Mogilev — Gai village

The excursion begins with a visit of a zoological store «Goldfish». While visiting the farm you will have chance to watch rabbits, goats, various breeds of horses. In wintertime schoolboys and girls have chance to meet with Ded Moroz (Santa Clause), his granddaughter Snegurochka (Snow Maiden), Karlson and other fairytale characters. After New Year’s performance everybody goes for a tea-party with a real big samovar. It`s a real delight for children to have horse rides.

Mogiev — Buinichy Village

Tourists have chance to visit belorussian ethnographic village of the 19th century. There you can visit a landlord`s house, hosting a victualling-house and a hotel, have a look at a wind mill and houses of handworkers. Sightseers shall have opportunity to see the handworks of weavers, turners, blacksmiths and other craftsmen, learn about remarkable crafts for which Mogilev land is famous. For sure various wooden sculptures of the museum in the open air shall draw your interest and attention.

Mogilev — Leninskaya street

One can walk along aforetime Bolshaya Sadovaya (originally — Vetrennaya, now — Leninskaya str.) for hours. This walk would remind you a tour round museum in the open air. 2/3 of 61 buildings in this «Mogilev Arbat» are architectural monuments, built in the 18th-19th centuries. Private residences of old times with exclusive shops on the ground floors have survived through time and wars. Pushkin, Nikolayi II have been walking along this street. Some pre-revolutionary hotels, Belynitsky-Birulia arts museum-branch of the Natonal Arts Museum (originally nobiliary assembly) are situated here. The most popular sightseeing attraction of Leninskaya street is a bronze sculpture of astrologer which is situated in the centre of the «Ploschad Zvezd» (Stars` square).

Mogilev sightseeing tour

General tour through Mogilev includes the main sights of the city. Sightseeing tour starts from the square above the Dnieper, where the ancient wooden castle used to be. Tourists get to know about history of the mediaeval city, development of its crafts, trades, culture, its wonderful architectural monuments, with city hall, as the most prominent. The city hall has been restored.

You will visit the Polish Roman Catholic church of St. Stanislav, which is a perfect specimen of the baroque style in architecture. The church was built in 1738-1752. Its frescos of 18th century, picturing the Bible scenes, are of great artistic value. During the Soviet epoch the church lost many of its unique frescos and a precious organ (there remained only three such organs in the world, they are kept in the Vatican, Warsaw and Mexico). The church was restored and re-opened only in 1994.

Tourists shall have chance to visit St. Nicholas convent. In the territory of convent you will see Nicholas church built in 1669-1672 with its multilevel front facade and grand decorations; interior fresco paintings, wooden gold plated four-storied iconostasis, made by local artists, let us consider Nicholas church as one of the outstanding monuments of belarusain baroque architecture. Sightseers shall see hieratic buildings, which survived through time with monuments of civil architecture of 17th -20th centuries, such as Pontifical palace (architecture I. Glaubits), buildings of man gymnasium, woman eparchial school, city theatre, nobiliary assembly, land-peasant bank, a number of city houses, which form architectural image of present-day Mogilev.

Mogilev — Buinichy field

The land of Mogilev has been the field of many bloody battles. The field on the outskirts of the village of near Mogilev was the place where a group of peasant rebels and Cossacks joined in a battle with the 18,000-strong cavalry army of the Great Duchy of Lithuania.

In 1812 the field saw a bloody fight between the Russian troops and the French army. In July 1941 soldiers of the regular Soviet army, policemen, police academy cadets and 12,000 local volunteers would sustain the heroic defence of the city for 23 days. In 1995 they unveiled a WWII memorial on the outskirts of the city called Buinichy Field. The memorial rests on an area of over 20 ha with a 27-metre-high chapel in the centre. Also, there is random collection of wartime artillery, vehicles and weaponry.

The walls of the chapel are decorated with frescos and memorial signs with the names of city defenders on. In the centre there is a Foucault? s pendulum, which symbolizes eternal life and memories of those who perished in that field in 1941. There is an Old Greek cross on top of the chapel. Close to the chapel there`s a small artificial waterpond called the Lake of Tears — the tears of the mothers sfor their sons killed on the war.

There is also a monument to Russian man of letters Konstantin Simonov, who was there in 1941 to witness the battles near Mogilev personally. He documented the heroic defence of Mogilev in his books and pieces of poetry. The man was so impressed by the battle and the courage and heroism of the soldiers that in his last will he asked to disperse his ashes over the field.

Mogilev — Chaussky road

Not far from Chaussky road the tourists shall visit a dugout, where the Headquarter of West front line was located. Here on July, 1 of 1941 a meting of representatives of USSR Marshal General Headquartes took place. It was attended by K. E. Voroshilv, B. M. Shaposhnikov, new west front Commander  A. I. Ermenko, first secretary of the Central Committee of Kommunists Bolshevik Party, member of military Council of West Front  P. K. Ponomarenko, first secretary of Mogilev Byelorussia Communist Party Regional Committee  I. N. Makarov, Chairman of Regional Executive Committee  I. F. Terekhov, first secretary of Byelorussia Leninist Komsomol Regional Committee Surganov  F. A. During the meting specific measures on forging the defense round Mogilev were worked out, as well as points regarding combat operations managements at distant approaches to Dnieper military line were considered.

Route related to stay of Konstantin Simonov in Mogilev

«I was not a soldier, I was only a military correspondent, but there`s a piece of land, which I shall never forget, and this is the filed near Mogilev. This is where for the first time in July, 1941 I had chance to observe how our troops shoot down and burned 39 German tanks...»

K. M. Simonov arrived in Mogilev on group of military correspondents of «Izvestiya»(«News») newspaper on one of first war days. He visited city defensive lines, spoke with many soldiers, which, bleeding to death, withstood general attacks of Germans in non-equal battle on July, 12, 1941.

The names of the heroes of Mogilev defense were first mentioned in feature article «Hot Day» by K. Simonov. The stone-monument in honor of outstanding writer and soldier is installed at Buinichy field. His signature is carved on the stone and here a memorial plaque is installed. In Septembre, 1971 Simonov ashes were scattered in Buynichy field under his last will.

Microdistrict «Ybileiniy» — Polikovicy village — Common graves in Lazarenko str.

You will visit places, were soldiers of the 49th and 50th armies of the 2nd Belorussian front-line crossed the Dneper and conducted battles, releasing Mogilev in 1944. Sightseers shall also visit communal soviet soldiers’ graves in Lazarenko str., were buried many of those, who gave their lives during liberation of the city, and also visit arch of the fame.

Mogilev — Buinichy village

Zoological garden of Mogilev State Agricultural and Forestry College named after K. P. Orlovsky is located in Buinichy village. The zoo hosts a great number of animal species some of which were found in Belarus and others brought from exotic countries, such as the tiger, the bear, the lynx, the elk, the deer, the roe and the bison. There is 1 big and 16 small aviaries, were animals and birds are kept. Bisons, deer and wild boars occupy an area of 75 hectares with forest, swamp, shrubs and forest meadow, which simulates their natural environment to the maximum. The visitors can have a nice walk round the garden and simultaneously watch the animals from suspension bridges, observation sites and special net enclosed passages.

Last Capital of the Russian Empire

Every city has its own historical symbols. These can be either architectural monuments or prominent people of different epochs, who greatly influenced the destiny of their city.

Referring to historical records and facts, one can assert that before the Russian Empire dismantled in 1917 it had had its capital seated in Mogilev for 18 months.

In 1915-1917 Mogilev was there to host the supreme military government — the Tsar Headquarters. Russia? s last Tsar Nichols II and his family were permanently based in Mogilev during that period. It is not until recently that certain facts of their «metropolitan» life have become known.

The Last Capital of the Russian Empire is a new tourist route around Mogilev. During the tour that lasts three hours one gets a bus rides and enjoys relaxed walks in the company of a friendly tour guide.

One will see places where Russia? s last emperor and his family used to walk. You will hear some unbelievable but true stories about the Royal Family and why number 17 was thought to bring bad luck to Tsar Nicholas II.

While visiting St Nicholas Monatery, you will have a chance to see the canvas picturing Nikolai II.

You will also be taken on a tour of Mogilev Drama Theatre frequently visited by the Royal family.

Extra services:

• Ethnography Museum
• Hotel Accommodation
• Bird's Eye View of Mogilev — plane tour
• Boat Ride on the River Dnieper

Mogilev cathedrals. — St. Nicholas orthodox convent — St. Stanislav`s Cathedral — St. Paraskeva Chapel

Cathedrals are the base of people spiritual life and national pride. In pre-war period there were 27 Orthodox Churches, 3 Polish Roman Catholic churches, 3 monastery, 38 Jewish synagogues in Mogilev. The tourists shall be impressed with interior fresco paintings, wooden gold plated iconostasis of Nicholas church, which is a perfect specimen of the baroque style in architecture.

In the six-pillared St. Stanislav`s Cathedral, built in the Baroque style in 1738-52, you will enjoy unique frescoes. Tourists shall also visit St. Paraskeva Chapel and Polikovichy krinitza, which is a natural monument of republic significance.