Mogilev

The city is situated 200 kilometers away from Minsk. Railways link it with the nearby located towns of Orsha, Osipovichi, Krichev and Zhlobin. There is a railway station, a bus station and an airport in Mogilev.

According to some historians, the city was founded in the early 11th century. Initially it served as a fortress that guarded the southern border of Polotsk Principality. Others claim that Mogilev was founded in 1267, when a castle surrounded by three fortification lines was founded on the shore of the river Dnieper. And archaeologists say that the modern Mogilev District was populated as early as in the Iron Age.

The city was first mentioned in the late 14th century in a paper called the List of Russian Cities. Curiously enough, Mogilev twice served as a wedding gift: first elderly Lithuanian prince Yagaila presented it to his young bride, Polish Queen Yadviga, and later Prince Alexander signed it over to his bride Yelena, daughter of the Russian Tsar Ivan III.

In 1569 the city became part of Poland, and in 1578 it received Magdebourg Right. Mogilev survived several major military actions, including the 13-year-war between Russia and Rzech Pospolita, the Great Nothern War with Sweden n the Patriotic War of the 1812.

Every June the international festival of church music called Mahutny Bozha (Mighty God) gathers musicians and lovers of Christian music from Belarus and a number of foreign countries, including the USA, Germany, Poland, the Baltic States and Russia. The bands perform at Mogilev’s concert halls and St Stanislav Cathedral (18th century).

The city also hosts Animayevka international cartoon festival that is held every September.

In 2007 Mogilev is going to celebrate the 740th anniversary. The major festivities will take place in late June.

Mogilev’s Extremepark is a unique site that regularly hosts national and international motocross and jeep-trial rallies.

Mogilev’s night life is focused at Metro club and Materik entertainment facility, both of which gather a lot of locals and visitors from other Belarusian cities on Friday and Saturday nights.

St Nikola’s Church Ensemble in Mogilev combines ancient Russian and West European styles of architecture.

Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist, one of the most prodigious and famous American songwriters in history.

• Tourism
  • Tourfirms
• Accomodation
  • Hotels
• Architecture
  • Religion
  • Museums and art galleries
• Food
• Leisure and sports
  • Billiard and bowling
  • Discoteques and clubs
• Nature
  • Rivers
  • Hunting