Presentation about significant places in Smorgon. Sports and tourism sector

REPEATING WHAT HAPPENED 1. List the common features of military-political alliances. 2. Name their differences. Military-political alliances on the eve of the First World War Entente 1907 England, France, Russia, and 30 other countries Triple Alliance 1882 Germany, Austria-Hungary Italy.

The 100th anniversary of the beginning of one of the bloodiest and largest armed conflicts in human history, the First World War, is coming up. It is already known that the main events dedicated to this event will be held in Smorgon. And it’s no coincidence. It was this corner of the Grodno land that was one of the epicenters of the past; it was here that the Great War (as it was called in the interwar period) left one of those traces that will never be erased from people's memory. However, despite numerous losses, Smorgon survived and did not submit to the enemy... LET'S LEARN ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PEOPLE IN SMORGON. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT OUR TODAY'S LESSON IS DEDICATED TO.

SMRGON: BACKGROUND During the First World War, the front line literally passed through Smorgon. Local chronicler of history Vladimir Nikolaevich Liguta says: “Smorgon was the only city on the front from the Baltic to the Black Seas, which was defended so long and stubbornly by the Russian army for 810 days in the First world war..." Yakov Matveevich Liguta (right)

The city of Smorgon is located in the north-west of Belarus within the Narochano-Vileyka Plain, two kilometers south- west of the river Vilia. From September 1915 to February 1918, the Russian-German front line passed through Smorgon. As a result of positional battles, the city of 16 thousand turned into ruins. After an 810-day defense, it practically ceased to exist. Newspapers of the time called it a “dead city.” The first gas attack of the Russian army was carried out in the Smorgon region on September 56, 1916. In memory of the battles near Smorgon, composer Herman Blume wrote the “Smorgon March”.

Formed in Russia in 1917, the Women's Death Battalions took part in hostilities only once, in July 1917, near the village of Krevo, near Smorgon, the “First Women's Military Death Command of Maria Bochkareva” steadfastly repulsed the attacks of the Germans who went on a counter-offensive. The following took part in the battles near Smorgon: the future Marshal of the Soviet Union and the Minister of Defense of the USSR, machine gunner of the 256th Elisavetgrad Regiment Rodion Malinovsky, the future Marshal of the Soviet Union Boris Shaposhnikov and Alexandra Tolstoy (daughter of Leo Tolstoy), as well as the staff captain of the 16th Mingrelian Grenadier Regiment shelf Mikhail Zoshchenko (world-famous satirist writer). Tens of thousands of soldiers and officers gave their lives defending their homeland, hundreds of unknown and 847 named heroes of Smorgon became Knights of St. George in those battles. Several films have been made about that terrible time. documentaries domestic and foreign directors.

THE MOST TRAGIC PAGES IN THE HISTORY OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR GAS ATTACKS. They launched their first gas attack on the territory of Belarus on the night of June 20, 1916 in the area of ​​the city of Smorgon on the front sector occupied by the 253rd Perekop and 254th Nikolaev infantry regiments of the 64th Infantry Division of the 26th Army Corps.

READ EYEWITNESS MEMORIES OF GAS ATTACKS AND THINK: WHAT IS THIS DANGEROUS MEANS OF WAR? From the memoirs of Leo Tolstoy’s daughter Alexandra (she was in charge of the front-line hospital in Zalesye): “Through narrow communication passages we reached a deep, low dugout. It was possible to enter it only by bending over. The general was sitting at a table covered with papers. He confidentially told me that our army was preparing to attack before dawn. He asked me about the medical personnel, the number of ambulances, the hospital. We waited tensely. At two o'clock in the morning we noticed that, when exploding, German shells released yellow smoke. It spread out across the ravine and smelled of chlorine. Masks! Wear your masks! Half an hour passed. The gas-filled shells continued to explode in a thick yellowish fog. Something smelled like cherries, brothers! Potassium cyanide! Again this terrible animal fear! Jaws trembled, teeth chattered..."

Local historian Vladimir Liguta, events of July 1916: “... - On July 2 at 3:15 a.m., German artillery opened hurricane fire on the trenches of the first and second lines, along the communication routes, on the artillery positions of the 64th brigade and throughout the rear, including chemical shells. A few minutes later the Germans released the first cloud of bluish gases. Gases escaped from the cylinders with a strong hiss. As soon as the cloud was noticed, the signalmen played the prearranged signal on their horns, the fighters rushed to their places, put on their masks and prepared for battle. Immediately after the first, a second wave of gases was already approaching the forward trenches, denser, 6-8 meters high. Behind the gas cloud there was a smoke screen, and behind it four chains of German infantry appeared... During the 1.5 hours of the attack, the gas penetrated to a depth of 19 km and caused great damage to the troops of the 26th Corps. 40 officers and 2,076 soldiers were poisoned. Carts carried away the blackened bodies of the dead, and ambulance carts were filled with poisoned ones. The fallen were buried in mass graves in the villages of Belaya and Zalesye... Almost to Molodechno, the forest and fields beyond Smorgon stretched in lifeless yellowed stripes..."

READ AN EXTRACT OF AN INTERVIEW WITH LOCAL HISTORIAN VLADIMIR LIGUTA AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS Smorgon during the First World War is sometimes compared to Stalingrad during the Great Patriotic War. What unites these cities and is it worth putting them next to each other? Smorgon is similar to Stalingrad in terms of the degree of destruction and fury of the autumn battles of 1915. But as for the duration of the confrontation, here Smorgon is better correlated with besieged Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. On Smorgon soil, the Russian army stubbornly resisted the enemy for 810 days! This is what I read in the memoirs of German officers who were captured: “How can this be? The Russians surrendered Brest, Grodno, Vilnia, and near this small town they are fighting to the death...” It is known that, under the impression of the battles at Smorgon Krevo in the summer of 1917, in our time the German Bundeswehr wrote the “Smorgon March”, which sounds there and to this day. It turns out that really “whoever was not near Smorgon did not see the war”? This statement is tragic soldier's folklore. That's what they said about others terrifying places that war. However, there is certainly a reason in these words. The battles for Smorgon were very terrible. Our military received the order: “Fight to the death!” No step back! Russia is behind us." On one day alone, September 25, 1915, 5.5 thousand Germans and 3.5 thousand Russian soldiers of the guard regiments died. In violation of all orders, a truce was concluded in order to collect the dead and wounded from the battlefield near the Viliya River. Smorgon will later be called a “dead city”: it will be completely destroyed and burned. After the war, out of 16 thousand inhabitants, only 130 people will return here... And who are the heroes of Smorgon? I adhere to the point of view that heroes are those who fought the enemy in Smorgon. And the enemy were the Germans. The Russian imperial army, faithful to its oath and military duty, stood to the death on Belarusian soil, holding the front until 1917, thinking about Victory. The names of 838 soldiers, non-commissioned officers, officers and generals of the Russian army, Knights of St. George, awarded for their exploits in the battles near Lake Vishnevo, Smorgon and Krevo in the years are already known.

WOMEN'S DEATH BATTALIONS On June 19, 1917, the Provisional Government formed the first women's death battalion. No other army in the world knew such a female military formation. The initiator of their creation was serviceman Maria Bochkareva. June 21, 1917 on the square St. Isaac's Cathedral A solemn ceremony took place to present the new military unit with a banner with the inscription “The first female military command of the death of Maria Bochkareva.” On June 29, the Military Council approved the regulation “On the formation of military units from female volunteers.” The main goal was considered to have a patriotic impact on male soldiers through the direct participation of women in combat. As M. Bochkareva herself wrote, “the soldiers in this great war are tired and they need to be helped... morally.” Strict discipline was established in the women's battalions: waking up at five in the morning, studying until ten in the evening and simple soldier's food. Women had their heads shaved. Black shoulder straps with a red stripe and an emblem in the form of a skull and two crossed bones symbolized “an unwillingness to live if Russia perishes.”

WOMEN'S DEATH BATTALIONS On June 27, 1917, the “death battalion” of two hundred people arrived in the active army. And he was sent to the rear units of the 1st Siberian Army Corps of the 10th Army of the Western Front. The women's battalion, commanded by M. Bochkareva, was located in the area of ​​Molodechno, near Smorgon. In the offensive battles near Smorgon, the battalion suffered serious losses in killed and wounded. M. Bochkareva herself was seriously shell-shocked. Perhaps, given the sad fate of this battalion, a special commission on staff reductions in the army expressed its negative attitude towards female formations to the chief of staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in August 1917.
The reports said that “Bochkareva’s detachment behaved heroically in battle,” it became clear that female military units could not become an effective fighting force. After the battle, 200 female soldiers remained in the ranks. Losses were 30 killed and 70 wounded. M. Bochkareva was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, and subsequently to lieutenant. In January 1918, the women's battalions were formally disbanded, but many of their members continued to serve in units of the White Guard armies. Maria Bochkareva herself took an active part in the White movement. On behalf of General Kornilov, she went to the United States to ask for help to fight the Bolsheviks. Upon returning to Russia on November 10, 1919, M. Bochkareva met with Admiral Kolchak. And on his instructions, she formed a women’s sanitary detachment of 200 people. In November 1919, after the capture of Omsk by the Red Army, she was arrested and shot.

A FORGOTTEN WAR... FORGOTTEN HEROES... Hundreds of thousands of documents from this terrible First World War are gathering dust in the archives. More than 35 states were drawn into this war; the war took place in Europe and Asia. Ships were sunk on the oceans and seas, including peaceful ones that had no military personnel on them. The terrible war claimed many millions of human lives. Smorgon fought to the death, as there was an order “Not a step back! Fight to the death! Russia is behind us!” 582 officers, 24 thousand guardsmen and 1100 cavalrymen received such an order. Add to this 90 machine gun crews, 145 artillery pieces and 5 airplanes. These forces were deployed to stop the advance of the German military machine. And the Russian army coped with its task. The enemy didn't get through. Smorgon defended itself for 810 days. It was "Stalingrad" of the First World War!

1. Ludendorff, E. My military memories of the war of 1914–1918: in 2 volumes / E. Ludendorff. – T. 1. – M., Soviet military encyclopedia: in 8 volumes [chap. ed. A.A. Grechko]. – T. 2. –M., Military Publishing House, Ludendorff, E. My memories of the war of 1914–1918. / E. Ludendorff. – M.; Minsk, Russian State Military Historical Archive (RGVIA). – Foundation – Op. 1. – D RGVIA. – Foundation – Op. 1. – D RGVIA. – Foundation – Op. 1. – D RGVIA. – Foundation – Op. 1. – D Liguta, V.N. At Smorgon, under the sign of St. George / V.N. Liguta. – Minsk: Publishing house V. Khursik, De-Lazari, A.N. Chemical weapons on the fronts of the World War 1914–1918. / A.N. De-Lazari. – M., Kersnovsky, A. History of the Russian Army: 1881–1916. / A. Kersnovsky. – Smolensk, Rusich, 2004.

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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


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


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

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

Well, okay, this is his harsh choice.

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


There are several pieces near the bridge:

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

The rest didn’t even try to guess:

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

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

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


Near pretty sculptural group, depicting an academy pet:


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

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


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


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

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

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

Take a photo with the 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 a Renaissance monument, a rarity for Belarus

Monuments of the Renaissance in Belarus can be counted on one hand. 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, practically no new churches were built: most often, older Catholic churches were remodeled for Protestant gatherings. But the Church of St. Michael in Smorgon is an exception. It was originally built precisely as a Calvin gathering (Calvinism was the most widespread reformation movement in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania). The church's donor, Kristof Zenovich, a prominent statesman of his time, was also a Calvinist.

But the temple did not serve Protestants for long. In the middle of the 17th century, the Catholic Church finally regained its lost positions and the gathering in Smorgon became a church. The temple is still Catholic today - it belongs to the monastic order of the Salesians. And only the discreet interior decor reminds of its Protestant past.

2. Find out the military history of the “dead city”

During World War I, the city desperately defended itself from the German army. Due to the fierce battles that took place here in 1915, Smorgon is often compared to Stalingrad. It was also hellish here: among the soldiers of those years there was even a saying: “Whoever has not been near Smorgon has never seen war.” After an 810-day 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, Alexandra Tolstaya, nursed the wounded.

Story " dead city» is immortalized in the Memorial Complex to 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 a city park

Yes, yes, you heard right. There was such an educational institution in Smorgon in the 17th - 19th 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 perform the most complex tricks - bowing, dancing, marching, looking in the mirror.

The academy in Smorgon reached its greatest prosperity in the 18th century, under Karol Stanislav Radziwill Pan Kokhanku. The same thing that I went sledding in Nesvizh in the summer. On roads made of salt. He was also a merry fellow and a joker. The students of the Smorgon “academy” were known far beyond the boundaries of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Trained Smorgon bears could be found at fairs in Prussia, Schleswig, Bavaria and Alsace.

True, Greenpeace would not approve of the training and teaching methods at the institution. But Academician Pavlov might have appreciated it. In place of the current one district hospital Deep pits with brushwood were dug, on which cages with copper bottoms stood. When brushwood was set on fire in the pits, the bottom heated up, and the bears began to dance from the heat. At this time, the trainers were banging on the tambourine. After several months of “training,” the bears were released from their cages. After such training, the animals always began to shift from paw to paw as soon as they heard the sound of a tambourine.

You get a great photo if you try to climb right into the paws of a cast iron bear. This requires some skill, 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 back 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 history museum; the bear appears on the city’s coat of arms and... on the packaging of local ice cream.

Photo: Evgenia Chaikina

But if the Smorgon ice cream had been packed even in a gray, nondescript container, it would probably have been no less popular. It is so tasty and natural. The good old Soviet GOST guarantees the absence of chemical additives and a rush of nostalgia for those born before the 1990s.

Ice cream can be bought in almost any grocery store in Smorgon and several other nearby towns. This divine delicacy cannot be found in Minsk and other regions. So eat up for good measure. Or take a pack or two with you in your cooler bag.

Today Smorgon is famous for its ice cream, but in the 17th-19th centuries bagels were the culinary specialty of the city. By the way, these delicacies were originally intended for bears with a sweet tooth. And they were not rings, but sticks. And only over time was the recipe adapted for people. The bagels “rounded up” and they began to add poppy seeds, honey and Cahors 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 through the rock garden

Stone faces in Smorgon are not about the hospitality of the Smorgon people, no. We are talking about a stone slab with bas-reliefs in the form of women's faces.

This and other interesting sculptures appeared in central park city ​​not so long ago, during the plein air of young sculptors. The artists worked outdoors for a month to master such a complex natural material as stone. The result is impressive. And even though some of the sculptures are abstract and conventional, the result of creative impulses fits unusually organically into the urban environment.

Opens in Central Park great view to the Transfiguration Church

Here, in the central park, there is a monument to Frantisek Bogushevich, a poet, one of the founders of new Belarusian literature. If you have time, visit the Bogushevich Estate in Kushlyany - here the poet spent last years life. It has been restored and perfectly conveys the atmosphere of the late 19th century. And in the Smorgon region there is the village of Krevo, with ruins ancient castle. It was here in 1385 that Vytautas and Jagiello signed the Union of Krevo. The same one that served as the beginning of the unification of Belarusian lands with Poland.

You can get acquainted with Smorgon, as well as look into Oginsky’s estate in Zalesye and see 5 unique churches of the Grodno region within excursion route"Ostrovets Around the World" by contacting one of the travel companies in Belarus.

The editors of the site thanks the National Tourism Agency for the opportunity to get acquainted with the monuments of Smorgon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Smorgon is a city of contrasts, where it seems that the Soviet past has left as many traces as the Polish and Lithuanian. Although Soviet years When Smorgon residents went to Vilnius just to drink coffee or buy sausages, they often remember here. With the advent of the visa regime, not everyone can afford such joy for soul and body. Although, it would seem, it’s 87 kilometers to Vilnius from Smorgon, and 110 to Minsk. Feel the difference, as they say.

To understand what it’s like to live in such a provincial city, you need to look around, get used to the environment and communicate with the locals. But if you shorten your shopping time in Vilnius by a couple of hours and, on the way to Minsk, stop by car in this city and visit the surrounding area, then you can return home with impressions of a Belarus unknown to a resident of the capital.

Why do you need to go to Smorgon if there are ice palaces and Burger King in Minsk? 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 “Breaking the Sir Boy” dedicated one of its songs to Smorgon. Specifically, the name of the city is mentioned in the following line: “You are in Smargon, there are fires there.” What exactly the author wanted to say with these words is not worth guessing 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 - small town in western Belarus with a population of more than 37 thousand people. Iron and steel pass through it highway towards Vilnius. A maximum of two hours by car from Minsk - and you are there.

Among the enterprises that operate here are 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 Smorgon residents 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 particle boards in Smorgon and also supplies them to Russia.

Today in the center of the city there is a set familiar to the province: the district executive committee (which some call the “white house”), the Honor Board, Lenin, a church, a church, its own GUM and TSUM.

During the Patriotic War of 1812, Napoleon made his last stop before retreating in Smorgon. 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 of 1921, Smorgon went to Poland and was part of it until 1939.

The city's coat of arms depicts a brown, clubfooted bear. It’s also on the packaging of local dairy products. 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 at this point the clubfooted people will stop pursuing you, you are mistaken. In this city they are at almost 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 Zenoviches, Radziwills and Przezdeckis. 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 stood cages with copper bottoms. 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. After a few months, the bears were taken out of their cages, and it was enough for them to hear the sound of a tambourine to begin 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 it to Smorgon.

Another fun fact from the history of the city - 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 the bagels were originally used as a treat for the bears from the academy. In the newspaper "Culture" an article is devoted to bagels from Smorgon. It contains a quote from the work of a historian and ethnographer Adam Kirkor:

- In Smargony, Ashmyanskaya pavet, Vilna province, not all Myashchanskaya villages are busy baking small bagels, or krendzyalkoi, which is a mercenary baker called Smargonskih abvaranka ў. Skin travel abavyazkova merchant several bundles of these bagels; acres of this, they are transported to Vilnius and other cities.

In the Smorgon Museum of History and Local Lore, November 2015.

Despite the fact that in the 30s of the 20th century there were about 60 bagel bakers in Smorgon, today there is a hole left in the city from the bagel image. Because if it weren’t for Wikipedia or the stories of historians, local historians, tour guides and simply caring citizens, who would have known about these steering wheels?

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 a syrup of grated poppy seeds, water and a little sugar. The poppy seeds first had to be ground with a masher in cast iron for at least half an hour. The most patient family member was chosen for this task. After kutia and Lenten dishes were eaten, the infused “abaranka” was considered the most long-awaited delicacy.

This dish is still prepared in some families in Smorgon. Of course, bagels are no longer baked, but bought in the 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 purchased at almost every grocery store. Visitors buy several packs, and some Minsk residents even take the ice cream to their relatives in the capital in cooler bags to try.

Church of the Transfiguration 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 clear-cut architectural forms (for example, a sculpture with several stone faces), visit a church and Orthodox church, which are located at a distance of approximately 200 meters from each other.

Sculpture in the park.

By the way, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, a former Calvin congregation, is considered a monument of the 16th-17th centuries. There is a legend that there was once a direct route from the church tombs to Vilnius and Krevo.

Church of St. Michael the Archangel.

Curious guests of the city can go to the local history museum, where, with the help of an exhibition, they can consolidate their knowledge about the bear academy, and about the bagels, and about the Radziwills. The museum also includes a portrait of the honorary citizen of the region, poet and former presidential candidate in the 2010 elections, Vladimir Neklyaev.

Portrait of honorary citizen of the city Vladimir Neklyaev in the city museum.

The cinema called “Cosmos” in Smorgon was closed several years ago. In its place appeared the Space Cinema Club, where film screenings and discos take place. But film premieres here, unlike in Minsk, are shown late, if at all. Therefore, local youth go to watch them, including at the Rodina cinema in the neighboring town of Molodechno, which is 40 kilometers away 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 entertainment.

Capital life and the mass instinct of consumption came to Smorgon along with the Euroopt and Mart Inn supermarket chains. Today, Smorgon residents discuss bargain prices for some goods among themselves and pass on information about discount promotions by word of mouth.

Tourists in Smorgon can stay at a hotel in the city center. It has more than 70 rooms.

The city has seven schools, one gymnasium and a boarding school, also known as . The first plants were planted here in November 1997. The greenhouse contains exhibits of the flora of Africa and America, 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. Today no one will show dancing bears to city guests, they are unlikely to treat them to “abaranka”, and not every city resident knows about many people who were born or lived in Smorgon. And even 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 World War II, a significant part of the population of Smorgon were Jews. Among the Smorgon Jews there were several people who glorified hometown. For example, a poet Abram Sutskever, teacher and writer Aba Gordin, writer and poet Moses Kulbak, Soviet children's writer Yakov Taits, actor Shmuel Rodensky, military leader Benny Marshak.

Reason two. Take a selfie against the background of the ruins of the Krevsky Castle

In the Smorgon region there is the agricultural 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 Krevsky Castle, November 2015.

Krevsky Castle was built in the 14th century during the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This was the first stone castle in the principality. It was here that the Union of Krevo between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland was signed in August 1385. The castle was destroyed several times during sieges and the First World War.

Today all that remains of the castle are ruins. Although conservation of the object began back in 1929 and was periodically returned to it.

As part of the state program “Castles of Belarus,” they also planned to carry out conservation, but the project encountered financial difficulties. Head of the Department for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture Igor Chernyavsky at a press conference on August 13, 2015, that during the formation of the state program it was assumed that events within its framework would take place “a little differently.” But during complex research of objects, nuances appear.

For example, just for the conservation of the former princely tower of the Krevsky Castle, a “significant amount” needs to be spent. Therefore, the funds allocated by the republican budget for this year will be used to complete the project documentation. Most of the work within the first phase 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 in front of them.

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 Mr. Bukaty, Chairman of the Polish Sejm in Warsaw, founded the Uniate Church. According to various estimates, the temple was built during the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 18th century or in 1808.

There is a legend that the master placed a cache in one of the walls for major repairs 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 village residents wanted it to be Orthodox, and some - Catholic. As a result, they did not restore it. But today a new Orthodox church has been built next to it.

Reason four. Find out in which interiors Francis Bogushevich himself created

Belarusian poet Francis Bogushevich lived in the village of Kushlyany, Smorgon region. Now his house-museum is located there.

Although the poet was born in the Svirana farm of today's Ostrovets district, Grodno region.

Bogushevich is known for his collections of poems “Belarusian pipe” and “Belarusian tune”.

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 city center there is a quote from him: “Don’t pakidaytse 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 region, there is a museum-estate of a diplomat and composer Mikhail Kleofas 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 inherited it from his uncle Francis Xavier, Lithuanian cook.

Oginsky rebuilt the estate and laid out an English park near it.

At the end of the 30s of the 20th century, the manor and park were purchased by a resident of Warsaw Maria Zhabrovskaya. The estate turned into a summer boarding house.

In 1939-1941 there was a holiday home for Minsk residents. In 1961, a nursing home was organized in the estate. In 1977, it was transferred to the balance of the local enterprise Smorgonsilicate concrete. 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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