Press releases

23 Sep 2020

Three-meter bronze coin unveiled in Minsk

A three-meter bronze sculpture in the shape of a coin weighing about 2 tonnes has been installed in Minsk, Belarus. Located in the city’s famous Trinity Suburbs, this piece of art can become a popular tourist attraction. Located near the Dabrabyt Bank headquarters in Kommunisticheskaya street the Coin sculpture by Konstantin Kostyuchenko was built to mark the 20th anniversary of the bank.

The Coin invites one to take a virtual journey to the history of Belarus’ financial system. Both sides of the bronze sculpture feature coins that had been in circulation in the country from the Middle Ages to present day. Images of old and modern money are placed next to each other to emphasize their connection and a shared past. Belarus’ location at the crossroads of East and West is reflected in the currency that was used on its territory. The sculpture is decorated with the images of the 9th century Islamic dirham, late 14th – early 15th century Grand Duchy of Lithuania denarius, 16th and 19th century Polish ducats, 17th and 18th century Rzeczpospolita thaler, Soviet era 2 kopeck and a modern 2-ruble coin – all in all ten different pieces that had been used as a means of payment.

The new artistic work perfectly fits Minsk’s tourist landscape. Close to it is the Svisloch river embankment and Starostinskaya Sloboda park, nice places to relax and take photos in a natural setting. Trinity Suburbs, the historical part in downtown Minsk, is also very close. This old neighborhood is one of the city’s must-see’s. It also hosts a lot of museums. The most important ones include the Belarusian Literature History Museum, Maxim Bogdanovich Literary Museum (a famous Belarusian poet) and Vladislav Golubok Museum (a branch of the State Museum of Theater and Music History (Vladislav Golubok was a famous Belarusian theater actor and director).

The Coin is not the only sculpture in the neighborhood. There is a monument to the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in Starostinskaya Sloboda park, and the Island of Tears memorial dedicated to Belarusian soldiers killed in the Afghan war near Trinity Suburbs. Other sights include a monument to Belarus’ famous artist Yazep Drozdovich and a three-meter monument to all Belarusians living abroad. Across the street, near the Bolshoi Theater, there is a bronze statue of Maxim Bogdanovich.

Most of the coins depicted on the sculpture are displayed in the Groshi Money Museum in Zybitskaya Street, the capital’s most vibrant place, featuring a large collection of coins and bills. The exposition covers the entire history of the money that was in circulation in Belarus, from the Roman Empire coins that had been minted 1,500 years ago to the modern ones. Besides, the museum holds almost a full collection of memorable coins issued by the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus.

The Coin is a good match to other artistic works in this part of the city and is an interesting spot to visit while making a cultural tour of Minsk.