Sightseeing in Mahilyow - what to see. Complete travel guide

Mogilev is one of the ancient cities of the country that was inhabited already in the prehistoric era. At the beginning of the 12th century, the city was a center of the large feudal settlement and served as a fortress. Historians suppose than Mogilev was conquered and destroyed completely by the Mongol Tatars at the beginning of the 13th century. The first written references to Mogilev date back to the 14th century. At that time, this big city had already been a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. At the end of the century, it came to Polish Queen Yadviga who married Lithuanian King Yagaylo.

It is still not known why the city is called Mogilev. The origin of the name is associated with two interesting legends. One of them is connected with the name of Gaul King Lev who allegedly built a castle here. Of course, merchants, craftsmen and anglers started settling near the castle.

The other legend says that the city was named after the grave of Lev, a fearless and incredibly strong Belarus warrior. From the beginning, he was an ordinary peasant but then became a robber and a chieftain because the local boyar stole his bride. The robber was murdered by the woman he loved. She married the boyar and killed her ex. The warrior was buried on the bank of Dnepr. There was a high mound atop the grave. This place was called The Grave of Lev. When the city was formed here, it was called Mogilev. The mountain that is close to the city is called Myshakovskaya. Now, there is the Yubileyny District at its site. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In the 16th century, Mogilev came to the wife of Polish King Alexander, Elena. The city is still rapidly developing. The strong military fortress has recently been built here. The wartime on these lands has never come to an end because when the residents had to defend the castle, their families hid in the shelters outside the castle. The castle itself was wooden but very few people knew it. The locals constantly covered the walls with lime and painted white, so all the visitors sincerely admired this stone wonder of Mogilev. The Mogilev Castle wasn’t conquered by enemies, so it went down in history as an impregnable fortress.

One of the main historical symbols of Mogilev is the City Hall. The building that the city guests can see today is new. The historic construction located at its site was destroyed completely. For the natives, the City Hall has become an important symbol for the years of its existence, so it was decided to restore it. The building was reconstructed almost in its historic original form.

Another unique religious monument is the Church of St. Nicholas. It is an only historical monument in East Belarus built in baroque style. At the end of the 17th century, the big friary was located at its site but it hasn’t existed for a long time. In the 19th century, the historical constructions were in disrepair and the condition of the church was maintained. After the Revolution, the temple was closed and rebuilt into a book archive. At that time, the walls of the temple were plastered. During the reconstruction, the pristine paintings of the 17th century hidden under a coat of plaster were found. Now, the church is famous for unique architectural, art and religious values.

One of the most-visited culture centers of Mogilev is the Local History Museum started being formed in 1928. Now, the museum houses a lot of unique art and religious exhibits. One of the main values of the museum is the Cross of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk that is one of the most important religious relics of Belarus. The visitors of the museum have an opportunity to see the collection of old jewels. Most of the exhibits are dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.

In the immediate surroundings of Mogilev, there is the interesting outdoor ethnographic museum called the Belarus Village. It is adorned in the style of the classic village of the 19th century. The museum will impress not only with multiple unique examples of traditional architecture, but also with its picturesque landscape design. On its territory, there are different themed constructions that house the collections of interesting exhibits. There are weaver and ceramist’s houses, an old bakery, a forge, and a carpenter's house. One of the most interesting architectural monuments of the 18th century is the Palace of Archbishop built in accordance with the best classical traditions.