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 Byelorussian SSR. Today the population of the city is more than 380 thousand people. Geographically, the city is divided into two parts by the Dnieper River flowing here: the Zadneprovskaya part and the indigenous part. 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 5th century, and already in the 10th century there was a settlement here. There are several legends about the founding of Mogilev. According to one of them, the city was founded by craftsmen and merchants around the castle, built in 1267 by order of Prince Leo Mogii. Archaeologically, this legend has not been proven, as the remains of the castle were never discovered.
Other legends say that the citywas built around one of the Orthodox churches, or was founded by the Polotsk prince Lev Vladimirovich.
The most famous story of the emergence of Mogilev tells that a band of robbers lived in the forest, led by Ataman Masheka, who was distinguished by inhuman strength. The boyar took away the bride from Masheka, who was at that time a peaceful peasant, and he, having decided to take revenge, went into the forest. The ataman was killed by his 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 burial place was called the “Tomb of the Lion”. That is why the city that arose here was named Mogilev.
The story of Mogilev
From the moment of its founding, the city performed the defensive functions of a fortress-settlement and, most likely, was almost completely destroyed by Tatar raids in the middle of the XIII century, which is confirmed by numerous archaeological finds.
For the first time as a settlement Mogilev is mentioned in the XIV century in the "List of Russian cities, far and near". 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 the personal possession of Queen Jadwiga of Poland, the wife of the Grand Duke of Lithuania. After 200 years, in 1503, the city was presented to another Polish queen - Elena Ivanovna.
In the 16th century, Mogilev began to actively develop and grow due to the introduction of the Magdeburg Law, which made it attractive to the neighboring states of Lithuania. So, in the middle of the XVII centurythe city was taken without a fight by the Russian army, but after seven years it returned to the Commonwe alth. The city was badly damaged during this Russian-Polish confrontation.
The years of the Russian-Swedish war of 1700-1721 also inflicted great damage on Mogilev, it was all pitted with ditches 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, not far from Mogilev, a battle took place between the Russian infantry corps and the French army led by General Davout. A monument erected here was dedicated to this event.
Mogilev in the 20th 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 headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief remained here until November 1917.
In 1938, Mogilev was supposed to be made the capital of the BSSR, so the city was actively reconstructed: a hotel, a cinema, multi-storey residential buildings were built, but as a result of the annexation 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 liberated only in June 1944of the year. 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 established 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. Oil refining, machine-building and metal-working areas make the greatest contribution to the region's economy. The largest enterprise in Europe for the production of polyester fibers operates in the city. Mogilev is also one of the educational centers of Belarus, there are 7 higher educational institutions and 12 secondary ones.
City attractions
Before 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 have been preserved in the city, such as:
- St. Nicholas Convent;
- Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption;
- Cathedral of the Three Saints;
- Ex altation of the Cross Church;
- Holy Cross Cathedral.
In addition to places of worship, there are other sights in Mogilev, each of which has historical value.
Square of Glory
During the Polish period, the history of Mogilev depicts it as a flourishing city. It was considered a major river port, and the central square was called Torgovaya. AfterAfter becoming part of the Russian Empire, the square became known as Gubernatorskaya 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 board (currently the museum of local lore).
To this day, only the fourth building from the complex has survived. After the October Revolution, the square was named Sovetskaya, it was here that demonstrative executions of partisans took place during the war of 1941-45. In 2014, the square received its current name - Glory Square.
Town Hall (Mogilev)
History says that the restoration of the city hall of the Belarusian authorities took up only in 2007, although the symbolic foundation stone was held in the early 90s. XX century. The question of building a 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 was completely burned down, due to which its location changed several times.
The stone town hall was built during 1679-1698, the roof was covered with tiles, the town hall had two porches with gilded weathervanes installed above them. The height of the tower with the spire was 46 meters. During the Russo-Swedish War of 1700-1721, the town hall was destroyed, but a few decades later it was restored. In 1780, Empress Catherine the Great also visited the town hall.
During the Great Patriotic War, the town hall was badly damaged, it was recognizedhistorical monument of all-Union significance. Despite the decision taken by the executive committee to restore the town hall, work never began, and in 1957 it was completely blown up. City Hall was completely restored and opened to the public in 2008.
The Museum of the History of Mogilev is located in the City Hall. The exposition halls are located on two floors of the building. They contain exhibits from the 10th - early 20th centuries, which tell about the important events of the settlement. The Museum of the History of the City of Mogilev is waiting for its visitors from 10 am to 6 pm. Monday and Tuesday are days off.
Rampant field
This memorial complex is located in the village of Buynichi near Mogilev. It was here in the summer of 1942 that stubborn battles between the Soviet army and the German invaders went on for two weeks. The complex was opened in 1995 and covers an area of more than 20 hectares. It consists of an arch, which is connected to the 27-meter chapel by an alley. The walls of the chapel are made of light marble, which is inscribed with the names of soldiers and partisans of the Great Patriotic War. Under the chapel there is a crypt where the remains of the fallen soldiers were reburied, which are still being found by search parties.
Polykovichskaya spring
This miraculous spring is known far beyond the city, it was discovered in the middle of the 16th century. Water, gathering at the bottom of the ravine from the spring, flows into the Dnieper. In the 19th century, by order of Count Rimsky-Korsakov, a chapel of St. Praskovia was built here. From that moment on, ladles began to arrive at the source, and aboutthe source was spoken of as miraculous. Every year on January 19, people come to the spring for miraculous Epiphany water.
Moscow and Tula courtyards
On Leninskaya Street in Mogilev there 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, a copy of the Arbat wall of Tsoi is located nearby, other surfaces are painted with scenes on the Moscow theme.
Here, on Leninskaya 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 entire courtyard is decorated with images of the coat of arms of Tula and scenes from the life of the city.
Mogilev Drama Theater
The history of Mogilev tells that until the middle of the 19th century there was no theater in the city, and itinerant troupes showed their performances in the open air. And from 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 money collected from voluntary donations from the city's residents. In total, more than 50 thousand rubles were spent. At the main entrance to the theater there was a sculpture on the Chekhov theme - the famous Lady with a dog.
Sundial
In the center of Mogilev there are real solarclock showing the exact time. There is also a sculpture of the Astrologer and 12 chairs - symbols of the zodiac. The Stargazer sculpture holds a telescope equipped with a searchlight whose evening beam is visible from space.
