is being given over for commercial development.
What exactly will appear on the site of the bakery has not yet been officially announced. However, it was previously reported about the interest of private investors and the possible implementation of the David Plaza multifunctional complex. Its concept was presented at the beginning of the year to the Mogilev City Executive Committee by the private unitary enterprise "DAVID Plaza," registered only in July 2024 in the village of Zatishye, Veinyansky Village Council.
Judging by the renders published in the media, David Plaza is a large-scale complex consisting of two high-rise volumes united by a common stylobate, which will occupy the entire intrablock space.
The height of the tallest of the volumes reaches about 18 floors. And this is in the very heart of the historical center, next to 2-3-story stone houses of the 19th - early 20th centuries.
The Telegram channel "Spadchyna" draws attention to the fact that such parameters grossly violate the law—the height exceeds the permissible level by six times.
According to the project of protection zones of the historical center of Mogilev, the former bakery is located within the protection zone, in a type II quarter. In the perimeter development of such quarters, it is forbidden to erect buildings in forms that are uncharacteristic for the historical environment and higher than the maximum roof height of adjacent historical houses.
And inside such quarters—precisely where David Plaza is planned to be located—it is forbidden to build higher than 11 m from ground level to the highest point of the roof, which roughly corresponds to three floors. The project, however, provides for about 18 floors.
If this building really appears on the site of the bakery, it will indicate that the investor has received carte blanche from the local authorities to violate the approved regulations.
The residents of Mogilev, however, wanted to see a reconstructed and restored historical building on this site. Back in 2018, active citizens were collecting signatures for a petition to preserve the monument and revitalize it.
The townspeople proposed to follow the path of Minsk, where the old bakery in the Rakovsky suburb was successfully transformed into a popular public space.
In Mogilev, there was a unique opportunity to create a real "Arts Quarter." The location was ideal for this purpose, as the factory's territory borders the Byalynitsky-Biruli Museum, the Children's School of Fine Arts, and the museum in the historical fire depot. Activists proposed opening a "Bread Museum" with a bakery, galleries, workshops for artists, and a literary art cafe in the former enterprise's workshops.
However, the voice of the public was not heard. Instead of creating a unique tourist attraction, the city risks getting another dissonant office center that will destroy the harmony of the historical center of Mogilev, which has already been severely thinned and spoiled by war and post-war development.
As a reminder, in the summer of 2024, Mogilev already destroyed one monument of industrial development—the first city power plant. Another residential building of dubious architectural value should also appear on its site.
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