Lyubow Usava facts for kids

Lyubow Demeetriyevna Usava (born September 6, 1921 – died January 2, 2015) was a talented architect. She was born in Russia but became famous for her work in Belarus. After World War II, she and her husband helped rebuild the city of Minsk.

Lyubow designed many different things. These included schools, government buildings, parks, and even water reservoirs. Her hard work was recognized in 1989. Her name was added to the Book of Honor at the Minsk Project Institute.

Early Life and Education

Lyubow Usava was born on September 6, 1921, in Irkutsk, Russia. When she was nine, her family moved to Moscow. There, she went to high school. After that, she joined the Moscow Institute of Architecture.

Studying During Wartime

In 1941, World War II changed everything. Lyubow's school became a place for war work. Students had to pack bombs for use against German tanks. At the same time, Lyubow took nursing classes. She wanted to help soldiers who were hurt in the war.

In October 1942, students were moved to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. They could only carry what they needed. They traveled in freight cars, which are like cargo trains. It took over a month to reach the Tashkent Institute. Students slept under the desks where they studied.

They studied architecture four days a week. The other three days, they worked in a factory making weapons.

Finishing Her Studies

Later, Lyubow went on study trips. She measured old buildings in Bukhara and Samarkand. On the trip to Samarkand, she met Vasily Gerashchenko. He would become her husband.

After the Battle of Stalingrad, it was clear that Nazi Germany would be defeated. Students began to return home. Lyubow came back in the spring of 1944. She got married and moved into a dorm at the Institute with her husband.

She graduated with honors in 1947. She earned a degree in architecture. Soon after, she moved to Minsk, Belarus, where her husband was working.

Rebuilding Minsk

Within two days of arriving in Minsk, Lyubow found a job. She started working at the workshop of Yuri Yegorov. This workshop later became the Minsk Project Institute. She joined other architects to help rebuild Minsk. The city had been badly damaged during the war.

Key Architectural Projects

Her first project was Secondary School Number 42. This school is now on Komsomolskaya Street. After that, she helped restore the Belarusian Society of Deaf-mutes. She also worked on the State Archive building on Dolgobrodskaya Street.

Lyubow often worked with Alexander Voinov. Together, they designed many important places. These included the Minsk Youth Theatre and the Palace of Pioneers. They also worked on the building for the regional committee of the PBC. This is now the Minsk Commonwealth of Independent States Executive Secretariat building.

She also worked with L. Ryminskim. They restored buildings for the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute. Lyubow designed many houses, schools, and kindergartens. She worked on these projects alone and with others.

Parks and Reservoirs

Lyubow helped create Victory Park. This park is near the National Opera and Ballet of Belarus. She also designed the new look for Maksim Gorky Central Children's Park.

In the 1970s, Minsk had problems with flooding. Lyubow helped solve this issue. She worked on several reservoirs. These included the Blackbird reservoir [ru] and the Krynica reservoir [ru]. Both are on the Svislach River. She also worked on the Zaslavskoye reservoir [ru]. This is the largest reservoir in Belarus. She also planned green spaces and water systems for the areas around Minsk.

Later Life

In 1989, Lyubow Usava was honored. Her name was added to the Minsk Project Institute's Book of Honor. She retired in 1990. She had worked as an architect for 43 years.