N. Gnedovsky (1880-1921)
Nizhne-Pokrovskaya Street is one of the oldest streets in Polotsk. Historical sources confirm its existence already in the second half of the 11th — beginning of the 12th century. From the 13th century the street was densely populated, served as one of the main streets in the city, it was crossed by the Dvina River to the city markets, churches, synagogues, Catholic and Orthodox monasteries were located on it, the richest and most influential citizens lived there.
The first known name of this street was Velikaya Street. In the last quarter of the 18th century (in connection with the construction of St. Pokrovskaya Church) it was renamed into Nizhne-Pokrovskaya Street, in 1919 — into Lenin Street, and in 2008 the street again returned the name Nizhne-Pokrovskaya. It received its current direction in accordance with the classicist plan of Polotsk developed and approved in the late 18th century, which gave the layout of the historical center of the city the features of regularity.
The one-storey residential building No. 23 on Nizhne-Pokrovskaya Street was erected in 1910 and is a typical example of urban wooden residential construction of the early 20th century.
Documents show that the existing building was preceded by a similar wooden house with numerous outbuildings. In the middle of the 19th century this manor belonged to the nobleman Stanislav Klepatsky, who bought it in 1832 from the Polotsk burgher Moisha Itskov Rabinovich.
From the moment of its construction in the early 20th century until today the existing house was used as a dwelling. One of its famous residents was Nikolai Gnedovsky (1880-1921), a talented therapist who worked as a Polotsk district doctor before the October Revolution and from 1920 held the position of a therapist at the Polotsk People's Hospital. In 1921 N. Gnedovsky was awarded the title "Hero of Labor".
From 1933 to 1971 Leanchiya Seliverstova, an outstanding dentist, lived in house No. 23, Nizhne-Pokrovskaya Street. After graduating from the Leningrad Medical Institute in 1954 Leanchiya Seliverstova started working as a dentist in Polotsk, and already in 1958 she took the position of the head of the dental department of the city hospital. The opening of the dental clinic in Polotsk was possible due to the initiative of L. Seliverstova, which she headed for 26 years (from 1961 to 1987).