Minsk tractor plant (MTZ)

Description

Tour name: Minsk tractor plant (MTZ)

Duration: 3 hours

Beginning of the tour: Hotel

Belarus fully preserved industrial heritage of the Soviet Union. For more than 70 years, Minsk tractor works has produced a line of tractors “Belarus” family - one of the brightest and most distinguished brands of the Soviet period. Quality, maintainability, endurance in the most severe climatic conditions have become the hallmark of the tractor Belarus. Many developing countries have borrowed the technology and still produce similar analogues.

The works was built in 1946. A major problem was the shortage of manpower, especially skilled professionals, therefore prisoners of war were engaged in the restoration of the city. About two thousand prisoners of war worked here almost 24 hours a day. The Belarusians loyally treated their former enemies, and the Germans, in turn, responded with quality and no shoddy work. During repatriation, a large number of industrial equipment was brought from Germany to Minsk and installed in the MTZ. Professional architects have an opinion that German experts and architects-prisoners-of-war took part in design of the works.

The village Tractor Works was built in Minsk immediately after the war, when the city was destroyed. It was built by German prisoners of war, soldiers and non-resident Belarusian peasants. At that time, the village became a symbol of the rebirth of the city. It was used as an example of Soviet factory residential districts. New residential district of the Tractor Works consisted of 13 blocks, different in size, shape and artistic techniques. Three-storey houses were built along the main thoroughfare of the district – Oleg Koshevoy Street, and four-storey houses – near the square of the district. Two-story buildings was a major type of the development of village blocks.

Perhaps, the projects of the village, building of which began in 1946 with the participation of architects Semyon Rosenfeld and Boris Kostenko, were brought from Germany. Because it is very alike to the German suburbs, although no evidence is preserved anywhere. Moreover, discussion of the participation of German prisoners of war in the construction of these houses began took place for the first time only in the late 80s, when the KGB archives were unclassified.

Moreover, burial sites were found in the village during the construction of the house on Shcherbakov Street. This was a source of the local legend, stated that in the house men constantly die, because the house is erected on the bones of the German soldiers.
The tour is conducted on working days at 09:00, 10:00 and 13:00

Minimum age of a tour participant – 9 years.
You can participate in the tractor assembly for additional fee.

Participation in the tractor assembly with a world-known name “BELARUS” and the subsequent issue of the certificate. Participation in the assembly is allowed for persons above 18.

Service costs - USD 5

Riding in a tractor
Riding is provided in tractor “BELARUS–3522” with 350 horsepower on the territory of MTZ OJSC (2 laps of 2.5 km). Available for an additional fee.
The program includes:

Services of a certified guide-interpreter

Transportation on the route: Hotel – MTZ - Hotel

Tour

Entrance tickets