Nikita Lovrov's Lodge

Nikita Lovrov's Lodge Lóže Nikity Lovrová Ложе Нікіти Ловрова
Neighborhood in Miensk
Country	Bistravia
Kraj	Miensk
District	Housné
Area
• Total	0.54 km2 (0.21 sq mi)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,014

Nikita Lovrov's Lodge (bi. Ложе Нікіти Ловрова, Lóže Nikity Lovrová), often shortened to Lovrov (bi. Ловров, Lovrov) and popularly known as Perebanká (bi. Пєрєбанька) is an apartment complex and a neighborhood in the Housné district in Miensk, the capital of Bistravia. It is located in the eastern part of the city, approximately 13 kilometres from the city centre. It is currently populated by 2014 people.

Etymology

The name of the complex is directly derived from its creator, Nikita Lovrov, Soravian-born architect residing in Miensk. He designed several other tenements and landmarks in the city, as well as throughout Bistravia. The term "lodge" is based on a fact that the project involved cutting down several hectares of oak forest that had served historically as hunting grounds for the nearby villages. During Lovrov's life, the complex was simply referred to as "forest tenements" (bi. лесне камєніце, lésne kaménice), however, after the architect's death, the buildings were officially named in 1929 in honour of the designer.

As the more affluent Soravian population moved to the apartments, the neighborhood contrasted with the nearby suburban residential districts, inhabited mostly by Bistravians or Radushians. Because many of these resident could not understand Bistravian, they often used an expression perebačte (excuse me in Soravian) when involved in a conversation with the local population. The colloquial name of the area, Perebanká, is derived from this often repeated phrase and loosely means "the place where people who excuse live". First mentioned in 1937 in a local, Bistravian language newspaper, it has been adopted by the citizens of Miensk and even incorporated in art - Jan Vásny 1967 song, "Na Perebánce", tells a story of a Soravian woman not being able to understand that a cabbage seller loves her.

History

Development

The complex after during the winter, 1941.

Until 1912, the area around the neighbourhood was covered by dense forest belonging to the city of Miensk, used mostly by nearby rural population, who were allowed to hunt animals and forage there. Late, albeit rapid industrialization of Bistravia focused on the coast of Lake Min resulted in an influx of Soravian elites: entrepreneurs, scholars and army officers. Seeking place to live in, the city council recruited Nikita Lovrov to design a space for the "bright individuals and their families", a place in a proximity to important facilities but offering relative peace and quiet. The first residents moved into the complex in 1920.

Nikita Lovrov died in 1927, when around 70% of the tenements were completed - the rest would never be constructed and garage spaces would be formed instead. Lovrov's Lodge, despite its distance from the center of Miensk, had access to all necessary amenities, such as electricity, sewerage and water - something that even parts of Miensk proper did not have. The neighbourhood attracted a lot of would-be homeowners, mostly from Soravia, as well as investors, who would buy nearby plots and raise other low-rise buildings. Increasing population demanded connection to rest of the city - in 1930, a fully paved road was created between the neighbourhood and the city centre and in 1931 a bus route 31 started operating between the area and the Imperial Square (now the Independence Square).

Several army officers resided here during or after the Great War, including Martin Olmáček (1879-1937), Hrihor Doudbá (1866-1939) and Aloš Petruvný (1897-1969). In 1951, a commemorative plaque was installed on Olmáček's home in memory of him and other figures that fought for the unity of Soravia and Euclea.

During the 50s and 60s, the apartment complex and its neighborhood underwent some changes, as more improvements were added - a primary school, first in 1951 and another one in 1963, a high school built in 1957 and a police station in 1955. A need for leisure and entertainment activities caused the construction of the "Minko" cinema in 1960, "Barká", the first restaurant, in 1966 and a park in 1969.

Sostava War

A Kantemoshan refugee arriving in the Lovrov's Lodge, 1981.

Starting in 1979, the Sostava War had major consequences on the Lovrov's Lodge. While formally the Bistravian Federal Sovereign Republic did not participate in the conflict, the same could not be said about its citizens. Isolation caused by the armed conflict in Vedmed and a war in neighboring West Miersa resulted in people fleeing the republic, mostly to Soravia. The emigration involved mainly ethnic Soravians, though some Bistravians, especially the more affluent ones, with connections in Soravia, also decided to escape. According to semi-official accounts, over 20 thousand people left Housné by 1980, which was more than 40% of the total population of the district. To prevent looters from overtaking the richest district of the city, the Miensk City Council implemented a temporary cut in rent prices and taxes to attract working-class Bistravians to the Lovrov's Lodge and similar complexes. Despite that, the dwindling population of the capital could not fill the gap and instead attracted housing cooperatives that would buy and merge plots to later sell them with a profit.

Rising tensions on the Bistravian-Vedmedi and Bistravian-Miersan borders forced the government of the republic to open its borders to refugees. Flocking population came mostly from the rural areas and searched for either protection of the Bistravian government or an escape route to Soravia, Ravnia, Tengaria or East Euclea. Miensk, as the largest city and also a major port on lake Min, was targeted by a majority of the migrants. With the reduction of number of international ferry routes and implementation of additional security measures, most refugees were forced to stay in Miensk. To accommodate the arriving population, the City Council, supported by the Blaštan's government, seized the empty plots in Housné district, including the Lovrov's Lounge and placed the refugees there.

Post-UPSR Bistravia

A Perebanká tenement in 2016.

After the independence, the Lovrov's Lodge housed former refugees and Bistravian working-class. The district of Housné underwent several changes, including rezoning and switching its land use from residential to residential-industrial. Appearing investments such as garbage incinerator and furniture factory worsened the environmental conditions of the neighborhood's residents. While nearby tenements and residences developed under cooperatives, the Lovrov's Lodge inhabitants had difficulties in uniting formally due to cultural differences, unofficial status of many of its residents and lack of regulations. Between 1982 and 1991, most of the refugees had moved out and their place was taken by factory workers, police officers or families that could not afford housing in the central districts. Under the 1996 housing and ownership reform, the housing association of the Nikita Lovrov's Lodge was founded, incorporating over 90% of the tenements designed by Lovrov. Long-term neglect and lack of funds resulted in the substantial decrease of the quality of living in the complex and as the people searched for other housing opportunities, the association ran into debt which it could not pay. Starting in 2003, the city of Miensk has been buying the individual apartments, turning them into social housing premises.

As of 2020, out of 22 buildings, 18 belong to the capital city. With 2014 inhabitants and 977 houses, a single room was inhabited on average by 2.06 people, more than the Miensk average. Most of the residents are Bistravian, with a few Vedmedi and Radushian families. While historically inhabited by Soravians, no registered ethnic Soravian lives in the complex.

Urban layout

Genesis

The current shape of the neighborhood is a result of the architectural contest won by Nikita Lovrov in 1913. Lovrov's idea incorporated the Samistopolian and Patovatran architectural schools, focusing on giving space to its citizens. Lovrov's project was implemented by Bojar Mažov and Anur Hoszsa in 1914 and lasted until 1927, until Lovrov's death. Never finished, the construction raised 22 of 30 buildings, omitting vital to Lovrov amenities, such as the meeting place, a park and a small marketplace - the empty plots were later turned into parking spaces of garages. The project was officially finished on 2nd June 1927.

Characteristics

The neighbourhood was raised according to the city garden movement - far from the city centre, in a proximity to green areas, such as forests or grasslands. The buildings were supposed to be similar to each other in "modest, yet modern fashion" and distanced from each other to provide essential lawn space between. Twenty-two buildings are three or four storeys tall and are made entirely of brick. The apartments are on average 3.0 metres tall and 50-70 square metres large. All of the buildings are connected via cobblestone paths and lead to parking and garage space located in the north of the complex, where the surface is mostly formed by concrete or asphalt.

The neighborhood's rectangular layout allows for its easy connection to other facilities in the district. The primary school number 17 is located here, as well as several mini-markets and convenience stores. The neighborhood is served by buses from two sides: buses number 31A and 31B stop daily on the Laikovský street in the east, while the bus number 68 drives stops on the Omčanský street in the west. There is also a nigh line N7 repeating the route of bus 31A.

All of the internal roads were renamed in 1999 to celebrate the names of the complex's former residents, including Olmáček and Doudbá, Kaja Svérska, a painter and Miloš Surmetský, a politician.

Gallery

Nikita Lovrov's Lodge

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  Martin Olmáček street

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  A convenience store on the Laikovský street

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  Primary school number 17

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  An uninhabited dwelling