In the east of Belarus is the city of Mogilev, which in the middle of the twentieth century claimed the title of the capital of the Belarusian SSR. Today, the population of the city is more than 380 thousand people. Geographically, the city is divided into two parts: the Dnieper River flowing here: the Dnieper part and the main one. The river remains navigable from 110 to 230 days a year. The history of Mogilev in photographs will be presented to your attention in the article.
Foundation of the city
The history of Mogilev dates back to ancient times. Archaeological excavations have shown that the territory of the city was inhabited around the V century, and already in the X century there was a settlement. There are several legends about the foundation of Mogilev. According to one of them, the city was founded by artisans and merchants around the castle, built in 1267 by order of Prince Leo Mogia. Archaeologically, this legend has not been proven, since the remains of the castle were never discovered.
Other legends tell that the city was built around one of the Orthodox churches or was founded by the Prince of Polotsk, Lev Vladimirovich.
The most famous story of the emergence of Mogilev tells that a robber gang headed by the ataman Masheka, who was distinguished by inhuman strength, lived in the forest. Boyarin took his bride from Masha, who was then a peaceful peasant, and he, having decided to take revenge, went into the forest. Ataman was killed by the bride who betrayed him, the peasants buried him on one of the banks of the Dnieper, a mound was poured over the grave, and the place of burial was called the “Tomb of the Lion”. That is why the city that arose here was called Mogilev.
The story of Mogilev
From the moment of its foundation, the city performed the defensive functions of a fortress-settlement and, most likely, was almost completely destroyed by the Tatars raids in the middle of the XIII century, which is confirmed by numerous archaeological finds.
For the first time as a settlement Mogilev was mentioned in the XIV century in the "List of Russian cities, distant and close." At this time, he did not have special political and economic functions. Since the 16th century, Mogilev has been an integral part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, moreover, it was considered a personal possession of Queen Jadwiga of Poland, wife of the Grand Duke of Lithuania. After 200 years, in 1503, the city was presented to another Polish queen - Elena Ivanovna.
In the XVI century, Mogilev began to actively develop and grow thanks to the introduction of Magdeburg Law, which made it attractive to the neighboring states of Lithuania. So, in the middle of the XVII century, the city was taken without a fight by the Russian army, but seven years later it returned to the Commonwealth. The city was severely destroyed during this Russo-Polish confrontation.
The years of the Russian-Swedish war of 1700-1721 also caused great damage to Mogilev, he was all pitted with moats and equipped with defensive fortifications. The first partition of Poland in 1772 led to the transfer of Mogilev to the Russian Empire, in 1777 the Mogilev province was founded. After 3 years, it was here that the meeting of the Russian Empress Catherine II and the Emperor of Austria Joseph took place. During the war with Napoleon near Mogilev, a battle took place between the Russian infantry corps and the French army, led by General Davout. The monument erected here was dedicated to this event.
Mogilev in the XX century
During the war years 1914-1917. it was in Mogilev that the headquarters of Emperor Nicholas II was located. After the events of February 1917, the rate of the Commander-in-Chief remained here, right up to November 1917.
In 1938, Mogilev was supposed to be the capital of the BSSR, therefore, an active reconstruction of the city was carried out: a hotel, a cinema, multi-storey residential buildings were built, but as a result of the accession of Western Belarus, Mogilev did not become the capital. The second time they proposed to make Mogilev the capital after the end of the war of 1941-1945, since Minsk was almost completely destroyed, but this did not happen again.
During the Great Patriotic War, Mogilev was occupied by the Nazis in July 1941 and released only in June 1944. During this time, about 100 thousand of the population of the city and its environs were killed or taken to Germany for forced labor. A concentration camp and a transit camp for prisoners of war were created on the territory of the city.
City in the 21st Century
In the 21st century, Mogilev is the cultural and economic center of the Mogilev region. The oil refining, machine-building and metal-working areas make the largest contribution to the economy of the region; the largest enterprise in Europe producing polyester fibers operates in the city. Mogilev is one of the educational centers of Belarus, it has 7 higher education institutions and 12 secondary schools.
The city's attractions
Prior to the occupation of Mogilev by the Germans in 1941, the city boasted a large number of attractions, but almost all of them were destroyed. Orthodox monuments, such as:
- St. Nicholas Convent;
- Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption;
- Cathedral of Three Saints;
- Holy Cross Church;
- Holy Cross Cathedral.
In addition to religious buildings, in Mogilev there are other attractions, each of which carries historical value.
Glory Square
During the Polish period, the history of Mogilev portrays it to us as a flourishing city. It was considered a large river port, and the central square was called Trading. After becoming part of the Russian Empire, the area became known as the Governor's Square, and Russian architects took up the development of the square. Old trading shops were removed and four identical buildings were built: houses for the governor and vice-governor, the provincial government and the courthouse, the archive and the medical government (now the museum of local lore).
Until today, only the fourth building of the complex has been preserved. After the October Revolution, the square was called Sovetskaya, it was here that the partisans during the war of 1941-45 were demonstratively shot. In 2014, the square received its current name - the Glory Square.
Town Hall (Mogilev)
The story tells that the restoration of the city hall by the authorities of Belarus took up only in 2007, although a symbolic laying took place in the early 90's. Twentieth century. The question of the construction of the town hall arose at the end of the 16th century, after the settlement received the Magdeburg Law. Initially, the building was wooden, which repeatedly led to fires, and the town hall completely burned down, because of which its location changed several times.
The stone town hall was built during the years 1679-1698, the roof was tiled, the town hall had two porches with gilded weathercocks installed above them. The height of the tower with a spire was 46 meters. During the Russian-Swedish war of 1700-1721, the town hall was destroyed, but several decades later it was restored. In 1780, the Empress Catherine the Great visited the town hall.
During the Great Patriotic War, the town hall was badly destroyed; it was recognized as a historical monument of all-Union significance. Despite the decision taken by the executive committee to restore the town hall, the work never began, and in 1957 it was completely blown up. The city hall was completely restored and opened to the public in 2008.
The Museum of Mogilev History is located in the city hall. Exposition halls are located on two floors of the building. They feature exhibits of the 10th - early 20th centuries, which tell about important events of the settlement. The Museum of the History of Mogilev is waiting for its visitors from 10 am to 6 pm. Monday and Tuesday are weekends.
Lush field
This memorial complex is located in the village of Buinichi near Mogilev. It was here that in the summer of 1942 for two weeks there were stubborn battles of the Soviet army with the German invaders. The complex was opened in 1995 and covers an area of more than 20 hectares. It consists of an arch, which is connected by an alley with a 27-meter chapel. The walls of the chapel are made of light marble, which is covered with the names of soldiers and partisans of the Great Patriotic War. Under the chapel is a crypt where the remains of the fallen warriors, who are still found by search squads, were reburied.
Polykovichskaya Krynitsa
This miraculous source is known far beyond the city, it was discovered in the middle of the XVI century. Water, gathering from the krynitsa at the bottom of the ravine, flows into the Dnieper. In the XIX century, on the orders of Count Rimsky-Korsakov, the chapel of St. Praskovia was built here. From that moment, ladles began to come to the source, and they spoke of the source as miraculous. Every year on January 19, people gather at the source for miraculous Epiphany water.
Moscow and Tula courtyards
On Leninsky Street in Mogilev is a real "island" of the Russian capital - the Moscow courtyard, created in 2006. In the center there is a playground for children, made in the form of the Moscow Kremlin, not far away is a copy of the Arbat wall of Tsoi, other surfaces are painted with plots on Moscow themes.
Here, on Leninsky Street, there is another courtyard - Tula. A large samovar fountain flaunts in its center, and there is also a platform in the form of the Tula Kremlin. The whole courtyard is decorated with images of the coat of arms of Tula and scenes from the life of the city.
Mogilev Drama Theater
The story of Mogilev tells that until the middle of the 19th century there was no theater in the city, and roving troupes showed their performances in the open. And since the 40s. XIX century, the city authorities located the theater on the second floor of one of the buildings on Vetrenaya Street. He did not stay there for long, and over the next 20 years he changed several buildings, so the city authorities came up with the idea to build their own theater. It was created in 1888 with the money collected from the voluntary donations of city residents. In total, more than 50 thousand rubles were spent. At the main entrance to the theater was a sculpture on Chekhov's theme - the famous Lady with a dog.
Sundial
In the center of Mogilev there are real sundials showing the exact time. There are also a sculpture of the Astrologer and 12 chairs - symbols of the zodiac. The stargazer sculpture holds a telescope equipped with a searchlight, the evening beam of which is visible from space.