Big Mogilev and Mogilev region Travel Guide: top 10 places to visit

The moment of the emergence of Mogilev city is considered to be 1267. That year, the construction of the Mogilev Castle also began. At that time, the city was surrounded by 3 belts of fortifications and a river, which means it was also the most protected settlement on the territory of present-day Belarus. Today Mogilev is the fourth city in terms of the number of inhabitants after Minsk, Gomel and Vitebsk. As of January 1, 2020, 357,100 people lived here.

Mogilev region is the smallest in Belarus. As of January 1, 2021, 1,014,843 people lived here. The largest cities of the Mogilev region are Mogilev, Bobruysk, Horki and Osipovichi.

Forests occupy more than 40% of the Mogilev region territory. There are no national parks here, but rare animals live in the forests. Phosphorites, chalk, clay, peat, and oil are also mined in the Mogilev region. Moreover, thanks to the large number of places with mineral waters and sapropel fertilizers, health complexes and sanatoriums are being built here.

Sights of Mogilev

Mogilev

There are many monuments of the Soviet era in Mogilev, which can be seen on Lenina Square, Stars Square and Slavy Square. But the city keeps its diversity thanks to the places of other centuries and periods of Belarusian history. Here you can visit the Maslennikov Art Museum, Fire museum and restaurant, City Hall, Ethnographic Museum, Archbishop 's Palace and The Church of St. Stanislaus. We will tell you about the 3 most important sights of the city.

St. Nicholas Monastery in Mogilev

Address: Mogilev, Trubnickich Street 19

Opening hours: Mon-Sun from 8am to 8pm

The first mention of the Church of St. Nicholas, which was located on the territory of the modern St. Nicholas Monastery, dates back to 1522. After a great fire, it completely burned down, and in 1637 a temporary wooden church and monastic cells were built here. This is how the modern monastery was founded. In 1627, stone buildings in the Baroque style were built up on the site of wooden buildings. Then the main church was built, consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas. During the XVII–XVIII centuries residential buildings, a fence with gates, a belfry were also equipped here.

Since 1991, a convent has been located here. And in 2007, all restoration work on the territory of the monastery was completed. It is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

You can enter the monastery for free to visit the temple and take a walk on the territory.

Mogilev Drama Theater

Address: Mogilev, Pervomayskaya Street 7

Opening hours: the ticket offices work according to an individual schedule.

You can buy tickets online.

The building of the Mogilev Theater is an architectural monument of the XIX century, located in the historical part of the city. The first theatrical season began here in 1889. During the First World War, Emperor Nicholas II of Russia lived in Mogilev. Since there were few cultural institutions in the city, he regularly visited the city theater. The box he usually occupied has since been called the imperial box.

In 2003, a youth studio and an experimental stage opened in the theater. Since 2006, the theater forum "M.art. contact" of international significance has been held here. Today, the Mogilev Theater has its own troupe of more than 30 actors who constantly go on tour and participate in festivals.

You can just explore the building while walking in downtown. Or you can see a play. You can view the poster on the theater's website. All performances are staged in Russian.

Mogilev subway

Address: Mogilev, Chelyuskintsev Street

In the underpass that leads to the Dnieper River, a museum of old photographs of Mogilev was set up. They are arranged in chronological order. Here you can follow city changes over time. The exposition ends with an illustrated map of the city with the main attractions.

Since this is a functioning underpass, it is open around the clock. Admission is free. Going further along, you can get to the embankment of the Dnieper.

Mogilev region

There are many wells with mineral water in the Mogilev region, which is used for medical procedures. The Sosny Sanatorium has two mineral wells. In the Shinnik Sanatorium, which is located near Bobruysk, there are also water sources of high mineralization. Near to it there is located a Lenina Sanatorium with a record number of mineral wells, where you can also undergo mud treatment.

There are not so many palaces and castles in the Mogilev region. But we managed to find significant historical sites that will interest fans of museum tourism. They are located in the city of Bobruysk, Mstsislaw, Krychaw and Slawharad.

Bobruysk

How to get there: trains and shuttle buses travel from Minsk to Bobruysk. You can get from Mogilev to Bobruysk by bus.

Bobruysk Fortress

Address: Bobruysk, Karbysheva Street 11

The Bobruysk Fortress is the central monuments of the city's history. It was built on the territory of the old city for the defense of the western borders of Russia in 1811. By the beginning of the war of 1812, more than 300 guns had been put into service with the fortress. Its garrison numbered about 4 thousand people. The fortress was considered an important stronghold of the Russian army on the way of the southern strategic flank of the Napoleonic troops.

The long-term defensive buildings of the fortress were made of brick, had vaulted ceilings, loopholes. There are only two fortresses of this type on the territory of Belarus: Bobruysk and Brest. At the same time, the Brest Fortress lacks some types of fortifications that have been preserved in the Bobruysk Fortress.

Restoration work is currently underway on the territory of the fortress. There is free admission, you can see architecture by yourself.

House of merchant woman Katsnelson in Bobruysk

Address: Bobruysk, Internatsionalnaya Street 2

The house of the merchant woman Katsnelson is one of the most striking sights of Bobruysk and a monument of wooden architecture in the Art Nouveau style. По легенде, Паи-Брайна Кацнельсон. There is a legend that the merchant lady Pai-Bryna Katsnelson, who was engaged in the timber trade, drew attention to this house during a trip to the Baltic region. She bought the building and moved it to Bobruysk in 1912.

Since 2014, the building has been closed, as it needs renovation. However, this does not prevent admiring its carved windows, towers and unusual attic.

Mstsislaw: ancient Castle Mountain

How to get there: from Mogilev to Mstsislaw, you can get by bus or taxi. You can also take a train from Minsk or Mogilev to Krychaw, from there by bus to Mstsislaw.

The city of Mstsislaw belongs to the oldest cities in Belarus. Its first mention dates back to 1156. The city was conveniently located at the crossroads of land roads from west to east, which contributed to its heyday. In 1569, Mstsislaw became the center of the greater Mstsislaw Voivodeship, which included Mogilev, Krychaw and Orsha.

There are two mountains in Mstsislaw, which are archaeological monuments. A settlement of the I century was found on the Maiden Mountain. There are no buildings here, only a rounded earthen rampart.

The inner city fortress of the ancient city was located on the Castle Mountain. The mountain was also surrounded by a deep moat. During excavations, the remains of ancient fortifications, ancient houses, streets paved with logs were found here. Today there are new wooden towers on the Castle Mountain, which you can climb.

On the Castle Mountain there is a museum with some fragments of the ancient city discovered during archaeological work.

The museum works according to the schedule:

Mon-Tue, Sat from 8am to 5pm (break from 1pm to 2pm)
Wed-Fri from 8am to 6pm
Sun from 10am to 3pm (break from 1pm to 1:20 pm)

Tickets: from BYN2. There is a tour guide.

Krychaw

How to get there: you can get from Minsk and Mogilev to Krychaw by train.

Potemkin Palace in Krychaw

Address: Krychaw, Leninskaya Street 59

Opening hours: Mon-Sun from 9am to 5:30pm

Tickets: from BYN2.

After the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on January 11, 1776, Krychaw city came under the control of the favorite of Empress Catherine II of Russia, Prince Potemkin-Tauride. The construction of the palace was carried out from 1778 to 1787. From a bird's-eye view, the building looks like the letters "П" and "Е" (the initials of the Russian names of the Prince and the Empress).

In 2008, a lot of work was completed on the restoration of the object of historical and cultural heritage. This is a monument of classicism architecture of the XVIII century with pseudo–gothic elements. Restoration work was started in 2003 after the object was included in the State List of Historical and Cultural Values of the Republic of Belarus.

Now the registry office is located on the ground floor of the Potemkin Palace, where solemn ceremonies are held in the oval hall. The rest of the premises are occupied by the museum. The museum has interior halls with exhibits telling the history of the palace. You can book a tour online on the museum's website.

Chalk quarries in Krychaw

Address: Krychawsky district, 5 km from Krychaw

Krychaw quarries were formed in the process of chalk mining. Because of the blue water of the lake and the white sand, it is called the Belarusian Maldives. It is better to get from the highway to the quarries on foot or by bike, since there is no equipped road for large-sized transport.

Krychaw quarries do not comply with all safety rules, therefore they are not suitable for swimming. The quarries have steep slopes that are not fortified or equipped, and there are several springs with cold water in the lake. If you want to visit this place, do not go close to the water.

Other attractions in the Mogilev region

Blue Well in Slawharad

Address: Slawharadsky district, 2.5 km from Slawharad, Blakitnaja Krynica lake

How to get there: you can get to Blue Well only by car or by taxi from Slawharad.

Blue Well is the largest spring in Belarus. The water in this lake never freezes. At its bottom there is a crater, from which underground mineral waters flow. The approximate depth of this mine is 200 meters. This is the most powerful spring of the ascending type in Eastern Europe — it throws out 5 thousand cubic meters of water per day.

Studies have confirmed that the water in the spring remains clean, despite the territories affected by the Chernobyl disaster. All residents were then relocated from the nearest village. Therefore, the spring is a place of pilgrimage for believers. There is a chapel on the shore of the lake. The mass pilgrimage takes place on August 14.

Bulgakov Palace in Zhilichi

Address: Zhilichi, Mira Street 5

Opening hours:

Mon-Sat from 9am to 6pm (break from 1pm to 2pm).
Sunday — by agreement.
Guided tours are available by appointment.

Tickets: from BYN1.

How to get there: buses run from Bobruysk, Mogilev, Rogachev and Kirovsk to Zhilichi village.

In 1815, Ignatius and Vincent Bulgaks, representatives of the Bulgaks noble family, bought the estate with 673 male serfs from Franciszek Sapieha. The construction of the palace in the classical style began in 1823. In 1953, the palace was taken under state protection as a monument of history and culture, and restoration work began in 2009. In 2011, the opening of the first stage of restoration took place: a children's art school, a museum and a library. By 2022, the restoration of the museum, gallery and interiors of the palace should be completed.

Now there is a museum in the palace. However, you can freely walk around the territory and inspect a large elegant and austere building with rich stucco. All the facades of the palace are decorated with flower garlands, there are many ceremonial halls inside for holding special events.

Take a look at our other guides on Belarus:

Photo: 34travel.me