Take a photo with a bear, eat ice cream and be silent at the war memorial. We tell you why Smorgon was called the "dead city" and why you should come there at least once.
1. Visit the Renaissance monument, a rarity for Belarus
Monuments of the Renaissance in Belarus can be counted on the fingers. And the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Smorgon is the most famous among them.
After the Reformation came to the Belarusian lands in the 16th century, new churches were practically not built: most often, older Catholic churches were remade for Protestant fees. But the Church of St. Michael in Smorgon is an exception. It was originally built precisely as a Calvin collection (Calvinism was the most common reformation trend in the GDL). The donor of the temple, Krishtof Zenovich, a prominent statesman of his time, was also a Calvinist.
But the temple did not serve the Protestants for long. The Catholic Church in the middle of the 17th century finally regained its lost positions and the assembly in Smorgon became a church. The temple is still Catholic today - it belongs to the monastic Order of the Salesians. And only the discreet decor of the interiors reminds of its Protestant past.
2. Learn the military history of the "dead city"
During the First World War, the city desperately defended itself from the German army. For the fierce battles that took place here in 1915, Smorgon is often compared with Stalingrad. It was hellish here: among the soldiers of those years there was even a saying - "Whoever has not been near Smorgon, he has not seen the war." After 810 days of defense, the city was deserted. Newspapers of the time dubbed it the "dead city".
Here, on the Eastern Front of the First World War, future writers Mikhail Zoshchenko and Valentin Kataev fought. And in Zalesye, near Smorgon, the youngest daughter of Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Tolstaya, nursed the wounded.
The history of the "dead city" is immortalized in memorial complex in memory of the heroes and victims of the First World War, opened here in 2014.
3. Take a photo with a bear at the "bear academy"
“Bear Academy” is compactly located in the city park Yes, yes, you heard right. There was such an educational institution in Smorgon in the XVII - XIX centuries. “Bearish” in this case is not an allegory; bears “studied” at the academy. The most real ones. Bears in Smorgon were trained for various fun. Four-legged students could do the most difficult tricks - bow, dance, march, look in the mirror.
The academy in Smorgon reached a special flourishing in the 18th century, under Karol Stanislav Radziwill Pan Kokhanku. The same one that went sledding in Nesvizh in the summer. On roads made of salt. He was still a merry fellow and a joker. Pupils of the Smorgon "academy" were known far beyond the GDL. Trained Smorgon bears could be found at fairs in Prussia, Schleswig, Bavaria and Alsace.
True, the methods of training and education in the institution would not be approved by Greenpeace. But Academician Pavlov, perhaps, would have appreciated. On the site of the current district hospital, deep pits with brushwood were dug, on which cages with a copper bottom stood. When brushwood was set on fire in the pits, the bottom became heated, and the bears began to dance from the heat. The trainers at this time were banging on the tambourine. After a few months of "training" the bears were released from the cages. After such training, the animals always began to shift from paw to paw, barely hearing the sound of a tambourine.
An excellent photo is obtained if you try to climb right into the paws of a cast-iron bear. It takes some getting used to, but it's worth it. On the picture: Alfred Mikus
Today, of course, bears are not trained in Smorgon: the educational institution finally ceased to exist in 1870. But the academy was sung in stone relatively recently - in 2013.
4. Try Smorgon ice cream
The bear academy in Smorgon no longer exists, but the bear's glory remains. In addition to the sculpture in the park, there is an installation with a bear in the local museum of local lore, the bear flaunts on the coat of arms of the city and ... on the package with local ice cream.
Photo: Evgenia Chaikina But if Smorgon ice cream were packed even in a gray nondescript container, it would certainly have enjoyed no less popularity. It's so delicious and natural. The good old Soviet GOST guarantees the absence of chemical additives and an attack of nostalgia for those who were born before the 1990s.
Ice cream can be bought at almost any grocery store in Smorgon and in several other nearby towns. This divine delicacy cannot be found in Minsk and other regions. So eat up in the prok. Or take a pack or two with you in a cooler bag.
Today, Smorgon is famous for its ice cream, and in the 17th-19th centuries, bagels were the culinary "trick" of the city. By the way, initially these delicacies were intended for bears with a sweet tooth. And they were not rings, but sticks. And only after a while the recipe was adapted for people. Bagels "rounded off" and poppy seeds, honey and Cahors were added to the dough. In the sources you can find different names for the Smorgon delicacy: abvaranki, smargonki, and (our favorite name) - abarzhanki.
5. Take a walk in the rock garden
The stone faces in Smorgon are not about the hospitality of the Smorgon people, no. It's about stone slab with bas-reliefs in the form of women's faces.
This and other interesting sculptures appeared in central park cities not so long ago, during the plein air of young sculptors. Artists worked outdoors for a month to cope with such a complex natural material as stone. The result is impressive. And although some statues are abstract and conditional, the result of creative impulses unusually organically fits into the urban environment.
The central park offers a great view of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior Here, in the central park, there is a monument to Frantisek Bogushevich - a poet, one of the founders of the new Belarusian literature. If you have time, visit the Bogushevich Manor in Kushlyany - here the poet spent the last years of his life. It has been restored and perfectly conveys the atmosphere. late XIX century. And in the Smorgon district is the village of Krevo, with the ruins of an ancient castle. It was here that in 1385 Vitovt and Jagiello signed the Union of Kreva. The very one that served as the beginning of the unification of the Belarusian lands with Poland.
You can get acquainted with Smorgon, as well as look into the Oginsky estate in Zalesye and see 5 unique churches of the Grodno region within excursion route"Ostrovets round the world" by contacting one of the travel companies in Belarus.
The editors of the site thank the National Tourism Agency for the opportunity to get acquainted with the monuments of Smorgon.
The city that saw Napoleon is ready to show tourists a lot of beauties: unique Catholic churches, castles and even the only place in the country where the coffee crops are harvested.
This one is completely small town saw the most dramatic moments in the life of Napoleon. It was here that the French emperor handed over command of the retreating troops to an ally and left for Paris. Smorgon was founded two centuries before those days as a private settlement, which was alternately owned by several large families, among which were the Radziwills. They even organized a bear academy here once, which is reflected on the coat of arms of the city.
The origin of the toponym is discordant. According to the most common version, "Smorgon" is a derivative of the Baltic "smurgo" - "sloven, hack". In 1842, the city passed into state ownership and was almost completely destroyed in the First World War. The line of the Russian-German front passed through it. Smorgon held the defense for more than 800 days, but paid too much for it big price. By the time the battle ended, 154 people had survived in the city. In those days, a remarkable event happened here. It was near Smorgon that the female death battalion of Maria Bochkareva took the fight for the only time.
Now a little more than 37 thousand people live in the city. The main attractions, as history has decreed, are located not within the city, but in its immediate vicinity.
The most beautiful church in Belarus
“Little Switzerland” and “Belarusian Notre Dame” - such nicknames were given by the people to the Church of the Holy Trinity in the agricultural town of Gervyaty, which is not far from Smorgon. A number of polls showed that this church is considered the most beautiful in the country. And official data show that it is also one of the three highest. The bell tower ends at a mark of 61 meters from the surface of the earth.
This church is not as old as its counterpart in Smorgon - St. Michael the Archangel. Construction was completed in 1903, and a distinctive feature is the neo-Gothic style. Actually, until that time there was a small wooden temple, and it stood almost without incident from the middle of the 16th century.
Around the church there is a large landscape park with rare plants and figures of the apostles. There are several richly carved wooden crosses in front of the building itself. The interior decoration corresponds to the external claims.
Witness of eras
This place has seen many events of different centuries, key historical figures stayed here. In the Kreva castle, they developed the Krevo union, which united Poland with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was besieged, but the Tatars could not take it, but the Muscovites captured it. The fugitive Russian prince Andrei Kurbsky lived here for a long time.
In the XVIII century, the gradual destruction of the castle began. Natural processes helped the First World War. Krevo was also on the front line. After the Germans captured the village near Smorgon, they placed shelters and observation posts in the castle, which, in turn, were subjected to massive shelling.
From a unique building made of stone and red brick, only ruins have survived to this day. They are an architectural monument and are under the protection of both the state and several volunteer organizations.
The birth of the polonaise
In another agro-town - Zalesye - there is a manor, of which there are many in Belarus. But this one is notable for the name of the owner. Once upon a time, Zalesye was privately owned. The great-nephew of the head of the family once became the sole owner of the estate, but did not attach any special importance to this.
However, years later, he took part in the failed Kosciuszko uprising, was captured, but fell under an amnesty and decided to take refuge in the territory Russian Empire. It was then that the land in Zalesye came in handy. old manor he ordered to demolish and built a new one, with a stone palace. This revolutionary was called Mikhail Oginsky, and he lived in the family estate for more than 8 years, and then he lived periodically for another 13.
Historians believe that the famous polonaise was written and performed for the first time within these walls. The composer could almost have been inspired to create it by a huge park with a picturesque relief near the river floodplain, cozy chapels, gazebos and a pretty water mill.
The manor was restored already in this decade. Soon there will be a museum and cultural center.
Coffee plantations in Belarus
The winter garden at the local polytechnical lyceum is a place that is not so popular with tourists. It remained after the Smorgon boarding school for orphans. In the late 90s, for psychological relief, they organized a greenhouse. A decade and a half later, it turned into a huge garden on an area of a thousand hectares! There are even more outlandish plants here - 2.5 thousand!
The most amazing thing is that this place is not only for beauty, but also for the harvest. Lyceum employees boast that they collect coffee in buckets, bananas in kilograms, pomegranates in dozens. Lemon trees bear fruit almost all year round. The locals have a tradition of coming here on their wedding day.
Official tours in the winter garden are not that frequent, but the guests here are treated quite friendly.
What else to see
The Church of St. Michael the Archangel is the oldest church in the city. He managed to be a monastery not only for Catholics, but also Orthodox, and even Calvinists. Repeatedly received serious damage, but each time diligently restored. Built, according to various sources, between 1503 and 1612.
In the city itself there is a unique rock garden and a monument to the “Bear Academy”, and several other remarkable places are scattered around the area: the former pagan temple in Krevo (Yuryeva Gora), the monument to the soldiers of the First World War in Danyushevo and the Trinity Church in the village of Voistom.
Veniamin Lykov
Smorgon - beautiful city, spread out on the banks of the Oksna and Gervyatka rivers, 110 kilometers from Minsk, not far from the Lithuanian border. Excursions to Smorgon are included in many tours for those who choose to rest in Belarus.
It is quite difficult to say exactly where the name of the city came from. Historians offer a version of the merger of the two words "morgue" (a unit of area measurement in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) and "drive" (arable land) into the expression "drive from the morgue" - that is, a land allotment the size of a mortuary, which the peasants received from the prince-owners earth. According to another version, people lived in these places who drove tar - smar, called them - "smarogons", which gave the name to the settlement.
The city was first mentioned in the 15th century as a place of Zenovichi, 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 popularity under Karol Radziwill "Pan Kohanka", at that time 10 bears were trained at the academy. For this reason, wandering gypsies with a bear were often called "Smorgon teacher with a student." It is no coincidence that the emblem of the city 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 the conquerors as a headquarters or headquarters. The Moscow Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and the Swedish king Karl 12, and Napoleon, and Kutuzov.
During the liberation uprising of 1830-1831, Smorgon became one of the centers of the struggle. Rebel regiments were formed here under the leadership of the owner of Smorgon, Count Pshezdetsky. 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, and its restoration lasted for 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 collection by the owner of the city, Christoph Zenovich, the temple was given to the Catholics after a while, in 1866 to the Orthodox, then again to the Catholics. IN Soviet time the temple had a shop and a museum. 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, but Smorgon is the birthplace of bagels. It is believed that initially bagels were intended for trained 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 on the Day of Writing. A very unusual monument of 1928 on the day of the 10th anniversary of Poland's independence in Smorgon could survive 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.
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Smorgon is a city of contrasts, where the Soviet past seems to have left as many traces as the Polish and Litvin ones. Although the Soviet years, when the Smorgonians went to Vilnius just to drink coffee or buy sausages, they are often remembered here. With the advent visa regime not everyone can afford such joy for the soul and body. Although, it would seem, to Vilnius from Smorgon - 87 kilometers, and to Minsk - 110. Feel the difference, as they say.
To understand what it's like to live in such a provincial town, here you need to look around, get used to the environment and communicate with the locals. But if you reduce the shopping time in Vilnius for a couple of hours and drive into this city by car and visit the surroundings on the way to Minsk, then you can return home with impressions from an unknown to the capital resident of Belarus.
Why do you need to go to Smorgon if there is one in Minsk ice palaces and Burger King? Because all this is not here, but there is something else.
Reason one. Try Smorgon ice cream and see Neklyaev's portrait in the museum
The Belarusian group "Broken Heart Boy" dedicated one of their songs to Smorgon. Specifically, the name of the city is mentioned in the following line: "You are a paedztse ў Smargon, there dzevachki - fire." What exactly the author wanted to say with these words is not worth thinking out for him, but I would like to hope that the song added recognition to the city, and thanks to it there were more tourists in it.
Smorgon is a small town in the west of Belarus with a population of over 37,000 people. Through it pass iron and motor road towards Vilnius. A maximum of two hours by car from Minsk - and you are there.
Some of the enterprises that work here include giants: a branch of MTZ, an optical machine tool plant, a feed mill and a silicate concrete plant. Not all of them are experiencing the most promising times, so some Smorgonians are looking for a better life at construction sites in the Moscow region and at enterprises in Minsk.
A place where, by local standards, it is considered prestigious to get a job is the Austrian company Kronospan, which produces chipboards in Smorgon and also supplies them to Russia.
Today in the center of the city there is a set familiar to the provinces: the district executive committee (which some call the “white house”), the Board of Honor, Lenin, a church, a church, their own GUM and TSUM.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, Napoleon made the last stop in Smorgon before retreating. During the First World War, the city was almost completely destroyed. According to the 1921 census, 154 people lived here.
Residential development in the center of Smorgon, November 2015. According to the Peace of Riga in 1921, Smorgon went to Poland and was part of it until 1939.
The coat of arms of the city depicts a brown clumsy bear. It is also on the packaging of goods of the local dairy products enterprise. Therefore, in almost every grocery store in the area you will see a bear - a symbol of the former glory of Smorgon. But if it seems that the clubfoot will stop chasing you on this, you are mistaken. In this city, they are almost at every step, and this is not deja vu: wooden, copper, they stand in courtyards, parks and the district museum.
The city has been known since 1503 as the possession of the Zenovichs, Radziwills and Przezdetskys. During the time of the Radziwills, there was a bear academy here, where animals were taught to dance. Bears for training were brought from local forests.
The academy was located on the site of the district hospital. There were deep pits with brushwood, on which were cages with a copper bottom. When the brushwood was set on fire, the bottom heated up, and the bears began to dance from the heat that hit their paws. At this time, the trainers were banging on the tambourine. A few months later, the bears were taken out of the cages, and it was enough for them to hear the sounds of a tambourine to start shifting from paw to paw.
District Library, November 2015. From spring to early November, bears were taken to fairs Western Europe and earned money, then returned with them to Smorgon.
Another interesting fact from the history of the city is the local bagels, which once conquered the soul of more than one tourist. Interestingly, it is Smorgon that is considered their homeland. There is a version that initially bagels were used as a treat for bears from the academy. An article is devoted to bagels from Smorgon in the newspaper Kultura. It contains a quotation from the work of the historian and ethnographer Adam Kirkor:
- In Smargony, Ashmyantska pavet, Vilna province, ice not all myashchanskaya population is busy baking small bagels, but krendzyalko, yakiya karystayutstsa vyalikay vyadomastsyu pad call smargon abvaranka. Leather praezdzhy abavyazkovy kupіts nekalkі zvyazak gety bagels; acres of tago, transporting them to Vilnius and other garadas.
In the Smorgon Museum of Local History, November 2015. Despite the fact that in the 30s of the XX century there were about 60 bagel bakers in Smorgon, today there is a hole in the city from the bagel image. Because if it were not for Wikipedia or the stories of historians, local historians, guides and just caring citizens, who would know about these bagels?
Although the grandmother of the author of this material, who lived in Smorgon, a few years ago on Christmas Eve baked bagels, then soaked them in syrup made from grated poppy seeds, water and a little sugar. Poppy first had to be rubbed with a pusher in cast iron for at least half an hour. For this task, the most patient member of the family was chosen. After kutia and lenten dishes were eaten, the infused "abaranki" were considered the most long-awaited delicacy.
This dish is still cooked in some families in Smorgon. Of course, bagels are no longer baked, but bought in a store. But it seems that if someone decided to revive the original Smorgon dish, it could again become a symbol of the city and delight tourists.
Unlike the mythical bagels, Smorgon ice cream is gaining unprecedented popularity. Vanilla or chocolate ice cream in a package with a bear already familiar to readers.
Ice cream can be bought at almost every grocery store. Visitors buy several packs, and some residents of Minsk even bring ice cream to their relatives in the capital in cooler bags.
Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Church in Smorgon. Those who want to take a break from the bustle of the capital will like the calm and measured life of Smorgon. It’s good to walk past low-rise buildings, look into the park, where you can sometimes find quite modern and not always unambiguous architectural forms (for example, a sculpture with several stone faces), visit a church and an Orthodox church, which are located at a distance of about 200 meters from each other .
Sculpture in the park. By the way, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, the former Calvin collection, is considered a monument of the 16th-17th centuries. There is a legend that from the tombs of the church there was once a direct passage to Vilnius and Kreva.
Church of St. Michael the Archangel. Curious guests of the city can go to the local local history museum, where, with the help of the exposition, they can consolidate their knowledge about the bear academy, and about bagels, and about the Radziwills. The museum also has a portrait of an honorary citizen of the region, a poet and a former presidential candidate in the 2010 elections Vladimir Neklyaev.
Portrait of an honorary citizen of the city Vladimir Neklyaev in the city museum. A cinema called "Cosmos" in Smorgon was closed a few years ago. In its place, the Space Cinema Club appeared, where film screenings and discos are held. But film premieres here, unlike in Minsk, are shown late, if they are shown at all. Therefore, local youth go to watch them, including at the Rodina cinema in the neighboring city of Molodechno, which is 40 kilometers from Smorgon.
There are about ten cafes and restaurants in the city. But entertainment and sports facilities local residents lacks. Many young people who have a car go to Molodechno and Minsk for recreation and spectacles.
Capital life and mass consumption instinct came to Smorgon together with Euroopt and Mart Inn supermarket chains. Today, Smorgonians are discussing bargain prices for some goods among themselves and pass information about discount promotions by word of mouth.
Tourists in Smorgon can stay at a hotel in the city center. It has over 70 rooms.
The city has seven schools, one gymnasium and a boarding school, also known. The first plants were planted here in November 1997. The greenhouse has exhibits of the flora of Africa and America, the green inhabitants of the tropics and subtropics, as well as plants of the native temperate zone.
View of GUM. Of course, when you talk about Smorgon, the thought often arises that all the most interesting things in the tourist sense are in the past. Nobody will show the dancing bears to the guests of the city today, they are unlikely to treat them with “abaranki”, and not every city dweller knows about many people who were born or lived in Smorgon. And if someone knows, they may not want to tell for ideological reasons.
For example, if you walk along one of the central streets of the city called Sovetskaya and ask people who Rostislav Lapitsky Most likely, no one will answer for sure. And this man was a member of the anti-Soviet underground in the Smorgon and Myadel regions in 1948-1949.
Rostislav Lapitsky was shot for his activities, and Smorgon schoolchildren who participated in his anti-Soviet organization were given 25 years in prison.
Before the Second World War, a significant part of the population of Smorgon were Jews. Among the Smorgon Jews there were several people who glorified native city. For example, a poet Abram Sutzkever, educator and writer Aba Gordin, writer and poet Moses Kulbak, Soviet children's writer Yakov Taits, actor Shmuel Rodensky, warlord Beni Marshak.
The second reason. Take a selfie in front of the ruins of Kreva Castle
In the Smorgon district there is an agro-town of Krevo, where the famous Krevo castle is located. Interestingly, the village is mentioned in documents in the 13th century, earlier than Smorgon. Today, more than 600 people live here.
Ruins of the Krevo Castle, November 2015. Krevo Castle was built in the XIV century during the GDL. It was the first stone castle in the principality. It was here that in August 1385 the Union of Krevo between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland was signed. The castle was repeatedly destroyed during the siege and the First World War.
Today the castle remains in ruins. Although the conservation of the object began in 1929 and periodically returned to it.
As part of the state program "Castles of Belarus", it was also planned to carry out conservation, but the project faced financial difficulties. Head of the Department for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture Igor Cherniavsky at a press conference on August 13, 2015, that during the formation of the state program it was assumed that the events within it would be held "a little differently." But during complex studies of objects, nuances appear.
For example, only for the conservation of the former princely tower of the Krevo Castle you need to spend a “significant amount”. Therefore, the funds allocated by the republican budget for this year will complete the project documentation. Most of the work within the first stage will be included in the next year's budget.
Nevertheless, tourists still have a chance to see the castle ruins before their condition gets worse, and at least take a selfie against their background.
In addition to the castle, in Kreva there is the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky.
Reason three. See the ruins of the Holy Transfiguration Church before they disappear
On the road from Smorgon to Krevo there is the village of Novospassk. Here once upon a time sir Bukaty, chairman of the Polish Sejm in Warsaw, founded a Uniate church. According to various estimates, the temple was built during the GDL in the 18th century or in 1808.
There is a legend that the pan laid a cache in one of the walls for the overhaul of the temple in the future.
The temple remained Orthodox until the beginning of the 20th century. During the First World War, the village went to Poland, and the temple was made Catholic. During the fighting, the church was destroyed. After the war, they wanted to restore the temple, but some of the villagers advocated that it be Orthodox, and some - Catholic. As a result, they did not restore it. But a new Orthodox church has been built next to it today.
Reason four. Find out in which interiors Francysk Bogushevich himself worked
Belarusian poet Francis Bogushevich lived in the village of Kushlyany, Smorgon district. Now there is his house-museum.
Although the poet was born in the Svirana farm of today's Ostrovets district of the Grodno region.
Bogushevich is known for his collections of poems "Belarusian Dudka" and "Belarusian Smyk".
The estate in Kushlyany was once bought by Bogushevich's great-great-grandfather, and in 1841 his family moved here for permanent residence.
The region is proud of the fact that the famous poet was involved in the history of Smorgon. In the city park there is also a monument to Bogushevich, and on the wall of one of the houses in the center of the city there is his quote: “Don’t be a pokidatse of our Belarusian language ...”.
Monument to Francis Bogushevich in Smorgon, November 2015. Reason five. See where Mikhail Kleofas Oginsky worked
In the agricultural town of Zalesye, Smorgon district, there is a museum-estate of a diplomat and composer Michael Cleophas Oginsky. After restoration, it was opened in 2014.
According to one version, it was here that Oginsky wrote the famous polonaise Farewell to the Motherland.
Video: Polonaise "Farewell to the Motherland". piano performance
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But this assumption is erroneous, since the composer wrote the polonaise in 1794, before he moved to Zalesye.
The composer lived in this estate for 20 years, and he got it from his uncle Francis Xavier, Lithuanian cook.
Oginsky rebuilt the estate and laid an English park near it.
In the late 30s of the XX century, the manor and the park were acquired by a resident of Warsaw Maria Zhabrovskaya. The estate has been turned into a summer boarding house.
In 1939-1941 there was a rest home for Minskers here. In 1961, a nursing home was organized in the estate. In 1977, it was given to the balance of the local enterprise Smorgonsilikatobeton. They wanted to build a sanatorium here. But in the early 90s, the estate became a branch of the Museum of Theater and Musical Culture.
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For the first time, Smorgon is mentioned in the documents of the XIV century as a place of the princes Zenovichi, which served as their residence. But Smorgon acquired a special, notorious fame during the First World War, which today is still called unknown.
"Unknown War"
By 1914, more than 16 thousand people lived in Smorgon. But the line of the Russian-German front 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 object. Another, more solid 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, the 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 fighting, 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 poison gases. For the first time, gas attacks were tested by Kaiser soldiers on June 19, 1916, not far from Zalesye. Soldiers unfamiliar with this terrible weapon died by the thousands. To provide for 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 it was impossible to help many, so up to 1200 soldiers were buried per day. There were six mass graves in total.
…Today about 40 thousand people live in Smorgon. This small cozy town perfectly combines old and new. A memorial dedicated to the events of 1914-1917 was erected here on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.
A great addition to the tour is a visit to the exhibition "Belarus during the First World War" in the Smorgon Museum of Local History.
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. She gained especially wide popularity under Karol Stanislav Radziwill, nicknamed "Pane Kokhanku" (1734-1790). During its heyday, up to 10 bears were trained in the "academy". Their training lasted about 6 years and was carried out in several stages. Initially, young 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 another to the sounds of a tambourine and a horn, they moved on to the next stage of training: they taught them to wrestle, bow, etc.
In the spring, guides, together with learned bears, went to work at the fairs of the Commonwealth, Russia, Hungary, and Germany. In autumn they returned back to Smorgon. Until the 30s of the 20th century, on the territory of Belarus, wandering gypsies with a bear were called “Smargon Vuchytsel z Vuchny”. 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 legs of which the coat of arms of the Radziwills "Pipes". Today in the city center you can see a monument to dancing bears ...
Famous bagels
Another story is connected with ... bagels. Smorgon is traditionally considered the birthplace of bagels. For the first time, William Pokhlebkin mentions this fact in his cookbooks: “... The birthplace of bagels is the city of Smorgon in Belarus, where they first began to make narrow flagella from custard (scalded) dough and bake scallops from them (products from scalded dough "). It is assumed that initially the bagels were used as a "ration" for the pupils 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 district, Vilna province, almost the entire petty-bourgeois population is busy baking small bagels, or pretzels, which are very famous under the name of Smorgon buns. Every passer-by is sure to buy several bundles of these bagels; in addition, they are transported to Vilna and other cities. Today the recipe for this delicacy - alas! - lost.
sacred monuments
Despite the rich historical events past, in Smorgon, however, almost no major architectural sights have been preserved. The exception is the defensive type 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, showroom and a museum. In 1990 it was handed over to believers.
This is what the temple looked like during World War I
Under the temple itself there is a dungeon, which is the tomb of the Zenovich family. The tomb has not yet been fully explored, however, legends exist from it. underground passages to Vilnius (Vilnius) and Krevo, were not 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, the grand opening of the monument to the founder of the new Belarusian literature Frantishek Bogushevich (1840–1900) took place in the city park of Smorgon. The ceremony was timed to coincide with the 16th Day of Belarusian Literature. The monument is a bronze statue of the poet 3.6 m high, which rests on a block of light gray granite and a meter light gray granite pedestal. It bears a bronze plaque with Bogushevich's call to the people: "Don't pakіdaitse, our Belarusian language, if you don't die."
