The White House is the official presidential office building of the President of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, which is located in the capital city of the Central Asian republic, Bishkek. Considered as one of the big symbols of the country, located in the vicinity of the Ala-Too Square, this is a structure where many major events happen, and it is most of the time the place where protests and revolutions occur.
Built in 1985 following a Neoclassical style, the White House of Bishkek has seven floors. At the beginning, when the building was first put into use, it housed the Headquarters of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, but as soon as Kyrgyzstan gained its independence, it was obvious that it would be turned into more of a governmental building.
What is usual for official buildings is having the Coat of Arms of the country in front of it, in this case, the Crest of the Nation. The unique crest sits on top of the front of the building. Also in front of the building, there is a large bed of red flowers, which, in turn, at first symbolized the Soviet rule, but in this moment, it is interpreted more like the country’s national flag color. The building is flanked by two fountains on each side, which are not working most of the time.
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Sadly, the White House of Bishkek is closed to the general public, but during the Tulip Revolution in 2005, it was the place where the Kyrgyz people protested and, with a series of protests, overthrew the then-President Askar Akayev and his government. At the beginning, the people started gathering in front of the building, then they clashed with the security forces, but in the end, they were not stopped by the security forces, and they managed to storm inside the governmental headquarters.
Nonetheless, something similar happened in 2010, but this time the protestors did not reach the building, and unfortunately, at least 41 were killed. Due to the country not being stable, the White House of Bishkek continues to be the place where protests are occurring, just like the ones in 2020. The Third Kyrgyz Revolution, as the 2020 protests were dubbed, was in response to the parliamentary elections that happened in October that year, which were perceived by protestors as unfair, with allegations of electoral fraud.
Overall, this building shall remain as one of the country’s greatest representative landmarks, part of the Kyrgyz history when it was part of the former USSR. As the White House of Bishkek is one of the Soviet era buildings, it is definitely one of the highlights to see when in the capital, Bishkek.
