Gomel, Belarus

Gomel is located in the eastern part of the country, 300 km from Minsk. This is the second largest city in Belarus and a major regional center. At the end of the first millennium, a settlement arose in these places on the lands of the Radimichi, but for the first time Gomel was mentioned in the annals of 1142 as the possession of the Chernigov prince. Many sights of the 18-19th centuries have survived in Gomel to this day, among which the palace and park ensemble stands out. Its territory extends for 800 m along the high bank of the Sozh River. The central building of the palace and park ensemble is the Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace, built in the style of classicism in the period from 1785 to 1793. The palace began to be built under Field Marshal Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, to whom Catherine II presented Gomel. His son, the famous diplomat Nikolai Rumyantsev, continued the construction. In 1834, the palace was bought by the commander Ivan Fedorovich Paskevich. Under him, a park with rare and exotic species of trees and shrubs was laid out on the palace territory, which has survived to this day. In 1809-1824, according to the project of an English architect, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was erected not far from the palace. In 1889, a chapel-tomb of the Paskevichs was built next to it, where the remains of some members of this family are buried. Currently, the Gomel Regional Museum of Local Lore with more than a hundred thousand exhibits is located on the territory of the palace and park ensemble. Vetka is located 22 km northeast of Gomel., founded by the Old Believers at the end of the 17th century. Priests persecuted by the state lived here, who did not support the reforms of Patriarch Nikon. One of the most interesting museums in the country, the Museum of Folk Art, is located in Vetka. The museum contains antiques and a unique collection of early printed books.

Northwest of Gomel, the city of Buda-Koshelevo is interesting, in the vicinity of which whole forests with giant oaks grow. The village of Krasny Bereg is located in the northeastern part of the Gomel region.. The main attraction of the village is the luxurious Gatovsky manor of the second half of the 19th century. The manor is made in neo-gothic and neo-renaissance style. The estate complex includes a palace, an outbuilding, outbuildings, a distillery and an English park with a garden, with birch and linden alleys.

Also in the eastern part of the Gomel region, it is worth visiting the city of Chechersk, which arose in the 10th century. The Town Hall, built in the second half of the 18th century, is interesting here. The Town Hall building is square in plan and has 2 floors. In each of its corners and in the center, wooden quadruple towers are built, the corner towers are crowned with spiers. At the Town Hall there is a rotunda church of the Transfiguration of the Savior of the late 18th century.

According to Clothingexpress.org, the city of Rechitsa is located 50 km west of Gomel on the right bank of the Dnieper. It is first mentioned in the 13th century. Rechitsa is known for the remains of an ancient fortress, which have been preserved on the territory of the Children’s Park. Also interesting in the city are the Church of the Holy Trinity of the early 20th century, the Holy Assumption Cathedral and the monument-chapel in the name of Euphrosyne of Polotsk.

On the southeastern border of Belarus is the city of Loev, which in ancient times was located on the way “from the Varangians to the Greeks.” In 1649, the Cossack troops, who rebelled against Poland under the leadership of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, were defeated near Loev. The sights of Loev include the Trinity Cathedral, built in the early 90s of the 19th century, residential buildings of the late 19th – early 20th centuries and a museum of military equipment.

The city is located in the center of the Gomel region Svetlogorsk. Here on the Naberezhnaya Square there is a 9-ton bronze Mourning Bell, erected in honor of those who died during the Great Patriotic War. The bell is shattered, as if by an explosion.

The main city of the western part of the Gomel region is Mozyr . It is located 130 km southwest of Gomel within the Mozyr ridge. Mozyr and its environs have a hilly terrain, crossed by many ravines. The ruins of an ancient castle are located in the historical center of Mozyr on Castle Hill15th century. In the middle of the 17th century, the castle was burned down, after which it lost its defensive significance and was never restored. Now on the territory of the castle in the “Armory” and “Hunting” towers there are expositions stylized as a medieval era. There is also a children’s town, where the appearance of the castle in miniature has been restored. Another attraction of the city is the Mozyr United Museum of Local Lore with an extensive collection of old books. Here you can see old church books and handwritten and printed books in the Old Slavonic language of the 17th-18th centuries. The state reserve “Mozyr ravines” adjoins the city, which is designed to protect the unique hilly landscape, crossed by ravines. The reserve covers an area of 1.2 thousand hectares. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the ravines and hills are harmoniously inscribed in the image of the city.

Not far from the state landscape reserve “Mozyr ravines” there is a ski resort “Mozyr”. On the territory of the complex there is a 300 m long ski run with a height difference of up to 35 m, a training slope, a slide for tubing and snowboarding, and a drag lift.

Northeast of Mozyr, near the town of Kalinkovichi, is the village of Yurovichi. A group of archaeological sites was discovered here, including 6 ancient settlements, a settlement and a barrow burial ground. These places will be of interest to lovers of archeology.

On the territory of the Gomel region, in its western part, within the Belarusian Polesye, the National Park “Pripyatsky” is located. The park was created in 1969. Its area is more than 80 thousand hectares. This is the only place on the planet where primeval floodplain oak forests have been preserved. In addition, there are hornbeam forests and more than 30 lakes in the protected area of the park. It is home to 45 species of mammals, 265 species of birds and 37 species of fish. The administrative center of the National Park “Pripyatsky” is located in the village of Turov . Turov is one of the most ancient settlements in Belarus. Back in the 9th-12th centuries, two large East Slavic tribes lived on the territory of the Gomel region – the Dregovichi and the Radimichi. At the end of the first millennium they formed a principality centered on Turov, founded by the Scandinavian Tur in the 10th century. The main architectural landmark of Turov is the Church of All Saints.. This is a real monument of wooden architecture of the early 19th century. Near the church there are two stone crosses under 3 m high. There are only about ten such crosses on Belarusian soil. It is believed that they were erected to protect the land from disasters. Turov crosses, according to legend, sailed back in the 10th century along the Pripyat River. Another cross stands at the Borisoglebsk cemetery. It is interesting that the crosses have asymmetrical rounded shapes and are made in the form of a trefoil, like the Scandinavian crosses.