Traveling around the Union State: What to see in Smorgon. Sports and tourism sector Smorgon in Belarus attractions and entertainment

Smorgon was first mentioned in acts of the 14th century as a town of the Zenovich princes, which served as their residence. But Smorgon gained special, sad fame during the First World War, which today is called still unknown.

"Unknown War"

By 1914, more than 16 thousand people lived in Smorgon. But the Russian-German front line passed through the town, and until 1917 the so-called positional war was waged. In the Smorgon region, 67 concrete pillboxes have been preserved. One of them is located right next to the road and is designated as an excursion site. Another, more thorough one, is in the village of Khodoki.

Tourists coming to Smorgon are told about the heroic 810-day defense of this small town. In September 1915, retreating Russian units near Smorgon managed to stop the enemy for the first time during the war. The civilian population was ordered to leave the city within three hours. After fierce battles, Smorgon practically ceased to exist. At the end of the war, only 154 people returned here.

One of the most tragic pages of military events in these places was the use of poisonous gases. Gas attacks were first tested by the Kaiser's soldiers on June 19, 1916, near Zalesye. Soldiers unfamiliar with these terrible weapons died in the thousands. To help the wounded medical care, a mobile hospital was deployed on the railway tracks near Zalesye, headed by Countess Alexandra Tolstaya, daughter of Leo Tolstoy. But many could not be helped, so up to 1,200 soldiers were buried a day. There were six mass graves in total.

...Today about 40 thousand residents live in Smorgon. This small cozy town perfectly combines antiquity and modernity. To mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, a memorial dedicated to the events of 1914–1917 was built here.


An excellent addition to the excursion is a visit to the exhibition “Belarus during the First World War” at the Smorgon Museum of History and Local Lore.

Dancing bears

During a tour of Smorgon, guests are told fascinating stories from the past. One of them is about the Smorgon Academy, a bear training school. It became especially widely known under Karol Stanisław Radziwill, nicknamed “Pané Kohanku” (1734–1790). During its heyday, up to 10 bears were trained at the “academy”. Their training lasted about 6 years and was carried out in several stages. At first, young bear cubs were taught to “dance”, for which they were placed in a special cage, the metal bottom of which was heated.

Having taught them to stand on their hind legs and shift from one paw to the other to the sounds of a tambourine and horn, they moved on to the next stage of training: they taught them to fight, bow, etc.

In the spring, the guides, together with the scientific bears, went to work at fairs in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia, Hungary, and Germany. In the fall we returned back to Smorgon. Until the 30s of the 20th century, on the territory of Belarus, wandering gypsies with a bear were called “Smargonski vuchytsel z vuchnem.” The fact of the existence of the “Smorgon Academy” formed the basis of the city coat of arms. It is an image on a silver field of a Spanish shield standing on a red lattice on the hind legs of a black bear, in the front paws of which is the Radziwill coat of arms “Trumpets”. Today in the city center you can see a monument to dancing bears...

Famous bagels

Another story is connected with... steering wheels. Smorgon is traditionally considered the birthplace of bagels. This fact was first mentioned by William Pokhlebkin in his cookbooks: “...The homeland of bagels is the city of Smorgon in Belarus, where narrow flagella were first made from choux (boiled) dough and baked into baked dough (products made from scalded dough”). It is assumed that the bagels were initially used as a “ration” for the students of the Bear Academy and their guides.

In the 19th century, Smorgon bagels became widely known in Belarus and abroad. Adam Kirkor in his work “Picturesque Russia” wrote: “In Smorgon, Oshmyany povet, Vilna province, almost the entire bourgeois population is busy baking small bagels, or pretzels, which are very famous under the name Smorgon boiled eggs. Every passerby is sure to buy several bundles of these bagels; in addition, they are delivered to Vilna and other cities.” Today is the recipe for this delicacy - alas! – lost.

Sacred monuments

Despite its rich past in historical events, Smorgon nevertheless has virtually no major architectural landmarks preserved. The exception is the defensive church in the name of St. Michael, built in the Renaissance style. The walls of the structure are very powerful - from 1.8 to 3 meters in thickness. In 1866 the church turned into a church, in 1921 - again into a church. In 1947, it shared the fate of many sacred buildings and was closed, after which it was used as a store, exhibition hall and museum. In 1990 it was handed over to believers.


This is what the temple looked like during the First World War

Under the temple itself there is a dungeon, which is the tomb of the Zenovich family. The tomb has not yet been fully explored, but the legends that there are underground passages from it to Vilnius (Vilnius) and Krevo have not been confirmed. In 2003, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the first mention of Smorgon in historical chronicles, the Church of St. Michael was renovated.

Monument to Bogushevich

In September 2009, a Grand opening monument to the founder of new Belarusian literature Frantishk Bogushevich (1840–1900). The ceremony was timed to coincide with the XVI Day of Belarusian Literature. The monument is a 3.6 m high bronze statue of the poet, which rests on a block of light gray granite and a meter-long light gray granite pedestal. There is a bronze plaque on it with Bogushevich’s call to the people: “Don’t give up on our Belarusian language, lest they die.”

What is Smorgon? Regional center in Belarus. You might have heard about it if you were interested in the history of wars.
In the harsh year of 1812, Napoleon, retreating from Moscow, still pretended that he was an army commander who was temporarily failing. After spending the night in Smorgon, he spat on the remnants of his army, shook off its ashes from his feet and, with a small convoy, rushed to Paris with all the speed his carriage was capable of.
In the no less harsh year of 1915, Smorgon became the center of military operations of the 1st World War. All its residents were ordered to leave the city within 3 hours, and it became a front-line city for three years.
It was my first time in Smorgon and I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of interesting things to see there and more. By “not only” I mean delicious Smorgon ice cream. If you happen to come through this town, be sure to stop by the store that proudly calls itself GUM and buy a nondescript plastic cup of vanilla ice cream. The taste is like in Soviet times. No margarine or palm oil taste, pure cow cream taste and just enough sugar. An incomparable delicacy!

Why is Smorgon family-friendly? But because at the entrance to the center of the Belarusian town of Smorgon you are greeted by a registry office with painted doves:

Like, have you arrived, lovebirds? Please sign the document!
At the same time, all conditions have been created for lovers. Here's a kissing stool for you please:

Above the bench there are still a couple of doves cooing about love:


If it's not clear in pigeon, here's the translation, carved in stone:

Right behind the bench there is an openwork bridge, especially for those who want to hang a lock (what an idiot came up with!). Adorable bridge:


And only after all the procedures can you begin to do what the waiting lady, again carved in stone, hints at. Like, you managed to turn to stone, but you still don’t go!

Although, if you go to reverse direction, then the reverse sequence of actions will result. But you still can’t escape the registry office!
There is a church exactly opposite the registry office. Even though it’s a remake, it’s very beautiful:

Do you want to get married? There is no need to go far, everything is at the service of the couple.
Oh, are you Catholics? If you please, there is a church across the river. Archangel Michael.


But before we approach the church, pay attention to the summer amphitheater. How interesting it is built: the stage is on one bank of the river, and the seats for spectators are on the other. Artists can perform boldly. Even if the spectators want to beat them, they won’t swim across the river!

Now the church is closer. It is very ancient, built in 1606-1612.


From the outside the temple has corners, but from the inside it appears round. There are no supporting pillars, giving the impression of space and light. The depth of the windows shows how thick the wall is.


Why I love you Catholic churches- there are always beautiful flower beds near them:


The most elegant man in Smorgon is Christ standing near the church:

The church is dedicated to the Archangel Michael, who also stands nearby, dressed in a luxurious skirt, sparkling with his bare knees and trampling on the unfortunate little devil. It’s somehow strange that he’s holding the sword behind his head, as if he’s about to blow off half his own head.

Well, okay, this is his harsh choice.

A memorable feature of Smorgon is the abundance of stones. On the main square there is a stone with the city's coat of arms:


There are several pieces near the bridge:

It was kind of like a shell. But we disagreed on the next stone: either a cactus, or a hedgehog, or a turtle:

The rest didn’t even try to guess:

There are a lot of similar boulders with images in the city park across the river:


The poet Franciszak Bogushevich is also standing, leaning against a huge stone. Stands, frowning sternly. He is probably dissatisfied that schoolchildren are walking in the park, instead of cramming his poems from the collections “Belarusian Pipes” and “Belarusian Flute”.

A memorial sign about the bear academy is also carved on stone:


Near pretty sculptural group, depicting an academy pet:


It would be funny if you didn’t know with what harsh methods bears were taught to dance in the once famous Smorgon “bear academy”. They dug a hole, lit a fire, put a copper sheet on top and drove the bear onto it. The bear began to raise his legs one by one to save his heels from the heat. The hosts were beating the tambourine at this time. After a couple of such sessions, the bear developed a reflex. Hearing a tambourine, he immediately began to shift and jump, as if dancing. The owners took him around the markets, showing him bear dances for money.

When I saw this animal, at first it seemed that a new bear was being brought to the academy for training:


This is the cute town of Smorgon in Belarus.
The main street is decorated with pre-revolutionary houses where shops were usually located:


On the main square, of course, there is a monument to the soldiers of the Patriotic War:

Vladimir Ilyich leaned forward on a high pedestal and looked in to see how the people lived there without his behests.

Yes, somehow he’s doing well.
So don't forget to try the local ice cream!

Smorgon - beautiful city, located on the banks of the Oksna and Gervyatka rivers, 110 kilometers from Minsk, very close to the Lithuanian border. Excursions to Smorgon are included in many tours for those who choose to holiday in Belarus.

It is quite difficult to say exactly where the name of the city came from. Historians propose a version of the merger of two words “morgue” (a unit of area measurement in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) and “goni” (arable land) into the expression “with morgue goni” - that is, a land plot the size of a morgue, which peasants received from the prince-owners land. According to another version, in these places there lived people who drove tar -smar, called them “smarogons”, which gave the name to the settlement.

The city was first mentioned in the 15th century as the town of Zenovich, who founded their residence here. Later, the estate and land became the property of the Radziwill princes, to whom Smorgon owes much of the bright pages of its history.

The famous “Smorgon Bear Academy” was founded in the city. She gained wide fame under Karol Radziwill “Pan Kohanku”, at that time 10 bears were trained at the academy. For this reason, wandering gypsies with a bear were often called “Smorgon teacher and student.” It is no coincidence that the city’s coat of arms depicts a black bear standing on its hind legs with the Radziwill coat of arms “Pipes” in its paws.

Due to its convenient location, Smorgon was often used by conquerors as a headquarters or headquarters. Moscow also stayed here Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and the Swedish king Charles 12, and Napoleon, and Kutuzov.

During the liberation uprising of 1830-1831, Smorgon became one of the centers of the struggle. Here rebel regiments were formed under the leadership of the owner of Smorgon, Count Przezdetsky. However, for participation in the uprising, the land was taken away from the count and transferred to the state.

During the First World War, the city was destroyed, its restoration took years.

The visiting card of the city is the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Smorgon. Built in the 16th century as a Calvinist gathering by the city owner Christoph Zenovich, the temple after some time was given to Catholics, in 1866 to Orthodox, then again to Catholics. IN Soviet time there was a store and a museum in the temple. In 1990, the church was given to believers. Legends say that under the temple there is a tomb of the Zenovich family and a system of underground passages leading to Vilna and Kreva.

Surprisingly, Smorgon is the birthplace of bagels. It is believed that bagels were originally intended for training bears, but over time they spread throughout Belarus and beyond.

In addition to the traditional monument to Lenin, you can see the monument to F. Bogushevich, the famous Belarusian writer. The monument was erected for the Day of Writing. A very unusual monument from 1928 to the 10th anniversary of Polish independence in Smorgon has survived to this day. It will also be interesting to look at the monument erected for the 500th anniversary of the city, on which there is an image of the coat of arms.

A visit to Smorgon will be remembered for a long time by a tourist who prefers excursions around Belarus - many stories and legends, sights and old monuments will not leave anyone indifferent.

The city of Smorgon is the center of the district of the same name in the Grodno region of Belarus. It is located on a river called Oksna, which is a left tributary of a river called Viliya, as well as its tributary, a river called Gervyatka.

It is located 110 kilometers from Minsk and 260 kilometers from Grondo. About 37,000 people live on its territory. This number includes not only Belarusians, but also Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, and many other nationalities.

History of Smorgon

The very first mention of a place called Smorgon was in the documents of the Vileika diocese. At that moment, the territory of the city was owned by the princes Zenovich. In 1533, the first Calvinist cathedral was founded in the city, and in 1590 the first school, hospital and paper factory were built. Find out which one here.

In the 17th century, the territory became the property of Radzillov, who created a bear training school here, which was called the “Smorgon Academy”. In 1795 the city became part of the Russian Empire.

Through the territory modern city Napoleonic troops retreated in 1812. City status was granted by Nicholas II in 1904. During the 1st World War the city was completely destroyed; only in the period 1960-1980 a large number of large industrial enterprises were built in Smorgon.

What is the best way to get to Smorgon

Transportation of goods and passengers is carried out entirely by the branch of Car Park No. 17. From the bus station located in Smorgon, 7 international routes depart (to Minsk, Komarovo, Baranovichi, Svir, Grodno, Molodechno), as well as 33 suburban ones. The route from Postava to Grodno also passes through the city. In addition, 12 routes operate in Smorgon public transport: 3 express routes, as well as 9 regular services.

Prices in Smorgon

It cannot be said that in the city of Smorgon there are too many shops or shopping centers. Trade in this city is basically at the same level as throughout Belarus. In addition, it cannot be said that prices here are noticeably different from other cities. In principle, we can safely say that in none of the Belarusian cities there are prices that are very different from each other. Throughout the country, prices remain at the same, certain level.

The same can be said about room prices in numerous hotels and hotels. That is why you can safely choose any hotel or inn you like, only based on its location in the city center.

What interesting places can you see in Smorgon

On the territory of the modern city of Smorgon there is a Church named after St. Michael the Archangel. This church was built during the Renaissance. The thickness of the church walls ranges from 1.8 to 3 meters. It was built back in 1552. And in 1866 the church became a church, and was converted back into a church in 1921. In 1947, the church was closed, and then was turned first into a store, then into an exhibition hall, and then into a museum. Only in 1990 the church was again returned to the ownership of believers.

Under the church there is a dungeon, which since ancient times has been considered the tomb of the Zenovich family. Since the tomb has not yet been explored, there are legends that there are a large number of passages in the dungeon as far as Krevo and Vilnius. In 2003, cosmetic repairs were carried out on the church, thanks to which it acquired an attractive appearance. Despite the fact that the city has a long history, very few historical attractions have been preserved here.

Nature and climate

The main part of the territory in the region is located in the Narachan-Vileya lowland. And her South part located on the Oshmyany Upland. The highest place in the area is a city called Milidavskaya, the height here is about 320 meters. The city territory contains a large amount of mineral resources: peat, sand for construction, sand and gravel material, loam, and clay.

In the month of January average temperature is about 6.2 degrees below zero, and in the month of July it is about 18 degrees above zero. The city receives about 6 hundred millimeters of precipitation per year. In addition, not only the river itself, called Viliya, flows through the entire region, but also a large number of its tributaries.

About 38 percent of all areas of the city are forested. A biological reserve called Dubatovskoe has also been created in the city area, as well as - local significance biological lakes Blue.

Smorgon Photos

The city of Smorgon, Grodno region, is by no means a bearish corner on the map of Belarus. Lives in the district center more than 37 thousand people. But the history of the city is closely connected with bears...

Glory to the Smorgon Academy

In the 17th-18th centuries, the famous “bear academy”, a school for training bears, operated in Smorgon. Clubfoot students from Smorgon amused people not only at fairs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but also in Europe. They founded the bear school of the Radziwills, who owned the city. And the cubs were brought from the surrounding forests.

There is a version that successful bears were fed bagels, which were baked in the city for two centuries. Moreover, Smorgon is called the birthplace of bagels.

The bear training school was closed in the 1870s, but managed to bring fame to Smorgon. The “Smorgon Academy” was glorified in the poem of the same name by the Belarusian classic Rygor Borodulin, and in 2014 the townspeople erected a sculptural composition in honor of the bear school.

Black bear takes central place and on the coat of arms of Smorgon, established in 2004. The bear stands on its hind legs and holds the Radziwill coat of arms in its paws.

About the origin of the city's name

There are many interpretations of the toponym “Smorgon”. According to one of them, the name of the city comes from the combination “with morgue goni.” In the distant past, “morgues” measured land areas (1 morgue – 0.7 hectares), and arable plots were called “gonya”. There is information that the Zenovichs, who owned the town, allocated no more than 1 morgue to the villagers. Hence the combination.

According to another version, among the first settlers there were those who, after clearing the site, uprooted stumps and drove turpentine from them - “smar”. These were called “smarogons”.

7 milestones in the history of Smorgon

This Western Belarusian city, located on the Oksna and Gervyatka rivers, has a rich and eventful history, but it has not always spared it from wars and devastation. Thus, during World War I, it was near Smorgon that Russian troops used a gas balloon attack for the first time in history. In 1921, Smorgon had only 154 inhabitants.

    1503 – first mention (about the construction of the Church of St. Nicholas the Archangel by Zenovich).

    1590 – a paper mill was founded in Smorgon.

    1762-1790 – Smorgon was owned by Karol Stanislav Radziwill (Pane Kohanku), who founded the “bear academy”.

    1812 (December 5) - Napoleon transfers control of the army to Murat in Smorgon and leaves for Paris. The French are retreating. Within a couple of days, Kutuzov’s headquarters was located here.

    1972 - 1976 - optical machine-tool factories, milk powder and a flax plant were put into operation in Smorgon.

    2003 – Smorgon celebrated its 500th anniversary.

Land of Oginsky and Bogushevich

The Smorgon land has become the homeland and haven for many wonderful people. Thus, near Smorgon (the village of Zalesye), the composer and diplomat Michal Kleofas Oginsky, who wrote the famous polonaise “Farewell to the Motherland,” lived in his family nest. Oginski Manor (“Northern Athens”) – a must-see tourist routes according to Smorgon.

And in Kushlyany, not far from the regional center, there is the estate of Frantishka Bogushevich, the founder of Belarusian literature. In 2009, a monument to the writer was erected in Smorgon - the only one in Belarus.

Smorgon – hometown for the famous Belarusian poet and prose writer Vladimir Neklyaev.

To experience and understand this city, you must definitely touch the walls of the defensive church of St. Nicholas the Archangel, visit the rock garden and the Winter Garden greenhouse, taste the local bagels and not forget about the bears...

 

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