The ancient Russian city of Mstislavl - Yuriev - history - catalog of articles - unconditional love. Mstislavl: a city of ancient history Where did the name of the city Mstislavl come from?
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Story
Ancient history
The oldest settlement on the territory of the city is the settlement (Devichya Gora) of the Dnieper-Dvina culture (before the 1st century BC). But the city directly arose on Castle Hill: in 1959, a cultural layer with wooden buildings and objects of the 12th century was found here. The ancient city consisted of a princely castle with a rampart and a moat and a nearby settlement. In 1980, a fragment of a birch bark letter from the early 13th century was found in Mstislavl. In 2014, in the layer of the first half of the 12th century on the territory of the castle, another birch-bark letter and a blank of a letter were found containing two letters and the princely trident sign.
Slovak evangelist Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]][[C:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]] Daniel Krman (1663-1740) in his diary, written in Latin, tells the following about Mstislavl during the years of the Northern War: "... On this very day (September 9 (20), 1708 - approx.) We crossed the borders of Muscovy, reaching the Muscovite city of Mikhanovich (Mignovichi), located between Smolensk and Miscislavia (Mstislavl). There we heard that Miscislavia had been burned by the king"[[C:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]][[C:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]][[C:Wikipedia:Articles without sources (country: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#property" was not found. )]] .
After the war, a small obelisk was erected in the Kagalny ditch with an inscription about the "brutal execution of the Jewish population of the city of Mstislavl." After a short time, it was demolished and only in 2005 a new memorial sign was installed (this time the word Jews was not on it). In 2011, on the 70th anniversary of the tragedy, the monument was updated and an inscription was added on it: “On this place, the fascist executioners brutally killed 1300 Jews on October 15, 1941, and later in 1941-1943. - 168 Belarusians and 35 Gypsies, mostly women, children and the elderly.”
General plan
In the Mstislav Church of the Carmelites, frescoes (mid-18th century) in the Baroque style have been preserved, of which “The Capture of Mstislavl by Moscow troops in 1654” and “The Beating of Priests” stand out.
Not far from Mstislavl was the Tupichevsky Holy Spirit Monastery, where the Church of the Descent of St. Spirit with paintings on a wooden cobblestone wall.
About the city, Vladimir Korotkevich wrote a documentary book "Mstislavl".
Economy
By industry
sights
On the territory of the city there are two archaeological monuments - Devichya Gora (fortification of the 1st century BC) and Castle Hill (medieval town).
There are two monuments to Pyotr Mstislavets in the city, as well as a monument to the first county commissar and chairman of the executive committee of the Mstislav Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies A. L. Yurchenko.
Architecture
The buildings of the Carmelite (1637, rebuilt 1746-50) and Jesuit churches (1730-38, rebuilt in 1836) are of architectural interest.
Famous natives and residents of the Mstislavsky district
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An excerpt characterizing Mstislavl
Axel fell with a long kiss to her graceful hand, and when he raised his eyes, there was so much love and anxiety in them that the poor queen, unable to stand it, exclaimed:"Oh, don't worry, my friend! I am so well protected here that even if I wanted to, nothing could happen to me! Ride with God and come back soon...
Axel looked at her beautiful face so dear to him for a long time, as if absorbing every line and trying to keep this moment in his heart forever, and then he bowed low to her and quickly walked along the path to the exit, without turning around and not stopping, as if afraid that if he turns around, he simply won’t have enough strength to leave ...
And she saw him off with her huge blue eyes suddenly moistened, in which the deepest sadness lurked ... She was a queen and had no right to love him. But she was also just a woman whose heart belonged entirely to this purest, brave man forever... without asking anyone for permission...
"Oh, how sad, isn't it?" Stella whispered softly. How I wish I could help them!
– Do they need any help? I was surprised.
Stella just nodded her curly head, without saying a word, and again began to show a new episode ... I was very surprised by her deep participation in this charming story, which so far seemed to me just a very sweet story of someone's love. But since I already knew quite well the responsiveness and kindness of Stella's big heart, somewhere in the depths of my soul I was almost sure that everything would certainly not be as simple as it seems at first, and I could only wait ...
We saw the same park, but I had no idea how much time had passed there since we saw them in the last "episode".
That evening, the whole park literally shone and shimmered with thousands of colored lights, which, merging with the shimmering night sky, formed a magnificent continuous sparkling fireworks. In terms of the splendor of the preparation, it was probably some kind of grandiose party, during which all the guests, at the bizarre desire of the queen, were dressed exclusively in white clothes and, somewhat reminiscent of the ancient priests, “organized” walked through the wonderfully lit, sparkling park, heading towards the beautiful stone gazebo, called by everyone - the Temple of Love.
Temple of Love, vintage engraving
And suddenly, behind the same temple, a fire broke out... Blinding sparks soared to the very tops of the trees, staining the dark night clouds with a bloody light. The admiring guests gasped in unison, approving the beauty of what was happening... But none of them knew that, according to the Queen's plan, this raging fire expressed all the power of her love... And only one person who was present at that evening understood the true meaning of this symbol. holiday...
Excited, Axel leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. He still couldn't believe that all this stunning beauty was meant for him.
Are you satisfied, my friend? whispered a soft voice behind him.
- I'm delighted ... - Axel answered and turned around: it was, of course, she.
Only for a moment they looked at each other with rapture, then the queen gently squeezed Axel's hand and disappeared into the night...
Why has he always been so miserable in all his "lives"? - Stella was still sad for our “poor boy”.
To be honest, I haven't seen any "unhappiness" yet, so I looked at her sad face in surprise. But for some reason, the little girl stubbornly refused to explain anything further ...
The picture has changed dramatically.
A luxurious, very large green carriage was rushing along the dark night road with might and main. Axel sat in the coachman's seat and, rather skillfully driving this huge carriage, looked back and looked around with obvious anxiety from time to time. It seemed that he was in a wild hurry somewhere or was running away from someone ...
Inside the carriage sat the already familiar king and queen, and another pretty girl about eight years old, as well as two ladies still unknown to us. Everyone looked gloomy and agitated, and even the baby was quiet, as if she felt the general mood of adults. The king was dressed surprisingly modestly - in a simple gray frock coat, with the same gray round hat on his head, and the queen hid her face under a veil, and it was clear that she was clearly afraid of something. Again, this whole scene was very much like an escape ...
Just in case, I looked again in Stella's direction, hoping for an explanation, but no explanation followed - the little girl watched what was happening very intently, and in her huge puppet eyes there was a deep sadness that was not childish at all.
– Well, why?.. Why didn’t they listen to him?!.. It was so simple!.. – she was suddenly indignant.
The carriage rushed all this time at almost insane speed. The passengers looked tired and somehow lost... Finally, they drove into some large unlit courtyard, with a black shadow of a stone building in the middle, and the carriage stopped abruptly. The place looked like an inn or a large farm.
Axel jumped down to the ground and, approaching the window, was about to say something, when suddenly an authoritative male voice was heard from inside the carriage:
“Here we will say goodbye, Count. It is unworthy of me to endanger you further.
Axel, of course, who did not dare to object to the king, only had time, in parting, to briefly touch the queen's hand ... The carriage jerked ... and literally a second later disappeared into the darkness. And he was left standing alone in the middle of the dark road, wishing with all his heart to rush after them... Axel "inside" felt that he could not, had no right to leave everything to the mercy of fate! He just knew that without him, something would definitely go awry, and everything that he had organized so carefully and for so long would completely fail due to some ridiculous accident ...
The carriage had not been seen for a long time, and poor Axel was still standing and looking after them, clenching his fists with all his might in hopelessness. Angry masculine tears rolled sparingly down his deathly-pale face...
– This is the end already... I know, this is the end already... – he said quietly.
“Will something happen to them?” Why are they running away? – not understanding what is happening, I asked.
- Oh, yes! .. They will be caught very bad people and put in jail... even a boy.
“Where do you see the boy here?” I was surprised.
So he's just dressed up as a girl! Don't you understand?
I shook my head. So far, I still didn’t understand almost anything here at all - neither about the royal escape, nor about the “bad people”, but I decided to just look further, without asking anything else.
“These bad people offended the king and queen and wanted to capture them. So they tried to run. Axel arranged everything for them... But when he was ordered to leave them, the carriage went slower, because the king was tired. He even got out of the carriage to "breathe the air"... and that's where they recognized him. Well, they got it, of course...
Pogrom at Versailles Arrest of the royal family
Fear of what is happening... Seeing Marie Antoinette to the Temple
Stella sighed... and again threw us into another "new episode" of this not so happy, but still beautiful story...
This time everything looked sinister and even frightening.
We found ourselves in some kind of dark, unpleasant room, as if it were a real evil prison. In a tiny, dirty, damp and stinking room, on a wooden couch with a straw mattress, sat exhausted by suffering, dressed in black, a thin gray-haired woman in whom it was completely impossible to recognize that fabulously beautiful, always smiling miracle queen, whom young Axel most of all loved in the world...
Marie Antoinette at the Temple
He was in the same room, completely shocked by what he saw and, not noticing anything around, stood on his knees, pressing his lips to her still beautiful, white hand, unable to utter a word ... He came to her completely desperate, having tried everything in the world and having lost the last hope of saving her ... and yet, again, he offered his almost impossible help ... He was obsessed with the only desire: to save her, no matter what ... He simply could not let her to die ... Because without her, his life, already unnecessary to him, would end ...
They looked silently at each other, trying to hide the naughty tears that flowed down their cheeks in narrow paths ... Unable to take their eyes off each other, because they knew that if he failed to help her, this look could be the last for them .. .
The bald jailer looked at the heartbroken guest and, not intending to turn away, watched with interest the sad scene of someone else's sorrow unfolding before him ...
The vision disappeared and another appeared, no better than the previous one - a terrible, screaming, armed with pikes, knives and guns, a brutal crowd mercilessly destroyed the magnificent palace ...
Versailles...
Then Axel reappeared. Only this time he was standing at the window in some very beautiful, richly furnished room. And next to him stood the same "friend of his childhood" Margarita, whom we saw with him at the very beginning. Only this time, all her arrogant coldness evaporated somewhere, and her beautiful face literally breathed with participation and pain. Axel was deathly pale and, pressing his forehead against the window glass, watched with horror something happening on the street ... He heard the crowd rustling outside the window, and in a terrifying trance he loudly repeated the same words:
– My soul, I never saved you... Forgive me, my poor... Help her, give her the strength to endure this, Lord!...
– Axel, please! .. You must pull yourself together for her sake. Well, please be reasonable! - with participation persuaded his old girlfriend.
– Prudence? What kind of prudence are you talking about, Margarita, when the whole world has gone crazy?! .. - Axel shouted. - What is it for? For what?.. What did she do to them?!.
Margarita unfolded some small piece of paper and, apparently not knowing how to calm him down, said:
- Calm down, dear Axel, now listen better:
“I love you, my friend... Don't worry about me. I miss only your letters. Perhaps we are not destined to meet again ... Farewell, the most beloved and most loving of people ... ".
This was the last letter from the Queen, which Axel had read thousands of times, but for some reason it sounded even more painful from someone else's lips...
- What is it? What is going on there? - I could not stand it.
– This beautiful queen is dying… She is being executed now. Stella replied sadly.
Why can't we see? I asked again.
“Oh, you don’t want to watch this, trust me. The little girl shook her head. - It's a pity, she's so unhappy... How unfair it is.
“I would still like to see…” I asked.
“Well, look…” Stella nodded sadly.
On a huge square, chock-full of “strung-up” people, a scaffold ominously towered in the middle ... A deathly-pale, very thin and exhausted woman dressed in white proudly climbed it along the small, crooked steps. Her short-cropped blond hair was almost completely hidden by a modest white cap, and in her tired eyes, reddened from tears or insomnia, deep hopeless sadness was reflected ...
Swaying a little, because, because of her tightly tied hands behind her back, it was difficult for her to keep her balance, the woman somehow climbed onto the platform, still, with her last strength, trying to stay straight and proud. She stood and looked into the crowd, not lowering her eyes and not showing how truly she was terribly scared ... And there was no one around whose friendly look could warm the last minutes of her life ... No one who warmth could help her endure this terrifying moment when her life had to leave her in such a cruel way ...
Before that, the raging, excited crowd suddenly suddenly fell silent, as if it ran into an insurmountable obstacle ... The women standing in the front rows silently cried. A slender figure on the scaffold approached the chopping block and stumbled a little and fell painfully to her knees. For a few short seconds, she raised her exhausted, but already pacified by the nearness of death face to the sky ... took a deep breath ... and proudly looked at the executioner, laid her tired head on the chopping block. The crying became louder, the women closed their children's eyes. The executioner approached the guillotine....
- God! Not!!! Axel screamed heartbreakingly.
At that very moment, in the gray sky, the sun suddenly peeked out from behind the clouds, as if illuminating the last path of the unfortunate victim ... It gently touched her pale, terribly emaciated cheek, as if affectionately saying the last earthly "forgive me." There was a bright flash on the scaffold - a heavy knife fell, scattering bright scarlet splashes ... The crowd gasped. The blond head fell into the basket, it was all over... The beautiful queen went to where there was no more pain, no more bullying... There was only peace...
There was deadly silence all around. There was nothing else to see...
So the tender and kind queen died, who until the very last minute managed to stand with her head held high, which was then so simply and ruthlessly torn down by the heavy knife of the bloody guillotine...
Pale, frozen like a dead man, Axel looked through the window with unseeing eyes and it seemed that life was flowing out of him drop by drop, painfully slowly ... Carrying his soul far, far away, so that there, in light and silence, forever merge with the one whom he loved so deeply and selflessly...
“My poor... My soul... How did I not die with you?.. Everything is over for me now...” Axel whispered with dead lips, still standing at the window.
But everything will be “finished” for him much later, after some twenty long years, and this end will, again, be no less terrible than that of his unforgettable queen ...
- Do you want to look further? Stella asked softly.
I just nodded, unable to say a word.
We already saw another, raging, brutalized crowd of people, and in front of it stood the same Axel, only this time the action took place many years later. He was still just as handsome, only now almost completely gray-haired, in some kind of magnificent, very highly significant, military uniform, he looked all the same fit and slender.
And here, the same brilliant, smartest person stood in front of some half-drunk, brutalized people and, hopelessly trying to outshout them, tried to explain something to them... But, unfortunately, none of those present wanted to listen to him... swearing, fueling her anger, she began to press. He tried to fight them off, but they threw him to the ground, they began to brutally trample on his feet, tear off his clothes ... And some big man suddenly jumped on his chest, breaking his ribs, and without hesitation, easily killed him with a kick to the temple. Axel's naked, mutilated body was dumped on the side of the road, and there was no one who at that moment would have wanted to take pity on him, already dead ... There was only a rather laughing, drunken, excited crowd around ... who just needed to splash out on someone - something of his accumulated animal anger ...
Axel's pure, suffering soul, finally freed, flew away to unite with the one that was his bright and only love, and had been waiting for him for so many long years...
So, again, very cruelly, ended his life with Stella and me, almost unfamiliar, but who became so close, a man named Axel, and ... the same little boy who, having lived only some short five years, managed to accomplish an amazing and unique feat in his life, which any adult living on earth could be honestly proud of ...
- What a horror! .. - I whispered in shock. - Why is it so?
“I don’t know…” Stella whispered softly. “For some reason, people were very angry then, even worse than animals ... I looked a lot to understand, but I didn’t understand ...” the little girl shook her head. “They didn’t listen to reason, they just killed. And for some reason everything beautiful was also destroyed ...
- And what about Axel's children or his wife? I asked, recovering from the shock.
“He never had a wife - he always loved only his queen,” said little Stella with tears in her eyes.
And then, suddenly, a flash seemed to flash in my head - I realized who Stella and I had just seen and for whom we were so worried from the bottom of our hearts! ... It was the French queen, Marie Antoinette, whose tragic life we recently (and very briefly!) took place in a history lesson, and our history teacher strongly approved of the execution of which, considering such a terrible end to be very “correct and instructive” ... apparently because he taught us “Communism” mainly in history .. .
Despite the sadness of what happened, my soul rejoiced! I just could not believe in the unexpected happiness that fell on me! .. After all, I had been waiting for this for so long! I almost squealed from the puppyish delight that gripped me! .. Of course, I was so happy not because I did not believe in what was constantly happening to me. On the contrary, I always knew that everything that happened to me was real. But apparently I, like any ordinary person, and especially a child, still sometimes needed some, at least the simplest, confirmation that I was not going crazy yet, and that now I can prove to myself, that everything that happens to me is not just my sick fantasy or fiction, but real fact described or seen by other people. Therefore, such a discovery was a real holiday for me! ..
I already knew in advance that as soon as I returned home, I would immediately rush to city library to collect everything I can find about the unfortunate Marie Antoinette and will not rest until I find at least something, at least some fact that matches our visions ... I found, unfortunately, only two tiny books, which described not so many facts, but this was quite enough, because they fully confirmed the accuracy of what I had seen from Stella.
Here is what I was able to find then:
the queen's favorite person was a Swedish count named Axel Fersen, who selflessly loved her all his life and never married after her death;
their parting before the departure of the count to Italy took place in the garden of the Petit Trianon - Marie Antoinette's favorite place - the description of which exactly coincided with what we saw;
a ball in honor of the arrival of the Swedish king Gustav, held on June 21, where all the guests for some reason were dressed in white;
From Minsk to Mstislavl 300 kilometers. This city is located almost on the border with Russia. It takes about four hours by car. Okay, three and a half.
So, on reflection, we decided to stay for two days. Moreover, there are many interesting things here. So, Mstislavl: attractions and entertainment. The first day. Today we will climb mountains.
In general, Mstislavl stands on six mountains. We will see two - Castle (where, in fact, there was once Mstislavl Castle) and Troitskaya (famous for the sad events of World War II). Also in the program of the day is the Kagalny Well, a couple of interesting museums on the Castle Hill. And a bonus - a little about where you can spend the night.
Go!
Castle Hill in Mstislavl and its museums
According to the chronicles, Mstislavl was founded in 1135. But, in fact, people began to live here much earlier.
An ancient settlement of the 1st century AD was discovered on Maiden Mountain. It is still Baltic, founded before the arrival of the Slavs.
The Balts built interesting fortifications. They found a high hill, and then artificially cut the slopes to add steepness to them. Further - ditches and palisades. And try to take such a fortress.
By the way, there is a legend about the Maiden Mountain - they say that the girls poured it in one night so that the enemies would not take the settlement.
And it seems that the legend has some historical background - for example, they didn’t pour it, but cut it off (well, that is, they carried out work to strengthen it). And not only girls, perhaps, but all the inhabitants of the settlement ... Interesting, in a word ...
Here is Castle Hill. At the foot there are many monuments.
Castle Hill in Mstislavl
Castle Hill in Mstislavl
This one, for example, was delivered to Prince Lugven.
Mstislavl. Monument to the founder of the city
Another monument is to an unknown knight who died in 1502. They say it was found by black archaeologists. At first they wanted to remove the armor, but failed. So the knight was betrayed by the staff of the Academy of Sciences and later buried here.
Mstislavl. Monument to the unknown knight
Here is the castle gate. If you are traveling, for example, with children, you can order animation. You need to call in advance to the local center children's creativity(yes, it is there that they deal with tourism issues!), here, by the way, you can also order the services of a guide.
Castle Hill in Mstislavl. Animation - guests are met by the prince
Animation is a meeting of guests by Prince Lugven himself. And hot treats (straight from the oven on the street) plus dances from cheerful villagers.
Mstislavl. Castle Hill. Animation
What do we see on Castle Hill? There is a platform surrounded by a palisade, three towers (the entrance and two on the sides). There is a stadium where tournaments are held during historical festivals. And separately - a donjon tower, and next to it - a solid wooden building. There are museums there.
Castle Hill in Mstislavl. Against the background of the reconstructed tower you can see the Carmelite Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (on the right) and the Church of Silouan the Athos
Mstislavl. Castle Hill
Strictly speaking, this is not really a reconstruction. The buildings appeared here just on the eve of the medieval festival in 2016.
But they look harmonious.
Donjon tower. It is believed that historically the same stood here, but was much higher. Inside, the defenders and residents of the city were closed and defended if the enemies managed to penetrate the fortress walls.
Donjon tower in Mstislavl
This dungeon (modern) housed an exposition of crafts and everyday life.
Chests with homespun clothes, spinning wheels, wooden irons, combs, millstones.
Mstislavl. Exhibition of crafts and life
There are many barrels. They didn't know how to preserve before. So they kept everything in barrels - lard, apples, cabbage, cucumbers.
Yes, by the way, in this region of Belarus (in the Mstislav region) they have long been engaged in spinning (wool felting). The museum has felt boots-mittens. But what is important, they can be bought on the market in Mstislavl (located on Kirov Street). The market is open on Sundays. And here are sold felt boots, hats, mittens. All wool. All handmade. At ridiculous (by the standards of Minsk) prices.
Another cool museum on Zamkova Hill is a mothballed archaeological site. This is a piece of a real city of the XII century, covered with a roof. There are other museums of this kind in Brest and Turov.
Castle Hill in Mstilavl. Museum-excavation
Mtislavl. Remains ancient city 12th century
In the Mstislavl excavation museum, you can see not only the remains of ancient buildings that look out from a deep - three meters! - pits, but also various things found during excavations. For example, glass bracelets, which in the early Middle Ages were worth their weight in gold - only very rich people could afford them. There are also wonderful Baltic pendants, crosses, weapons, coins.
Mstislavl. Museum-excavation. Noisy pendant of the 11th - 12th centuries
Tip: be sure to take a walk around the Castle Hill at night - the stars here are incredible. Just be careful - the height of the shafts is also incredible, you can fall and seriously injure yourself.
Ramparts and palisade on Castle Hill
View from the Castle Hill to the Carmelite Church. Mstislavl
Castle Hill. Mstislavl
Kagalny well and Troitskaya mountain
The kagalny well is located at the foot of the Castle Hill. This is an officially protected hydrological natural monument of local importance. Another name is Zdorovets.
Water analysis in the Kagalny well
Why Kagalny? This is a Hebrew word. Means "public". Previously, the source belonged to local Jews, who took water from it and transported it (for money, of course) around the city.
In general, Jews appeared in Mstislavl in the 16th century. Before the Second World War there were a lot of them, but now there are practically none left. On October 15, 1941, in the Kagalny ditch - between the Castle and Trinity mountains - a mass execution was arranged. They say that in those days the water in the well was red.
Mstislavl. Zdorovets stream. On the way along it, the Jews were led to be shot.
If you walk along the Zdorovets stream and climb Trinity Hill, you can find several monuments.
Monument to the executed civilians on Troitskaya Hill
One of the monuments appeared here quite recently. It was staged by Boris Mikhlin, the only Jew (then still a child) who escaped during the executions. Recently, this man turned 89 years old.
Monument to the executed Jews on Troitskaya Hill in Mstislavl
Troitskaya Hill is one of the three places of mass executions in Mstislavl.
Mstislavl. View from Troitskaya Hill to Zamkovaya Hill
Here, by the way, is an interesting phenomenon - along the Castle Hill there are houses where people live. They farm, grow and harvest. One such house was found even on the Castle Hill itself: here is a list for equestrian tournaments, and here is a vegetable garden.
Mstislavl. Houses on Castle Hill
But let's go back to the Kagalny well for a while. Now it is covered with a roof and ... consecrated in honor of the Tupichevskaya Icon of the Mother of God. Somewhat unexpectedly - Jews and suddenly an Orthodox icon of the Mother of God ...
But the fact remains.
The Zdorovets stream, originating from the Kagalny well
You can draw water from the well.
He himself is completely closed from human eyes in a special building.
Kagalny well in Mstislavl
There is also a swimming pool nearby. You can dive all year round.
Bath at the Kagalny well in Mstislavl
Where to sleep in Mstislavl
Mstislavl is a small city. The population here is only about 10,000 people.
Not surprisingly, there is little choice in terms of accommodation.
Hotel "Mstislavl" . Of the pluses - cheap, located in the very center, from where the main attractions are within easy reach.
Hotel "Mstislavl"
Recently, archaeologists have made several important historical finds in the Mogilev region at once. In the Krasnopolsky district, in the agro-town of Lenin, teachers and students of Mogilev State University during the expedition discovered a unique bronze ring with an ornament of the 17th-18th centuries, as well as fragments of tools from the Late Neolithic. And a little earlier, in Mstislavl, on Castle Hill, very unusual artifacts from different eras were found: a key of the 11th-12th centuries, elements of women's shoes and a mysterious cast bronze case of the middle of the 17th century with baroque decoration, BelTA reports. How our ancestors could use it is still unclear even to the researchers themselves, so the study of this product promises to be especially interesting.
Meanwhile, ancient Mstislavl, which is sometimes called "Belarusian Suzdal" because of its unique historical flavor, has long attracted scientists and lovers of antiquity. Many amazing items from different eras and cultures were found here: metal and wood products, weapons, and glass and gold jewelry. And the most unique artifact was a bronze icon of the 13th-14th centuries, discovered this summer, depicting the Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena. Such a thing on the territory of Belarus was met by scientists for the first time.
Knight's festival and underground labyrinths: what to see in Mstislavl
Mstislavl is famous not only for its archaeological sites. This place gathers a lot of tourists every summer - in July, a knight's festival takes place here. To participate in the equestrian tournament, go to the exhibition of rare armor and watch historical performances come from all over Belarus. But if you didn’t manage to visit the city during the holiday, don’t be discouraged - you won’t be bored in Mstislavl anyway, there is something to see here even without medieval battles.
Since we started with archeology, let the starting point of our route through the city be Maiden Mountain. This is a settlement of the ancient Baltic tribes of the 1st century BC. An earthen defensive rampart of that time in the form of a ring has been preserved here. Of course, the locals will surely tell you the legend of how the mountain appeared. According to legend, this huge hill was filled by the girls of the settlement in one night to resist the enemy siege.
In the center of modern Mstislavl is Castle Hill- just here they find unique historical artifacts, and a knight's festival is also held right there. It is from this hill that the city originates. In the Middle Ages, there was a princely castle-fortress on the mountain, which could be reached only by passing a wide moat on a wooden drawbridge. By the way, Mstislavl stands on six hills - a little behind Rome. The flat terrain here is abruptly replaced by hills, so the surroundings of the regional center are often called Belarusian Switzerland. At the same time, the Vihra River, on which the city is located, is considered one of the cleanest in Belarus.
Main architectural monument Mstislavl - Church of the Carmelites built at the beginning of the 17th century. Inside, ancient frescoes have been preserved. Tourists are allowed to go down to the dungeon or climb the narrow stairs up to the towers of the church. Nearby is a Jesuit monastery founded in 1690. As part of the complex, several buildings have survived to this day, the three-story collegium is especially beautiful. Another interesting building is the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky, which was built on the site of a burned-out Bernardine church in 1870. There is also a legend here: they say that once the Carmelite, Jesuit and Bernardine churches were connected by secret underground passages - the buildings are located close to each other. True, scientists are silent about underground labyrinths, so this is rather a beautiful urban legend.
It is interesting and easy to walk along the streets of Mstislavl, where you can see wooden houses late XIX centuries in which people still live.
If you have time, we advise you to ride out of town. 8 km from Mstislavl is the oldest monastery in these parts, the Dormition Monastery, or Pustynki. The monastery was founded in 1380 and since then it has been destroyed and burned down countless times, but in the end it was restored anyway. Now it is a functioning Orthodox monastery, on the territory of which there is a holy spring, which has not dried up even once since the foundation of the monastery.
How to get to Mstislavl
By car from Moscow to Mstislavl a little over 500 km. After the Moscow Ring Road, we leave for the Minsk highway and move along M-1, then turn towards Bryansk. Further along the A141 we leave for 04 to the border with Belarus, then we go along the P73.
From Minsk to Mstislavl, you will have to travel more than 300 kilometers. We drive along the M4, near the Prony River, turn onto the P123, then exit onto the H10376, and then turn right onto the P15.
Decided to go by public transport? There are daily buses from Smolensk to Mstislavl, the travel time is 2-3 hours, depending on the route. You will travel about the same amount from Mogilev, the car runs several times a day.
Alexandra Egorova
Mstislavl, architecture, zemstvo council, church of St. Alexander Nevsky, "Paris" - a zemstvo assembly and a hotel, a collegium of Jesuits, a Carmelite monastery, a treasury, a monument to a teacher, Castle Hill.
Summer was drawing to autumn, cows and storks were grazing in the fields. Bus stops are everywhere painted with flowers - tulips, irises, lilies, water lilies, lilacs bloom here in winter and summer, poppies blush, fragile daisies bow their heads in the wind.
The roll of the new Orsha-Gorka road seems to be carefully spread out for the arrival of Catherine II herself in the most picturesque places, and even along the edge it is trimmed with birch trees coquettishly trying on golden strands. In some places, a gray ribbon of asphalt winds among fabulous pine forests with rare, as if lost, firs.
Livers, versts... Livers of smooth swaying in the car, so smooth that you just want to joyfully exclaim: "But the road is real, not Potemkinskaya!"
One village replaces another, not letting you get bored, getting used to the beauty of summer on the way, which balances on a razor's edge, moving from the July heat to the August mature restraint. Many rural houses have replaced the good old wooden windows with plastic double-glazed windows and look embarrassedly at the road during the day, carefully hiding their eyes. And only a little come to life at night, catching the reflections of the stars striking something of their own on the inscriptions of the August night sky. Or maybe these are letters from distant relatives living in neighboring galaxies? Even if the windows knew, how could they reveal someone else's secret?
So is the ancient Mstislavl carries through the centuries the secrets of past centuries, without losing hope that one day someone's more attentive and sensitive look will slightly open the veil of the past, shaking off the gray web of half-forgotten legends. And the discordant series of legends, which has found its way through the centuries, will line up in an even, colorful and bright, still unfinished fairy tale, in which we will add our chapter.
History of Mstislavl
For the first time Mstislavl is mentioned in chronicle sources in 1156, in the Ipatiev Chronicle, and the city was founded in 1135 by the Smolensk prince Roman Rostislavich. Like Rome, it is located on the hills, more precisely on 6 hills - Devichya Gora, Zamkovaya, Panivoiskaya, Troitskaya, Tupichevskaya and Cemetery. The history of each of them consists of legends, one more tempting than the other, but the true state of things is reliably hidden by the fog of centuries. Initially, even 50-100 years before the beginning of our era, the first settlement existed on Maiden Mountain, now it is a monument of archeology. One of the cleanest rivers in Belarus today, the Vihra River, carries its waters past. The settlement is small 130*140 m, but high. No matter how high it may be, but the time comes and, as usual, the housing problem arises:) "The kingdom is not enough, there is nowhere to roam." And the Slavs who came to these lands at the beginning of the last millennium chose the Castle Hill, the maximum height of which is about 20 meters. The mountain is surrounded by natural ravines, which were soon surrounded by ramparts for greater security.
Like many cities of Belarus, had Mstislavl of considerable strategic importance - it was located on the overland route from the western lands to Smolensk, through which the path to the fortified castles of Posozhye opened. Of course, it got Mstislavl at the first rush. The castle was repeatedly destroyed completely, as, for example, in 1654, when the city was taken by the troops of Prince A.N. Trubetskoy, G.S. Kurakin, Yu.A. Dolgoruky, S.R. Pozharsky. These events are remembered by the frescoes in the church of St. Virgin Mary. The city soon became deserted.
By the arrival of Catherine II in 1787, nothing was left of the castle, because during the Northern War Peter I liked to blow up the fortifications so that the enemy would not get it.
Architecture of Mstislavl
The terrain is hilly, the streets are crooked, non-parallel. In a word, a quiet corner of the province by the 2nd half of the 18th century, which exuded not antiquity, but antiquity itself, because time slows down, preserving the Jesuit collegium, the Carmelite church, and the Castle Hills ...
But under Catherine II, the master plan for the development of the city was approved, its settlements were divided into quadrangular sections, bounded by intersecting perpendicular streets, which converged to the squares and had names from the churches that once existed - Afanasievskaya, Spasskaya, Krestovaya, Mikhailovskaya, Cathedral. Don't forget in the toponymy of the streets of Mstislavl to mention the monasteries - Carmelite and Bernardine. It is traditional to this day to call the streets leading to the highway, connecting neighboring cities, consonant with these same cities - Mogilevskaya, Shklovskaya.
All the sights were carefully placed not far from each other, as if trying to get on one page on the guidebook map in order to be close even on a paper sheet, or it just so happened historically. And yet, even now, centuries later, it is even pleasant for us, tourists, to walk through the labyrinth of the beauties of the past, without resorting to the help of a thread, like Theseus ... Like a spiral of a snail shell, we unwind the labyrinth, leaving the most interesting for last.
Zemstvo administration
First on the streets Mstislavl we were met by the Mstislavl State Construction College, which occupied an old house built in the late 19th - early 20th century, which previously housed the Zemstvo Council. It flaunts with an ornate balcony lattice, simultaneously observing the city park and the church of St. Alexander Nevsky, surrounded by a fence on one side, picturesquely displaying the most important milestones in the history of the city. Even the horse and cart parked beside him seem willing to learn more about ancient history of his ancient city.
Temple of Alexander Nevsky
Take a look at the restored Church of St. Alexander Nevsky. As if trying to be in time for the golden autumn, in the middle of which his outfit would be the most advantageous, he dressed up in an eye-pleasing optimistic green color and covered some of the domes in gold sparkling in the sun.
City Park
Mstislavl, city park - a monument to the defenders of the Fatherland, a mass grave.
Let's take a look at the city park, where in the canopy of trees the monument to the fallen soldiers during the Great Patriotic War rests from the midday heat. Mstislavl was released from Nazi German invaders in 1943.
In 2011, during earthworks near the building of the current dairy plant, the remains of 185 Red Army soldiers were found. Old-timers recalled that it was at this place that the Germans shot the captured Red Army soldiers in 1941. The remains were reburied with honors in a mass grave.
School
In a sad desolation is the former secondary school cities Mstislavl directly opposite the Jesuit Collegium. It stands without a spark, without a spark of enthusiasm, looks at the city from under the canopy of lindens. At first it seemed that the old mansion, having served its own, took the kids under its wing, teaching literacy and further on the general education program :). But no, and a hundred years ago, starting in 1908, there was a gymnasium in this small mansion. Education has not changed addresses for more than a hundred years.
"Paris" - zemstvo assembly and hotel
Mstislavl, "Paris" - zemstvo assembly and hotel.
Collegium of the Jesuits
Carmelite monastery
Treasury Department
Monument to the teacher
Castle Hill, detinets
Many Belarusian cities have Zamkovaya Street. This means that either the castle itself or the settlement - "Castle Hill" - is certainly nearby - a fortified place surrounded by ditches and ramparts, where an old castle used to protect civilians from enemy raids. The castles were different - entirely of stone, like Mir and Nesvizh, Lida Castle, which have survived to this day, and could also be wooden on a stone foundation, as, for example,. And there were also wooden castles, which had not yet had time to "dress" in stone and brick, as they had already lost their defensive value. Mstislavl Castle stood on a high mountain from the 12th to the 18th centuries and was just made of wood, surrounded by a wooden settlement from the south and southwest. Of course, the prince lived in the castle with his retinue, which defended the castle in case of danger, surrounded the castle with its walls and the houses of ordinary residents. The castle had its own streets. It is impossible to imagine a princely castle without a temple - and this one was built in the southern part of the fortification. In the center of the castle in the XV-XVI centuries, a donjon tower was built, on the ground floor of which there was a church. During the siege, the civilian population took refuge in the tower, the donjon was usually taken last ... Now on the territory of Belarus, a similar one has survived only in Kamenets. And in the past, the donjon was also in a number of other cities. Now people live in the settlement in private houses made of stone and wood. One can only guess what exactly they find in the spring, plowing their garden :).
But before, during the archaeological excavations, the second birch bark letter in Belarus, dating back to the 13th century, a pectoral cross with the inscription "Theotokos, help", leather openwork shoes, fashionable in the 12th century, later arrows for crossbows and fragments of cast-iron kernels, a Dutch ducat of 1652, so rare that it is kept in the bank of the city.
Insofar as Mstislavl since the XIII century it was on the border of the two states of Russia and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the battles for the city unfolded serious, which means that it was necessary to keep the fortifications of the castle and the city well in case of a long siege in due order !!! Special masters from the well came to repair the well.
PROGRAM OF THE CITY DAY-2018 IN Mstislavl and the XVII BELARUSIAN FESTIVAL OF ARTS
THEM. PEOPLE'S ARTIST OF BELARUS N. CHURKIN
September 29, 2018
10:15-10:45 Laying wreaths, flowers by the leadership of the district, representatives public institutions, public organizations and associations, labor collectives.
Mound of Glory, Peace Park, place of mass destruction on the street. Zaslonova
11:00-11:50 Solemn event dedicated to the city holiday, the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the district from Nazi invaders.
Main stage
12:00 Regional defile contest “Through the years, through generations!”, regional contest “Play, accordion!”, competition of literary and artistic reading “Our native land in verse and prose”. Children's concert and entertainment program "Beloved cities in the colors of children!".
Main stage
12:00-15:00 Photo exhibition “Know ours!”; youth flashmob "Mstislavl - pride, hope, love!"; flash action "Beloved city, I wish you!"; face art "This world is colorful and bright!"; #photo zone of the hashtag “Belarusian Republican Youth Union Mstislavl”.
13:00 Concert of performers of Belarusian music of the Honored Ensemble "National Academic Concert Orchestra of Belarus" "At the honor of a fellow countryman: the music of a small radzima Mikalai Churkin".
RCKINT
13:00-17:00 Exhibition of paintings by avant-garde artist Israel Basov, a native of Mstislavl, “I breathe at the same time with a sweet land!”.
15:00 Opening of a memorial plaque to the avant-garde artist Israel Basov, a native of Mstislavl.
Management Company "Mstislavsky District Historical and Archaeological Museum"
18:00 Festive concert of the Honored Collective "National Academic Concert Orchestra of Belarus".
RCKINT
19:00 Festive concert of amateur art groups of the district "This city is the best."
Main stage
20:00 Concert of the ensemble "Vesyalukha" of the Mogilev Regional Philharmonic.
21:00 Demonstration of a film about veterans of the Great Patriotic War.
21:07 Festive fireworks.
Peter Mstislavets Square
21:00 Festive disco
“Happy holiday, Mstislavl!”
23:00 Night party disco.
RCKINT
During the holiday work:
trade, attractions, rental of children's electric cars, organized sport competitions, exhibitions, youth events.
8:30 Track and field cross.
mound of Glory
9:00 Work of agricultural farmsteads, exhibitions and sales of the Mstislav branch of the Domochay Bakery and Confectionery Company OJSC, the production unitary enterprise Mstislavlmoloko, the district trade union, enterprises and organizations of the Vosensky district
kirmash", the work of the City of Masters (exhibitions and sales of DPI), an exhibition and sale of products and souvenirs of OJSC "Household and printing services" Mstislavchanka ".
st. Pirogovskaya, Komsomolskaya st.
9:00 Photo exhibition “Dedicated to the native land!”
9:00 Exhibition-fair "Ancient Mstislavl!"
st. Pirogovskaya
9:00-17:00 Exposition of household items from the 50s-60s “About the land where you were born!”
10:00 Karaoke cafe, film screening.
st. Pirogovskaya
13:00 Photo-quest "My city in the photo lens".
karaoke cafe, st. Pirogovskaya (behind the Breeze cafeteria)
The program is subject to change.
