The city of Mstislavl was founded in 1135 by the Smolensk prince Roman Rostislavich. The name of the city was given in honor of his son Mstislav, to whom he gave his inheritance in 1180. The city of Mstislavl was first mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle (1156). Then the territory of the Mstislav principality included the lands of not only the present Mstislavsky, but also the Cherikovsky and Chaussky districts with the cities of Radoml and Ryasno. After the death of Smolensk Prince David, Mstislav Romanovich's uncle, Mstislav Romanovich was recognized as the Smolensk Prince and annexed the Mstislav Principality to Smolensk. In 1359, the Lithuanian prince Olgerd captured Mstislavl. After which he annexed it to the Principality of Lithuania. In 1386, taking advantage of the absence of the prince and other nobles, including his son Semyon (Lungveniya) Olgerdovich due to the wedding and coronation of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello, the Smolensk prince Svyatoslav besieged the city, but was unable to take it within 11 days. Lithuanian troops led by the brothers Jagiello and princes Skirgel and Vytautas approached the city and, after a battle on the banks of the Vihra, lifted the siege. In the battle for the city, the nephew of the Smolensk prince Svyatoslav, Ivan Vasilyevich, died. In the Battle of Grunwald, Semyon-Lingvenius commanded three East Slavic banners (regiments) - Smolensk, Mstislav and Starodubov - which withstood the first attack of the troops of the Teutonic Order. Semyon-Lingvenius, having married an Orthodox woman, converted from Catholicism to Orthodoxy. He founded and began construction of the Desert Monastery in the vicinity of Mstislavl, the ruins of which, now being restored, are now a place of pilgrimage. The prince became the founder of the dynasty of Mstislav princes.

In 1566, the Mstislav Voivodeship was formed with its center in Mstislavl.

In 1654, after the troops of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich captured Smolensk, boyar Alexei Nikitich Trubetskoy was sent to Mstislavl, took the city by storm and carried out brutal reprisals against the city’s residents. The wooden castle on the mountain near the Carmelite Church, which is currently called Castle Hill, was burned.

After the annexation of most of modern Belarus to Russia in 1772 as a result of the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Mstislav Voivodeship was renamed into the province of the Belarusian-Mogilev Governorate, and a provincial chancellery was established in Mstislavl.

In 1858, Mstislavl was badly damaged by a fire; about 500 buildings burned down.

Since 1919, Mstislavl was part of the Smolensk province of the RSFSR, was the center of the district, and from July 17, 1924 - part of the BSSR, the regional center of the Mogilev region.

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Mstislavl (the regional center of the region) was first mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle in 1156 as a fortress on the western border of the Smolensk principality. Historians are of the opinion that the settlement arose half a century earlier and its name is associated with Prince Mstislav Vladimirovich, the son of Vladimir Monomakh, who ruled Smolensk at the beginning of the 12th century. (L. Alekseev).

The economic and cultural development of Mstislavl was facilitated by its location on the Vikhra River (the Sozh and Dnieper basin) and the crossroads of land roads from the western lands to Smolensk and Moscow. In 1569, Mstislavl became the center of the vast Mstislavl voivodeship, which included the cities of Mogilev, Orsha, and Krichev.

Being a border town between Lithuania and Rus', Mstislavl was often subject to sieges. In 1648, an uprising began in the voivodeship, which was supported by Russian troops. In 1654, Mstislavl was taken by Prince Trubetskoy and its fortifications were razed to the ground.

There are two historical and archaeological monuments preserved in Mstislavl: Maiden Mountain and Castle Hill. Both mountains are now under state protection as archaeological monuments.

An idea of ​​the old layout of Mstislavl, which grew near the ancient castle, is given by a schematic basis on the city design plan of 1778. It shows that two main street directions originated from Detinets and turned into roads to Mogilev and Cherikov. These streets did not have a clear layout and had breaks. Regularity can be traced throughout the entire network of streets, alleys and dead ends of the city, which can be explained by the rugged terrain, on the one hand, and the norms and way of life of the medieval city, on the other. The saturation of the territory with the street network is noted near Detinets.

The design of the city of Mstislavl in 1778 was carried out without taking into account the historical layout. Essentially, a completely new, strictly regular (geometrically “correct”) design plan was developed, in which, however, all architectural and archaeological monuments were preserved. Rectangular layout of the late 18th century. with an axial composition on which the squares were strung, has been preserved with minor changes to this day and more reflects the urban planning policy of the period of reorganization of cities of the Russian Empire than the layout of old Mstislavl (before the 18th century).

The monumental architectural monuments of Mstislavl include a former Jesuit church with a monastery, now the St. Nicholas Cathedral, a Carmelite church and the Church of Alexander Nevsky, built in 1877 on the basis of the Bernardine church.

Other religious buildings of Mstislavl, such as the wooden churches of the Orthodox brotherhood or the Dominican church, burned down or were dismantled in the 18th-19th centuries. The prefabricated church of Alexander Nevsky, towering above the entire city's buildings (it was mentioned above), has more historical value than artistic value.

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Mstislavl, Mstislavl on the map
Mstislavl(Belarus. Mscislav) is a city in the Mogilev region of Belarus. Administrative center of Mstislavsky district.

It is located on the Vikhra River, a tributary of the Sozh. Located near the border with Russia (13 km), 95 km from Mogilev. The nearest railway station Khodosy on the Orsha-Krichev line is located 15 km to the west. Road junction.

This ancient city is also called “Little Vilnius”, “Belarusian Suzdal”.

• 1 History
  • 1.1 Ancient history
  • 1.2 New time
  • 1.3 Modern times
  • 1.4 Master plan
  • 1.5 Culture
• 2 Economics
  • 2.1 By industry
• 3 Attractions
  • 3.1 Architecture
• 4 Famous natives and residents of the Mstislavsky district
  • 4.1 XX-XXI century
• 5 Events
• 6 Sister cities
• 7 Links
• 8 Notes
• 9 Literature

Story

Ancient history

The oldest settlement on the territory of the city is the ancient settlement (Devichya Gora) of the Dnieper-Dvina culture (before the 1st century BC). But the city itself arose on Castle Hill: in 1959, a cultural layer with wooden buildings and objects from 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 beginning of the 13th century was found in Mstislavl. In 2014, in a layer of the first half of the 12th century on the territory of the castle, another birch bark letter and a blank letter containing two letters and a cut out princely trident sign were found.

Founded in 1135 by the Smolensk prince Rostislav Mstislavich and named after his father Mstislav the Great. The first mention was in the Ipatiev Chronicle in 1156, when it was owned by Davyd Rostislavovich. Ancient Mstislavl consisted of a castle, fortified with a moat and ramparts, and a surrounding town. Since 1180, the center of the Mstislav principality. From the second half of the 14th century it belonged to the princes of Mstislav.

The territory of the Mstislav principality included the lands of the current Mstislavsky, Cherikovsky and Chaussky districts with the cities of Radoml and Ryasno. After the death of Smolensk Prince Davyd, Mstislav Romanovich's uncle, Mstislav Romanovich was recognized as the Smolensk prince and annexed the Mstislav principality to Smolensk.

In 1359, the Lithuanian prince Olgerd captured Mstislavl and annexed it to the Principality of Lithuania. From this time on, the history of Mstislavl begins as a separate principality, which, in addition to the present Mstislav region, included part of the Cherikovsky and most of the Chaussky povets (districts) with the cities of Radoml and Ryasno.

In 1386, taking advantage of the absence of the prince and other nobles, including his son Semyon (Lungveniya) Olgerdovich due to the wedding and coronation of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello, the Smolensk prince Svyatoslav besieged Mstislavl on May 7, but was unable to take it within 11 days. Lithuanian troops led by the Jagiello brothers, princes Skirgaila and Vytautas, approached the city and, after a battle on the banks of the Vihra, lifted the siege. The Smolyans were defeated. Svyatoslav was killed, and his children, Yuri and Gleb, were taken prisoner. The nephew of the Smolensk prince Svyatoslav, Ivan Vasilievich, also died in the Battle of Mstislav. Semyon-Lugveny in the Battle of Grunwald commanded three East Slavic banners (regiments) - Smolensk, Mstislav and Starodubov - which withstood the first strike of the troops of the Teutonic Order. Semyon-Lugveny, having married an Orthodox woman, converted from Catholicism to Orthodoxy. He founded and began construction of the Pustynsky Monastery in the vicinity of Mstislavl, the ruins of which, now being restored, are now a place of pilgrimage. The prince became the founder of the dynasty of princes Mstislavsky.

In 1514, Prince Mikhail of Mstislav annexed the principality to the Moscow state, after the lost battle of Orsha he was forced to flee to Moscow, after which the principality became the eldership of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Jesuit College building, 17th century

Since 1528, in the possession of Sigismund II Augustus, royal parish, center of eldership.

After the administrative reform of 1564-1566, the center of the Mstislav Voivodeship.

In 1634, King Wladyslaw IV of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth granted the city Magdeburg Law, as well as a coat of arms. To increase income, the magistrate was allowed to build shops, grain barns, meat rows, city baths, and wax slaughterhouses. Jews who had houses on city land were equal in rights and duties to citizens.

In 1654, after the capture of Smolensk by the troops of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, boyar Alexei Nikitich Trubetskoy was sent to Mstislavl, who took the city by storm and carried out brutal reprisals against the city’s residents. The wooden castle on the mountain near the Carmelite Church, which is currently called Castle Hill, was burned.

New time

On August 30, 1708, near Mstislavl, near the village of Dobroye, a battle between Russian and Swedish troops took place, in which the Swedes suffered their first tangible defeat. During a visit to the city, Peter I accepted a petition from the city's Jews, who complained about the looting of soldiers.

In 1772, after the annexation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth part of the territory of modern Belarus to the Russian Empire as a result of the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Mstislav Voivodeship was renamed the province of the Mogilev Governorate, and a provincial chancellery was established in Mstislavl.

In 1777, the Mogilev province was divided into counties, Mstislavl became a county town, and the territory of the province was divided into other counties. In 1778, a regular plan for Mstislavl was approved, which outlined a rectangular layout and a system of squares. A wooden palace was built (1787, burned down in 1858). In 1789 a public school was opened.

In 1781, Mstislavl received a new coat of arms: a red fox on a silver background.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, the city was devastated.

Mstislavl. Engraving from the mid-19th century

In 1835, Thaddeus Bulgarin wrote in “Travel Notes on a Trip from Dorpat to Belarus and Back”:

After Cherikov, Chaus, Klimovichi and Krichev and all Belarusian cities in general, including Polotsk, excluding only Vitebsk and Mogilev, Mstislavl seemed to me the capital! ... There are many beautiful houses, especially in the square; the new cathedral is magnificent; Catholic churches of excellent and, so to speak, beloved architecture, decent shops and generally a lot of life and movement in a city in which there are many Russian merchants. There is even a pharmacy here, and a wonderful one! This is more than surprising. The city lies on the steep bank of the Vehri River. From the river side the view of the city is lovely. The remains of the earthen rampart that surrounded the city are still preserved.

In 1858, Mstislavl was badly damaged by a fire; about 500 buildings burned down.

The current state of the building of the Mstislav Men's Gymnasium, built at the beginning of the 20th century. Shopping arcades, built in the 19th century.

Modern times

According to the 1897 census of the Russian Empire, the city had 8,514 inhabitants (62% illiterate), including 5,072 Jews, 2,833 Belarusians, 475 Russians, 108 Poles. There were a tannery, a brick factory, a brewery and other small enterprises, 3 schools, 3 hospitals.

At the beginning of the 20th century - 1048 residential buildings, including 25 brick ones, men's and women's gymnasiums, 2 libraries, a publishing house, 3 monasteries, 3 churches, a church, a synagogue, a hospital, a pharmacy.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the city had men's and women's gymnasiums, men's and women's parish schools, and a 4-grade religious school.

In 1914, there were 28 enterprises in the city, employing about 100 people; 1048 houses.

Since 1919, Mstislavl was part of the Smolensk province of the RSFSR, was the center of the county, and from July 17, 1924 - part of the BSSR, the regional center of the Mogilev region.

In 1939, the settlement had 10.5 thousand inhabitants.

From July 1941 to September 28, 1943, the city was occupied by German troops. On October 15, 1941, more than 1,300 Jews of the city were driven to the Kagalny ditch, stripped, and brutally exterminated from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. After the liberation of the city of Mstislavl from occupation, there were no Jews left in it.

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.” A short time later 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 the inscription was added: “At this place, fascist executioners brutally killed 1,300 Jews on October 15, 1941, and later in 1941-1943. - 168 Belarusians and 35 Roma, mostly women, children and old people.”

Master plan

The first regular plan (1778) basically determined the planning structure of the city. Historical and architectural monuments in combination with a rich natural landscape play a significant role in the architectural appearance of the city. General plans 1961 and 1977 a central planning core is distinguished, the composition of which includes architectural monuments of the 17th-18th centuries. and historical areas. Subsequent capital development was carried out along the Mogilev highway. Industrial zones are located in the southern and eastern parts of the city.

Culture

In artistic culture, the famous so-called Mstislav tiles are products of urban tsenin masters of the 15th-17th centuries. The design of Mstislav tiles is distinguished by a rich range of colors and decorative motifs. Of the masters, the most famous is Stepan Polubes, who, together with other fellow countrymen, decorated churches and royal chambers in the Russian state in the 17th century.

In the Mstislavl Carmelite Church, frescoes (mid-18th century) in the Baroque style have been preserved, of which “The Capture of Mstislavl by Moscow Troops in 1654” and “The Massacre of the Priests” stand out.

Not far from Mstislavl there was the Tupichevsky Holy Spirit Monastery, where the Church of the Descent of St. was built in 1645. Spirit with paintings on a wooden paving wall.

Vladimir Korotkevich wrote an artistic and documentary book “Mstislavl” about the city.

Economy

By industry

• Food industry
  • OJSC "Mstislavl Butter and Cheese Plant"
  • Bakery

Attractions

Monument to Peter Mstislavets

On the territory of the city there are two archaeological monuments - Maiden Mountain (a settlement of the 1st century BC) and Castle Hill (a medieval city).

There are two monuments to Peter Mstislavets in the city, as well as a monument to the first district commissar and chairman of the executive committee of the Mstislav Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies A.L. Yurchenko.

Architecture

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built at the end of the 19th century on the foundation of a Catholic church

The buildings of the Carmelite (1637, rebuilt 1746-50) and Jesuit churches (1730-38, rebuilt 1836) are of architectural interest.

Mogilev | Bobruisk | Bykhov | Roller coaster | Kirovsk | Klimovichi | Klichev | Kostyukovichi | Krichev | | Osipovichi | Slavgorod | Chausy | Cherikov | Shklov

Populated areas of Mstislavsky district
District city
Andrany Osinovka Oslyanka Asmolovichi Bogatkovka Bankovshchina Borisovka Bastenovichi Bashary Bely Mokh Bel Berezetnya Berezuyki Beskakovo Beskovka Bragi Budogoshch Budenovka Bulino Bykovichi Bystrica Bezvodichi Bezgachevo Belynets Volovniki Vorovskogo Vasilkovo Volkovka Visklino Vyshovo Bolshaya Zyatitsa Bolshaya Leshchenka Verkeev shina Galkovichi Gimbotovka Glinye Gutorovshchina Danilovsk Desnokita Dedkovichi Dobroe Dolgovichi Dubasno Dubeykovo Dubrovka Dudchitsy Zhigalovo Zabolotye Zolochyovo Zalesye Zalesye Zankovschina Zapolye Zasozhye... Ksenzovschina Lastrigino

Elena Schlegel Mstislavl, Minsk Mstislavl, Mogilev Mstislavl, Mstislavl, Mstislavl pictures, Mstislavl on the map, weather Mstislavl

Mstislavl Information About

Recently, archaeologists made several important historical finds in the Mogilev region. In the Krasnopolsky district, in the agricultural town of Lenin, teachers and students of Mogilev State University during an expedition discovered a unique bronze ring with an ornament from 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 from the 11th-12th centuries, elements of women's shoes and a mysterious solid bronze case from the mid-17th century with Baroque decoration, BELTA reports. How our ancestors could have used this 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” due to its unique historical flavor, has long attracted scientists and antiquity lovers. Many amazing objects 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 Helen. This is the first time scientists have encountered such a thing on the territory of Belarus.

Knight festival and underground labyrinths: what to see in Mstislavl

Mstislavl is famous not only for its archaeological sites. This place attracts a lot of tourists every summer - a knights festival takes place here in July. People come from all over Belarus to take part in an equestrian tournament, go to an exhibition of rare armor and watch historical performances. But if you weren’t able to visit the city during the holiday, don’t be upset - you won’t be bored in Mstislavl anyway, there’s something to see here even without medieval battles.

Since we started with archeology, let the starting point of our route around the city be Maiden Mountain. This is a settlement of the ancient Baltic tribes of the 1st century BC. The earthen defensive rampart of that time in the form of a ring has been preserved here. Of course, the locals will definitely tell you the legend of how the mountain appeared. According to legend, this huge hill was built by the girls of the settlement in one night to resist an enemy siege.

In the center of modern Mstislavl there is Castle Hill– this is where unique historical artifacts are found, and a knightly festival is also held here. It is from this hill that the city originates. In the Middle Ages, there was a princely castle-fortress on the mountain, which could only be reached by passing a wide moat along a wooden drawbridge. By the way, Mstislavl stands on six hills - a little behind Rome. The flat terrain here abruptly gives way to hills, which is why the surrounding area of ​​the regional center is 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.

The main architectural monument of Mstislavl is Carmelite Church, built at the beginning of the 17th century. Ancient frescoes have been preserved inside. Tourists are allowed to go down into the dungeon or climb up narrow stairs to the towers of the church. Nearby is a Jesuit monastery founded in 1690. Several buildings within the complex have survived to this day, the three-story collegium being especially beautiful. Another interesting building is the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky, which was built on the site of a burnt Bernardine church in 1870. There is also a legend here: they say that once upon a time the Carmelite, Jesuit and Bernardine churches were connected by secret underground passages - the buildings were 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 stroll along the streets of Mstislavl, where you can see wooden houses of the late 19th century, in which people still live.

If you have time, we recommend taking a ride outside the city. The oldest monastery in these parts, the Assumption Monastery, or Pustynki, is located 8 km from Mstislavl. The monastery was founded in 1380 and since then it has been destroyed and burned countless times, but in the end it was still restored. Now it is an active Orthodox monastery, on the territory of which there is a holy spring, which has never dried up since the founding of the monastery.

How to get to Mstislavl

By car from Moscow to Mstislavl it is just over 500 km. After the Moscow Ring Road we exit onto the Minskoye Highway and move along M-1, then turn towards Bryansk. Further along the A141 we go to 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 are driving along the M4, at the Prony River we turn onto P123, then we exit onto H10376, and then right onto P15.

Decided to go by public transport? Buses run daily from Smolensk to Mstislavl; travel time is 2-3 hours depending on the route. You will travel about the same distance from Mogilev; the car runs several times a day.

Alexandra Egorova

Little Vilnius, Belarusian Suzdal, Danish Linnholm-Høje - there are many different names for 880-year-old Mstislavl. The small regional center, practically on the border of the Mogilev and Smolensk regions, is just right to be turned into an open-air museum.

TUT.BY has found 5 reasons for you to visit Mstislavl.

Majestic centuries-old buildings have been preserved on the ancient streets of Mstislavl. However, a lot of the city’s wealth is hidden underground - archaeologists are looking for them, competing in speed with black diggers: the Mstislav soil is literally strewn with the bones of warriors, armor, and the remains of household items. What they find is given to museums: local, Mogilev or Minsk.

Reason one. Face of Christ, healing spring and temple ruins

Few Belarusians know about the Holy Dormition Monastery. The holy place is also popular among Russians: we have never seen a car with a tricolor on its license plate in the parking lot in front of the monastery. Believers claim that they almost physically feel the grace here. Suggestible people claim that they feel someone’s invisible presence.

The Pustynsky Monastery is located 10 km from the center of Mstislavl, but it is worth a visit. It is considered the oldest Orthodox monastery in the Mogilev region and is only 2.5 centuries younger than Mstislavl.

It was founded by one of the ancestors of the Mstislav princes Lugven or Lugven, the tenth son of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd. According to legend, after a serious illness the prince began to lose his sight. He was practically blind when he once had a dream in which an old man appeared and said: “Go to the hermitage [monastic settlement], wash yourself from the spring and you will receive healing.”

The prince began to look for that desert and came to a spring not far from Mstislavl. Lugwen washed himself with the water and was healed - his sight returned to him. In the branches of a linden tree that grew near the source, he allegedly saw the image of the Mother of God. Accepting his healing as her mercy, the grateful prince decided to build a monastery on the site of the miraculous spring.

In 1801-1808, the stone Assumption Cathedral was built. In 1864, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built and consecrated right at the source. The multi-tiered tented bell tower with a height of 58.67 m is already a century and a half old, just like the Church of the Intercession.

In the pre-revolutionary years, there was an Orthodox brotherhood, a church peasant school, and a library of 656 books that were distributed and sent out free of charge. After the October Revolution, in 1925, the monks were evicted from the monastery. Orphans were placed in monastic cells, forming the Pustynsky orphanage. The property of the Pustynsky Monastery, including icons, was confiscated.

During all the years of the Great Patriotic War, not a single building was destroyed in Pustynki, not a single child died here, although the orphanage was not evacuated. In 1942, during three summer months, a German military unit was based on the territory of the monastery.

In the post-war period, the monastery walls again sheltered orphans, the number of whom reached 350 people. Largely thanks to this, the monastery buildings have survived to this day.

During Soviet times, the monastery complex was seriously damaged. Windows were removed from buildings, roofs were dismantled, floors were blown up, and stoves were taken away. They tried to break down the walls of the Assumption Cathedral with tractors, and the fence around the monastery was plundered. Civil defense exercises began to be held on the territory of the monastery. They burned and broke what was still left standing. By 2000, the territory of the monastery was overgrown with weeds.

Work to restore the monastery began in 2003. During the renovation of one of the buildings where there used to be a school, a face was discovered on the wall, which, according to believers, is surprisingly similar to the face of Christ on the Shroud of Turin. They say that a school board used to hang at this place. Since 2005, monks have settled in the monastery again.

Reason two. Castle Hill

Perhaps one of the main places where you can feel the passage of time is Castle Hill. Once upon a time it was surrounded by deep ditches, and behind them - a high rampart. Behind the fortifications on the upper platform of the mountain there was a citadel of medieval Mstislavl. Adjoining it from the south was the so-called Okolny City, also surrounded by ramparts and a moat.

The entrance to the castle was through a wooden drawbridge spanning a moat. In the center of the fortress stood an octagonal donjon tower, built at the end of the 15th - 16th centuries. The prince and the princely squad were in the castle. Residents' houses stood in a tight circle along it, a wooden church was built on the south side, and the prince's house stood in the center.

Castle Hill and its surroundings are a Mecca for archaeologists. Here, during excavations, the remains of fortifications, mansions with tiled stoves, etc. were discovered. Below the detinets (castle) a settlement of Mstislavl was discovered with the remains of wooden buildings, streets paved with logs, and numerous household items of the 12th-13th centuries.

Now there is an excavation on the mountain, which was turned into a small museum thanks to the efforts of students of Moscow State University. A. Kuleshova, headed by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Igor Marzalyuk. According to Igor Aleksandrovich, for this purpose they literally went through 600 cubic meters with their hands. m of land. In the excavation they found stone millstones of the 18th century, a personal spindle whorl from the 12th century - the name of the girl who left the inscription on it has not yet been deciphered. The materials found here, including samples of the wood from which the pavement was made, give reason to say that Mstislavl is at least 80 years older.

For most of the year, Castle Hill is empty. And only it is filled with hundreds of knights in armor and spectators.

By the way, a monument to that same Lugven, the ancestor of the Mstislav princes, the hero of the Battle of Grunwald, was unveiled next to the mountain.

Reason three. Mstislavsky “Paris” and the architecture of the 19th - 20th centuries

Not far from the Central Square there is a perfectly preserved three-story red brick building. Previously, the noble assembly and the Paris Hotel were located here. The name remains - it is borne by the hairdresser, which is located on the ground floor. Now the educational building of the Mstislav Construction College is located here. By the way, in Mstislavl there were also hotels with the names “Berlin” and “Eagle”, but they have not survived.

The building of the zemstvo government is also perfectly preserved, as are the district school, the 20-meter fire tower, the buildings of the men's gymnasium, and the treasury.

The shopping arcades in Mstislavl are an architectural and historical monument. They were built at the beginning of the 20th century on the site of an ancient market that existed there from the Middle Ages until the 19th century.

Mstislavl has always been a trading city. The fame of his merchant traditions spread far beyond the Belarusian lands: merchants came to Mstislavl from all over the world, and almost anything could be found at the market - the rows stood in the center of Mstislavl, to the right of the building of the local district executive committee and the monument to Peter Mstislavets.

These squat houses now house modern shops.

Reason four. Carmelite Church and Jesuit College

The Carmelite Church is the most valuable architectural monument of Mstislavl. It began to be built in 1637. The plan of the temple is close to a square, which fundamentally distinguishes it from traditional basilica churches.

The interior of the church is decorated with stucco and frescoes with religious subjects. The two central frescoes are dedicated to the capture of the city in 1654 by Trubetskoy’s troops (one depicts the Mstislav Castle, the other depicts the massacre of the priests). The fresco painting dates back to the second half of the 17th century. True, there have been scaffoldings inside the temple for about 20 years, but you can see some things through them.

The stone Jesuit Church of St. Michael the Archangel is one of the dominant features of Mstislavl, a Baroque monument. The collegium ensemble is included in the state list of historical and cultural values ​​of Belarus.

Construction of the Jesuit church began in 1730 with the support of King Sigismund III. Work proceeded slowly: only in 1748, under the leadership of Benedict Mezmer, the church was finally completed.

After the suppression of the gentry uprising of 1830−1831. the buildings of the former monastery were transferred to the Orthodox, the church was closed. In 1842, the Jesuit church was reconstructed and converted into the Orthodox St. Nicholas Cathedral.

At the moment, from the ensemble of the Jesuit collegium, the following have been preserved: the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, the collegium building, pharmacies, service buildings, as well as the fence and chapels. The college has a kind of hostel, and a tent city is set up on its territory during the knight festival.

Reason five. Selfie with the knight and Peter Mstislavets

There are two monuments to Pyotr Mstislavets, a book printer and associate of Ivan Fedorov, erected in the city. Together with him, Mstislavets published in Moscow the first accurately dated Russian printed book, “The Apostle” (1564), and in 1565, two editions of “The Book of Hours.”

The first monument to Peter Mstislavets stands near the Jesuit college. The second is on the Central Square opposite the building of the district executive committee: it was installed on September 2, 2001.

Near the Old Town bistro, also in the center of Mstislavl, there are two knights with the coat of arms of Mstislavl on their shields. According to locals, the knights were made by college students.

For tourists

Despite the small size of the city, it has places