MINSK, 5 January (BelTA) – The film "Time Chose Us" on the Belarus 1 TV channel recounted the story of the creation of the largest Belarusian flag in 2013, BelTA has learned.
The country’s largest flag was made in the Belarusian House of Press in 2013. The flag measures almost 100m2 and weighs 25 kg. The flag was commissioned especially for the opening of a new square in the Belarusian capital - the State Flag Square. The official opening ceremony was held ahead of the Independence Day celebrations. The main state holiday, like the country’s national flag and emblem, symbolizes sovereignty and freedom.
The opening ceremony was attended by 6,000 people, and the country’s central TV channels broadcast it live.
The largest flag flies above the ground at a height of 70 meters. It was planned that the flagpole would be even higher, but it was decided not to do this for safety reasons. The best wind rose in Minsk was found to have the flag fly almost all the time at this height. In this very place the flagpole can deflect up to a meter under the pressure of the wind. There should be no worries though as the wind load has been calculated with a reserve.
The team of young architects worked out every detail of the square. It was necessary to find a place for all our symbols - not only for the flag, but also for the emblem and the anthem. It took a month to work out 26 projects. The main one was approved in the government offices at the fourth attempt.
“The place for this object was also agreed upon additionally. Various places were suggested: Oktyabrskaya Square, the grounds near of the Palace of Independence. This particular place was chosen because it was visible from around the city. It was also located at a traffic junction,” Anna Aksenova, the chief architect of the State Flag Square, said.
The choice of the size of the flagpole was a big problem, the chief architect recalled. The flag had to be visible from different points of the city. Another task was to make the flag fly all the time. “We worked together with the employees of the Academy of Sciences to decide on the height of the flagpole in order to address all the tasks. We decided on a height of 70 meters,” Anna Aksenova added.
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