Environmental aspects of the Vilna Baroque

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to consider the architecture of the Vilna Baroque, that is a prominent phenomenon of the culture of Belarus in the 18^th century. Since the 1730s, the Vilna Baroque has helped architects to solve the problems of reconstruction and rebuilding of old Belarusian urban centers. It focused on the complex environmental organisation of cities of different times and sizes, and in the first half of the 18^th century, still destroyed by wars and fires. Large and small towns of Belarus received a new spatial, very organic, sublime and light in its forms new architecture, interacting with the natural environment and an environment comfortable for living, at the same time delighting and impressive with a variety of angles of buildings and relief, beautiful panoramic views. The phenomenon of the environmental organisation of the architecture of the Vilna Baroque was appreciated by followers, and included in the architectural image of the cities of Belarus in the 19^th–21^st centuries. Architectural monuments created by leading masters of the Vilna Baroque on the western (A. Wurzner, J. Glaubitz) and eastern (J. Fontana) lands of Belarus are considered. The reconstruction of the humanistic environment created by works of art of this style (churches, palace ensembles) is considered in connection with the modern urban development situation and its influence on the historical context of the culture of modern Belarus.