Converting a science and administration office building into hotel number 4 and construction of am indoor pool

Converting a science and administration office building into hotel number 4 and construction of am indoor pool, 2006 - 2009

Events, facts, documents and evidences: On the older page "Liquidation of the office building and eviction of the scientific department from the laboratories, 2003-2004" it was already described in detail about how in 2003 all services including the scientific department were moved from the research laboratory and administration office building to the industry area and the plan started promptly to reconstruct the building into one more hotel. The building had been constructed in the middle of the 1970's for the scientific purposes. The administration of the National Park and its basic services also used to be housed in it. Earlier, in 1999 and 2000, major repairs and reconstruction were made there and a third storey was added to the building. In this storey research department laboratories would be located, as the department needed more space for its growing activities. An ecological and educational center, including a conference hall, was planed to set up there as well.

However, the administration of the National Park headed by the new director totally changed the plans of its predecessors. The focus of attention in the Park was given to earning hard currency. This is why it was decided to convert the office building and the scientific laboratory into a hotel for wealthy citizens.

These photos show the office building with the scientific laboratory at the start of the phase of reconstruction.


(The office building with the scientific laboratory before reconstruction; June 06, 2004)

It was also decided to build a pool near the future hotel and a patch of forest of old age, which grew near the administrative office, was felled for this purpose.

These photos demonstrate the view of the felled site on which a swimming pool will be built.


(The area for a pool; June 06, 2004)

(An information shield; July 11, 2005)

These photos show the beginning of external works on reconstruction of the scientific and administration office building into the new hotel and on construction of the indoor pool.

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(Reconstruction in the section of the building which was earlier planned for an ecological and educational centre with a conference hall; 1 – July 11, 2005; 2 – July 23, 2005)


(External construction works; May 07, 2006)


(The start of construction of the pool; May 07, 2006)


(Digging on extension of a footway to the future hotel; July 01, 2006)


(Erecting the pool; July 01, 2006)

Shortly the builders have cut down some trees growing near the building. Trees growing in the area which was under expansion of the footway have suffered most of all.


(Trees felled along the perimeter of the building; July 01, 2006)


(Trees felled along the footway; July 01, 2006)


(A lorry taking firewood; July 01, 2006)

These two photos show a single birch tree which grew for all its "adult" life near the office building. The builders have not touched it yet. However, this tree like other ones growing beside will be cut down later.


(A single birch tree near the building; July 01, 2006)

The shots below show the hotel and the area adjacent to the front entrance in the winter of 2006 and in the spring of 2007.

(The hotel, the front entrance; December 09, 2006)


(The hotel, the front entrance; April 22, 2007)

Below is the hotel looking in the photos in the spring of 2008. External works on finishing the facade have basically been completed. Footways near the building have been made and the fertile black earth for future lawns have been delivered.


(The hotel at the front; March 11, 2009)


(The hotel from the side; March 11, 2009)

(The hotel from the backside; March 11, 2009)


(The pool at different sides; March 11, 2009)


(The black earth and footways; March 11, 2009)

(A car for construction works; March 11, 2009)

(A bower for rest; March 11, 2009)

Below is the hotel looking in the photos in the summer of 2008.


(The hotel at the front; August 10, 2008)


(The hotel from the side; August 10, 2008)


(The hotel from the side of the pool; August 10, 2008)


(Footways, benches bowers for rest; August 10, 2008)

It should be mentioned as a positive fact that the builders have left (have not cut down) old arbor-thuja trees near the wall of the building!

(Old arbor-thuja trees near the wall of the hotel; August 10, 2008)

This is the hotel looking in the autumn of 2008.


(The hotel in autumn; November 08, 2008)

Patches of the forest close to the office building maintained by former heads (great foresters) in almost wild conditions, that was considered as a management tradition in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, was transformed by the today's managers into the analogue of an urban park.

The park-like shape of the forest patch near the hotel (photos 1, 2 and 3) and the standard one at a distance of it (4).

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(The park-like (1, 2 and 3) and the normal (4) shape of the forest patch; November 08, 2008)


(The park-like shape of the forest patch near the hotel; March 01, 2009)

Below is the hotel looking in the photos in the early spring of 2009.


(The hotel in the early spring; March 01, 2009)


(The pool in the early spring; March 01, 2009)

Below is the hotel looking in the photos in the summer of 2009.


(The hotel in summer; August 09, 2009)


(The urban-well-kept adjacent area; August 09, 2009)


(Bowers for rest; August 09, 2009)

New portions of the fertile black earth have been delivered to the backside of the hotel and have been leveled. Then new lawns have been made. Doing it, the work has been executed with ecological violations as damaging the bark of trees (pines).


(New lawns and damaging the bark of trees; August 09, 2009)

The photos below show the hotel on the very eve of the celebration of the 600th anniversary since nature protection in Belovezhskaya Pushcha – in the autumn of 2009. It is seen that the area has strongly changed - bench-woven fences have been set up, all around have been cleaned and "got glammed up", man-made lawns with special urban-greens have been created…



(The hotel and the adjacent area; September 27, 2009)

These photos show the hotel in the autumn of 2009 after the ending of the celebration of the 600th anniversary since nature protection in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.



(The hotel and the adjacent area; November 14, 2009)

These photos below show the hotel number 4 and the adjacent area in the winter of 2010.


(The hotel in winter; January 02, 2010)


(The adjacent area; January 02, 2010)

Summarizing, the appearance of one more luxury hotel in Belovezhskaya Pushcha in itself (if not to take into account other aspects of the question), certainly, is the positive fact. Thanks to this, the opportunities of the National Park to accommodate more tourists have been raised, and the quality of services has been improved. A modern conference-hall has been built. Both tourists and locals have had an opportunity to use the swimming pool. This is one side of "the medal".

But if to follow the integrated and comprehensive approach to the question, the construction of the new hotel has caused a big harm to Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Probably, harm is even more than good. First of all, this is because the consecutive and logic course of development of historical events was disturbed and the local tradition was disrupted, which resulted in very strong suffering the scientific department of the National Park. The explanation of the above statement is as the following.

The building converted into the new hotel originally was designed just to create the research institute there. Although it failed in that time, nevertheless, the scientific department had good conditions and base for works and development. All of these were suddenly finished after the decision to move the department from the scientific laboratory and to convert the building into the new hotel was accepted. 6 years of stay of the scientific department within the industrial zone, in premises and conditions unfit for works focusing on good results, have resulted in the ending, in the finishing the local science in Belovezhskaya Pushcha which we today witness. After 6 years being in the abnormal situation, the scientific department was settled back the old territory but already in the building of the new and modern Museum of Nature and the ecological and educational centre in which the administration of National Park was placed as well. However, a few small premises and a limited space which were given back for the scientific department, make a poor similarity to those conditions the local scientists had earlier. If the current situation and the similar attitude will further be continued, the local science in Belovezhskaya Pushcha has no future, of course, if not to consider the existence in the sordid material and spirit poverty as the future. For sure, Belovezhskaya Pushcha has no future without the strong and true science either because, in this case, the large-scale economic activity and the mass tourism will totally destroy the Bialowieza Primeval Forest with the lapse of time.

Thus, the dilemma "research institute / science and hotel / tourism" unambiguously should be solved for the benefit of the first, rather than the second as it was made in the National Park for this case. The history has shown that the mistake was made under a beautiful slogan "give hotel - tourists - money". It was not necessary to touch the scientific and administration office building. But it was necessary to build the new hotel in the new place from the point zero. If it is so, everyone would be winners. At the same time the consolidated financial expenditures for the new construction (in view of losses from eviction of the scientific department and services of the national park) would be commensurable. However, who and when really counts money in our country when loud-sounded state slogans are announced? By the way, it is the topic for another talking about how much and where the finances were spent, what jobs and how many times were carried out during the reconstruction of the building into the hotel number 4…