By Vestnik Kavkaza
Tskhinvali has always differed from other cities of the Caucasus in its unique architectural appearance. At the beginning of its history, Tskhinvali was one of the main crossroads for armies and commercial caravans. This led to the motley population of the city. The old part of the city has always attracted guests and citizens. The Old City has never been isolated from the rest of the city. There used to be the Ossetian Settlement, the Jewish District, the Armenian and Georgian Streets.
Today there is no pure old Tskhinvali – a lot of buildings were destroyed. The city is being built over again, and this is not always favorable for the preservation of historical memory. However, the community tries to protect the historic appearance of Tskhinval. Last year an enterprising group of citizens stood a stand against the construction of an eight-storey building in the center of the city.
The new building of the South Ossetian University should become the soul of reconstructed Tskhinval. It should be built on the site of the university which was destroyed in 2008, on its historic site of Moscow Street. New buildings will be constructed on the historic site of the only university in the republic.
Vadim Tedeyev, the head of the SOSU, says that the new architecture of the complex won’t break the harmony of “old Tskhinvali.”
“The project of the university considers the true architectural appearance of the city. Classical forms and details of the building are clearly depicted on the front of it. We have adapted classics to modernity. This is the neoclassicism which perfectly fits the city’s environment,” Tedeyev told EADaily. The new complex will look more luxury in comparison with the previous one. There will be more convenient facilities for students and tutors.
The construction of the new building is included in the Investment Program of Encouragement of Socio-Economic Development of the Republic for 2015-2017. The founder of the SOSU, the President of South Ossetia, Leonid Tibilov, promised that the complex would be built by 2017. “Constructing the university on its historic site is a tribute to the history of our peoples. In the future the new building will become a symbol of the capital,” Tibilov promised.
