The town was founded at the junction of the Rsha and the Dnieper in the days of reign of Prolotsk Prince Bryachislav. Initially it served as an outpost to control trade routes.

Orsha was first mentioned in chronicles in 1067. By that time the town had a triangular fortress surrounded by a trench and an earth rampant. In 1119 the town was occupied by the troops led by Vladimir Monomakh, Prince of Kyiv.

One of the best known Belarusian manuscripts, the Gospel, was written in Orshja in the 13^th century.

The town was several times attacked by various invaders in the 14^th century, and many of its fortifications were destroyed. Nevertheless, the town managed to survive the siege organised by Svyatoslav, Prince of Smolensk, in 1397 and an attack led by Prince Svidrigailo in 1401.

Lithuanian Prince Vitovt started to build here a stone castle. The construction took almost two centuries and was completed in 1620.

In 1500 Orsha was occupied by Russian troops. However, three years later the town was returned to the Great Principality of Lithuania. The famous Orsha battle in which Belarusian troops defeated the Russian army took place on September 8, 1514. This day is annually marked as the Day of Belarusian Military Glory.

In 1623 there was built an Orthodox Christian friary in Orsha that became one of Belarus’ major printing houses in the late 17^th century. The most widely known book published here was the ABC edited by famous Belarusian enlightener Spiridon Sobol.

The Holy Spirit Church built in Orsha in the 17^th century survived to the present day. A memorial plate with the name of Spiridon Sobol on it was placed on the fronton of the church in 1998.

In 1639 there was built a Bernardine monastery, and in the early 18^th century there opened a Trinity monastery with a grand five-dome cathedral. The wooden Church of St Peter and Paul was built in the early 20^th century.

The town survived two major fires — in 1653 and 1654, the Great Northern War and the Patriotic War of 1812. During the Patriotic War the quartermaster of the city was Mari Anri Bejl (Stendhal), a would-be outstanding French writer.

The town’s Renaissance is connected with the opening of Moscow-Brest railway line. Orsha gradually became one of the major Belarusian transport centers, and the railway station built here in 1912 still remains one of the most beautiful buildings of the town.

During the Great Patriotic War there were organised several underground militant groups. They were led by Konstantin Zasonov, an outstanding leader of the Belarusian partisan movement.

One of the favorite relaxation places of Orsha residents and guests is the recreation and amusement park located on the bank of the Dnieper. Most festivals are held in the central square of the town.

There are several museums in Orsha, including Melnitsa museum of local history, culture and lore, Konstantin Zaslonov museum, the museum of wooden sculptures, the museum of Belarusian writer Vladimir Korotkevich and the exhibition hall. The prominent historical sites include the Trinity monastery (1714), the Jesuit collegium (1690), the ruins of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, the ruins of the old castle and St Elijah Church built in the late 19^th century (neo-Russian style).

The oldest Roman Catholic church in Orsha is St Joseph Cathedral built in the 17^th century (baroque with elements of classicism).

In 2006 Orsha became the host of the national Orthodox Christian Festival. The town’s Kuteinskaya Lavra (an Orthodox Christian shrine) that is expected to be restored by 2010 may become a Mecca for local Orthodox Christians.

Every February, March and October Belarusian travel-lovers who prefer unconventional types of travel (autostop, floating, cycling, biking, walking) gather at the crossroads of Moscow-Brest (M1) and St Petersburg-Odessa (E95) highways near Orsha for an informal session. They call it The meeting on the Elbe.