Some tourists travel to sky-high distances to visit historical places, although there are unique ancient monuments in their native land that allow you to look into the distant past, to touch the history of your people. Almost all cities of Belarus can boast of such interesting objects. There is one among them, called Orsha, a visit to which will certainly leave a lot of enthusiastic impressions.
A few words about history
Belarus has been writing its history since time immemorial. Orsha, located in its eastern part, is the same age as Minsk. The first time it is mentioned in the famous "Tale of Bygone Years". We are talking about the year 1067, when the gullible prince Vseslav of Polotsk crossed the river to Orsha on a boat to meet with the Yaroslavich princes. Those guests were captured and put in jail. Only then it was not a city, but a village called not Orsha, but Rsha (Rzha). "O" was added later. Since then, these lands have seen a lot of good and bad. They were inThe Principality of Polotsk, into Lithuanian, into Russian, until finally after the October Revolution they became part of the Belarusian Soviet Republic. The transition from one owner to another was always accompanied by heavy fighting. Historical evidence of a bloody massacre, called the "battle of Orsha", which took place during the war between Russia and Lithuania (1514), has been preserved. Napoleon also smashed and burned Orsha. By the way, then the commandant here was Marie-Henri Bayle, more familiar to us as the great Stendhal. The last wave of destruction and horror swept over the city during the Second World War. The Nazis brought a lot of grief, but Orsha rose again from the ashes, and now it hospitably welcomes all its tourists.
Location and road connections
There are several settlements with the name Orsha. So, in Russia there are three villages in the Pskov and Tver regions with the same name, the city of Orsha (Belarus) is located about 200 km from Minsk in the east, and 80 km from Vitebsk in the south. The city spread out at the mouth of the Orshitsa, on the banks of this river and the Dnieper. The city has always lay on important trade routes from Russia to Poland and Ukraine. Now it is called the "Eastern Gate" of Belarus. Two international highways pass through Orsha (M1 and M8). The M1 highway, popularly called the Olympic, is a paid one. In addition, Belarusian highways go through Orsha to Krichev, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Lepel, Dubrovno and Shklov.
Rail transport
Drive to Orshapossible by rail. Back in 1871, the first railway line was laid here, connecting Smolensk and Brest. This event was a turning point in the history of the city. And although Orsha has always occupied an important place as a trade and economic hub, the "piece of iron" served as the very factor that led to the fantastically rapid growth and development of the city. That is why the sights of Orsha include in their list an old steam locomotive, standing in a place of honor near the Central Station. And the building itself, erected in 1912, is an architectural monument. Before him, there was another, wooden station, but to this day it has not been preserved. Orsha is the largest railway junction where international trains from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vilnius, Lvov, Kyiv, Chisinau stop. There is also a commuter service connecting Orsha with many cities and towns in Belarus.
The oldest monument
Walking along the streets of Orsha, guests are surprised by the abundance of buildings with signs "Historical and cultural value". It turns out that almost every house here is a landmark. However, there is one particularly revered place, which is indicated by almost every tourist map of the city of Orsha. This is Zamchische (or Settlement). Here, many centuries ago, stood the Orsha Castle, from which the city began its life. Five centuries ago, he was a formidable handsome man with five towers, armed with cannons, arquebuses, and turrets. Unfortunately, now only images on old maps and a sign in the form of a high gate remain from it. But for the townspeople this is the placesacred. They say that there is even a special boulder that can heal any ailment. And they also say that there are still secret passages under the castle, stretching to the "White Kovel" - another dilapidated castle in the neighboring village of Smolyany.
Monasteries
Monasteries, active or not, always attract attention. We can say that these are the most ancient sights of Orsha. There are several in the city. Kuteinsky male Svyato-Bogoyavlensky, built on the Kuteinka River in 1620, survived the era of prosperity and complete oblivion. Once upon a time, a printing house was opened here and the first Belarusian "Primer" was published. Now the monastery and the Holy Trinity Church under it have been restored again. Less fortunate was the Basilian monastery, of which only one dilapidated building remained. Not much has survived from the monastery of the Trinitarians, but the city registry office is now located within its walls and a wonderful fresco is stored, so it will stand for a long time. But the Assumption Monastery, which survived the rout and conflagration, was restored and is functioning again. The Dominican monastery has also been restored and reconstructed. Today it is the Church of St. Joseph the Betrothed.
Famous collegium
Speaking about the sights of Orsha, it is impossible to ignore the Jesuit Collegium. Founded in 1612, it operated until 1820. The college building is very beautiful. It has not only been completely restored, but also complemented by a colorful clock tower. Now there is a gallery, a library for children and part of the city executive committee. And in the XVII-XVIII centuries herea school for the children of the city nobility, the Orsha theater were organized, a church worked. At the monastery there was a bursa, a good library, a boarding school for students from distant villages. Today fairs, all city holidays, festivals, music and entertainment shows are held near the collegium.
Sights of the present
Monuments and monuments dedicated to the heroic struggle of the townspeople against the Nazis also make up the sights of Orsha. Belarus sacredly keeps the memory of its defenders and liberators, because in this country the Nazis destroyed three-quarters of the population. Of particular interest to the younger generation and tourists is the memorial complex "For our Soviet Motherland" (the second name is "Katyusha"). It was in Orsha that this weapon was tested, which horrified the Germans. In 1941, several experimental shells were fired here within just 8 seconds, completely destroying trains with German equipment. Being in Orsha, one cannot but lay flowers at the Mound of Immortality, where there is also a handful of earth from the Brest Fortress.
And children, no doubt, will enjoy a walk through the wonderful Fairytale Country park, where you can see Gulliver, Gena the crocodile singing to the button accordion about a birthday, a fabulous gin and many other favorite fairy-tale characters. There is even a small railway in the park, and a cheerful train rides kids along alleys immersed in flowers and greenery.
Museums
A story about the sights of Orsha would be incomplete without mentioningmuseums located in the city and region.
The museum of ethnography "Mlyn", located in the building of an old mill, is always popular with tourists. It operates from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm.
Most recently opened and immediately became a favorite Museum of Wooden Sculptures. All of its exhibits are made by the most talented carver Semyon Shavrov. The sculptures look so realistic that they seem alive. The museum has a workshop where the followers of the talented master teach the art of carving to everyone.
Not far from the city, in the village of Levki, there is a complex-reserve Yanka Kupala. It is open for visits all days except Monday.
And another must-see place is the museum of the partisan Zaslonov, the former leader of the partisan army in the Orsha region.
