Lepel

The town is located in Vitebsk Region 115 kilometers from Vitebsk on the shore of Lepel Lake. Motorways connect Lepel with Polotsk, Minsk, Vitebsk, Orsha and Ula. You can also get to Lepel by railway.

Lepel was first mentioned in chronicles in 1439 when Prince Mikhail Zhigimontovich presented it to Vitebsk Cathedral. And in 1541 Zigimont I Old signed Lepel over to Vilnius Chapter House.

A castle built on Lepel island during the Livonian War burned down in 1563.

In 1568 Lepel belonged to Zenovich, castellan of Polotsk. Later the town was handed over to Polotsk waywode Dorogostaiski. And in 1586 the land was bought by Lev Sapega who founded a new town three kilometers away from the original settlement. This is the Lepel that survived to the present day.

On July 3, 1812, Lepel was captured and burned by French troops. Forty years later the town obtained its emblem — a silver rider on the red background — that has much in common with the Belarusian national emblem Pogonya.

From July 7, 1941 till August 26, 1944 the town was occupied by fascists who killed over 1,000 local residents. Since 1944 Lepel has annually celebrated the day of liberation from fascist invaders.

Other annual festivities held in Lepel include Kupalle (July) that takes place on shores of Lepelskoye and Svyatoye lakes.

The museum of local history, lore and culture founded in 1954 (237 square meters) contains around 14,000 exhibits, including subjects of labour, jewelry (8-12 centuries), ceramic goods, clothes, musical instruments, documents related to the Russian revolution (late 19th century — early 20th century) and the Civil War, industrialization, the Soviet repression, the Great Patriotic War. The section dedicated to local nature contains dummies of local bird and animal species.

There is a Home of Craftsmen in Lepel, where visitors can take a class of pottery and tailoring.

If you are planning to spend several days in Lepel, you can rent an apartment from private owners or stay at Priozernaya cottage (Stary Lepel village). Besides, there is a hotel several kilometers away from the town, where you can rent a suit, have dinner or visit a museum of old automobiles. You can also rent a cottage at Berezinski nature reserve situated near Lepel.

There is a billiards club, Volna restaurant and Na Lune cafe in Lepel. All of them stay open till late at night, and the cafe regularly holds dancing parties. There are parking lots for cars and trucks and several service stations near the town. Public utilities center and sports center rent tourist equipment.

There are several parks in Lepel. Local beaches have changing rooms, pavilions and wooden animal statues. The town also has an open amphitheater, a square for dancing and an arboretum with exotic trees and plants.

• Food
• Nature
  • Reserves
  • Hunting
  • Fishing