Architectural creativity of Alexander Bernardazzi and Henry Lonsky in Kishinev during the second half of the XIXth century
Architectural creativity of Alexander Bernardazzi and Henry Lonsky in Kishinev during the second half of the XIXth century

Summary/Abstract: During the period following 1873, when Bessarabia was a province of the Russian Empire, the architecture of this period was dominated by a mixture of several historical styles and directions, the so-called “eclectic” stage. The creativity of leading architects such as Alexander Bernardazzi and Henry Lonsky was the most evident at that time. The image of the city of Kishinev became more eclectic and it was reflected in the buildings of the railway station and the passenger hall, the city club, the county court, the Noble Assembly, the winemaking school, all of which were built according to the designs of these architects in the second half of the XIX century. At that time, a question relative to the necessity of new theatre building in Kishinev was of a particular interest. In 1889 the Kishinev City Head Karl Schmidt proposed to construct a temporary theatre with beautiful facade, together with the fact that in size it could satisfy the needs of city for the next 15-20 years. And he appealed to the city architects, including A. Bernardazzi and H. Lonsky to present their views at this important problem. The author writes this article on the basis of the archival documents which present the history of the construction of various buildings and the creative activity of the architects. This is reflected through the prism of that era with a high level of development and methods of construction equipment, as well as with the artistic principles characteristic of that period.

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