The city of Gomel, located on the Sozh River, will find something to occupy and surprise the traveler. Architectural monuments, parks and palaces, theaters and sculptures, monasteries and cathedrals - all about the sights of Gomel read below.
Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble
The ensemble, located on the right bank of the Sozh River, surprises a tourist with its architectural, natural beauties and archaeological mysteries. Spreading over 800 meters, it includes the palace of the Rumyantsevs and Paskevichs (worthy of a separate discussion), the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, the Paskevich tomb, park areas for walks and a winter garden. Here, on Lenin Square, tourists can spend the whole day exploring the sights of Gomel. Walking through the park, in which rare species of trees are found, you can walk to the Swan Pond, created on the basis of a shallow river. There is an observation tower on the territory of the ensemble.
Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace
The palace of Peter Rumyantsev is an architectural monument, over which eminent architects worked at the 19th century: Moscepanov, Alekseev and Blank.
When the Field Marshal passed away, his palace turned into a museum. Rare collections were collected here, which it was decided to put on public display. The most interesting of them are collections of coins, old printed books and archaeological finds. In the palace you can look at the collection of Old Believer icons. The second floor of the museum is reserved for knight's halls.
The collection suffered during the Great Patriotic War, as it was exported from the country. Instead of 8 thousand exhibits, 200 returned to the palace. But despite this, the collections of Peter Rumyantsev are a major attraction of Gomel (Belarus).
The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11.00 to 19.00.
Hunting lodge
The building, built in the XIX century as the summer residence of Peter Rumyantsev, was called a hunting lodge, although none of the count's family was fond of hunting. Then the house was on the edge of the city, and its appearance resembled a log house. Apparently, for this reason, the house was dubbed hunting.
In a wooden house you can see firsthand how rich people lived in the 19th century. Furniture and household items are kept perfectly. You can take a look at the collection of watches, mirrors and paintings. In the house, 7 halls with an exhibition were reconstructed, among them an office, a dining room and a living room. If you pay, then the museum can be photographed, so this attraction of the city of Gomel is often used for wedding photo shoots.
The hunting lodge is located on Pushkin Street and is open from 10.30 to 18.00 (except Mondays and Wednesdays).
Gomel's oldest cathedral: Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
The oldest cathedral of the city is included in the famous palace and park ensemble. Count Rumyantsev became the initiator of his erection and wrote out expensive furniture and utensils from St. Petersburg. In the context of the structure has the shape of a cross.
The history of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Gomel is not easy. Its construction lasted 15 years. When the Bolsheviks came to power, the cathedral was closed, although during the Great Patriotic War it operated. During the Soviet era, a planetarium was opened in the building. Only at the end of the 20th century, the almost 190-year-old cathedral began to operate in full force. Today the Peter and Paul Cathedral, located on Lenin Square in Gomel, is the spiritual center of the whole region. There is even training of clergymen.
Sights of Gomel with a description: monasteries of the city
The only male monastery in the city is Nikolsky Monastery. It is located at St. Nicholas Church and includes a library and Sunday school.
On the territory of the St. Nicholas Monastery several Christian shrines are kept. The miraculous list of the Kozelshchansk icon of the Mother of God is especially revered . The icon is located above the main gate of the St. Nicholas Church. During services, she is lowered down to worship the icon. Every Wednesday, singing to Nicholas the Wonderworker.
In 2007, a particle of the relics of St. Nicholas was transferred from Italy to the monastery. The gift significantly increased interest in this attraction of Gomel. The monastery also stores the ark with the relics of saints, an icon of John of Kormyansky, containing a particle of its relics. The icon with the relics of the elders from Optina is also famous. Monks of the monastery obey the charter of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
There are a church and a church built in 1905 on the street D. Poor.
Another Gomel monastery is located on Kotovsky street. This is the St. Tikhvin Monastery built in 1993. Its history dates back to the end of the 19th century, when the monastery became a female monastery. At that time, he was in a village near Gomel and accommodated 80 nuns.
In 1929 the monastery was closed, and within its walls an orphanage was established, operating until the end of World War II. In 1992, a community was formed that transformed into a monastery. The Gomel authorities allocated a two-story building for her. Now the sisters of the Holy Tikhvin Monastery are teaching at the Sunday school. Also in these walls there is an icon-painting workshop.
Theaters of Gomel
After visiting the architectural and religious sights of Gomel (photo in the article), you can take time and cultural life. Fortunately, the city has this.
Gomel Drama Theater, operating since the middle of the 20th century, is located on Lenin Square. The hall seats almost 500 spectators.
The theater began its history in 1939 with the premiere of Gogol’s play “The Examiner”. In 1954, a new solemn building with columns was erected on Lenin Square to house the drama theater. Currently, more than half of the troupe have the title of Honored Artist.
If you travel with children, be sure to visit the puppet theater. This attraction of Gomel (photo with a description in the article) is located on Pushkin Street. The building is considered one of the most beautiful in the city.
Intricate fairy-tale figures adorn its entrance, and the repertoire is decorated with Belarusian, Russian and world tales.
Traveling with children: Gomel Circus
The Gomel State Circus has existed for a long time, its first building made of wood was located on Konnaya Square and existed until 1917. In 1926, a new stone building was taken under the circus, but soon a fire destroyed it.
The modern building of the Gomel circus is located in the city center, on Sovetskaya Street, and was rebuilt in 1972. It is quite extravagant: a cup-shaped amphitheater hanging over the first floor, overlapping with a spherical dome. In the backyard are enclosures where circus animals live.
You can visit this landmark of Gomel from September to May, and the program changes more than once in one season.
The fountain at the circus building is also interesting, in season every night it launches jets in the form of animals and is beautifully illuminated.
Gomel sculptures
An amazing attraction of the city are these diverse sculptures. Probably the most famous of them is a plumber in the middle of the street crawling out of the ground.
Not far from the circus, you can see the sculpture of the clown Pencil. He stands in a circus costume, a bowler hat, and is accompanied by his constant companion - a scotch terrier named Blot. The sculpture was made in natural growth by Mikhail Rumyantsev - 157 cm.
The "VIA-35" iron quartet is the figures of musicians breathing a passionate love for musical art. True, they blow at the same time into the drainpipes. Locals nicknamed this landmark of Gomel (photo of the city in the article) "The Beatles".
Another famous sculpture refers the tourist to the times of the city's inception and is an image of a migrant Goma and a lynx.
Also in Gomel you can see a monument to the janitor, a sculpture of Pinocchio, Malvina and Artemon, and much more.
Gomel Fountains
The Belarusian city is famous not only for its sculptures, but also for fountains. There are more than ten of them in Gomel, and each one is good in his own way! Most of the fountains are located in central areas, which is convenient for travelers. Travel reviews of Gomel's sights are always positive, as there really is something to see here. Not only are the fountains functional and in the summer save from urban stuffiness, they are also very beautiful. Fountains in the evening are especially good, illuminated by various illumination.
The most beautiful Gomel fountains are located at the circus building, at the Swan Pond, at the sculpture "Lady with a Dog", on Lenin Square. Fans of a calm atmosphere will appreciate the fountain at the Paskevich Palace.
Polessky reserve in the Gomel region
While in Gomel, you should definitely go to Khoiniki, where the Polessky State Radiation and Ecological Reserve (the largest in the whole of Belarus) is located. The reserve created after the Chernobyl accident in 1988 today occupies an area of 216 thousand hectares. The territory is completely wild, without human intervention. This allows you to observe the restoration of nature in the entrusted area.
Today in the reserve 1251 species of plants live (some of them are very rare), 54 species of mammals, 25 fish, 280 birds. Employees of the Polesye nature reserve monitor plants and animals, study them, and also monitor the level of radiation to prevent its spread beyond the conservation area. They plant trees and shrubs, enclosing the territory from any external invasion, and resettle rare animals. Responsibilities of scientists include increasing the number of rare animals, for example, within ten years they managed to increase the bison population by 38 individuals.
A huge part of the Polessky Reserve is an infected area, but there are also areas allowed for tourists to walk. It is convenient to get here by train from Gomel, Kalinkovichi and Vasilyevich. Organized excursions are not conducted here, and to enter you need a pass, which can be obtained by calling the reserve in advance.
Tired of walking around the city and the surrounding area, think about buying souvenirs. In Gomel, you need to buy amulets for the house, products from birch bark and wood, metal, as well as panels and paintings.