1. Archangel Michael

A four-and-a-half-meter sculpture of Michael Archangel piercing a great snake was placed in front of the Red (because of red bricks) Cathedral (Catholic church of St. Simeon and St. Helen) in 1996. The building of the Church was finished in 1905 by Polish architect Tomash Poyazdersky, who made it in gothic and romantic style. The red bricks had been transported right from Poland. After the revolution of 1917, the State Polish theater occupied the church. Later, in Soviet times, it was used as the Cinema House. In 1990 during the Perestroika years, the building was given back to the Catholic church. In 1996 the bronze sculpture of the Angel created by Igor Golubev appeared. Michael Archangel is a traditional guarding angel of Belarus.

Vitebsk Oblast is situated in the north-east of the Republic of Belarus, it borders with Lithuania, Latvia and Russia, and occupies one fifth of the
country's territory. The centre of the Oblast is Vitebsk with population of 367 000.

Land of Vitebsk is a true lake kingdom;the biggest part of Belarusian Poozerye (ozero means lake in Russian, Poozerye - Land of Lakes) and 11 of 19 biggest Belarus lakes are situated here. These unique natural features give inexpressible charm to the area which is famous far beyond Belarus borders.

One of the brightest pearls of the Vitebsk Oblast is Braslav Lakes complex - there are more than 50 reservoirs with total area of 130 sq km and extant in natural conditions, rare plants, and animals. This area has great tourist’s potential.

The oldest Belarus city - Polotsk - is also located in the Oblast. Kutensky monastery in Orsha, Troitsky Catholic church in Glubokoye are also well worth your attention.

Vitebsk is the second cultural capital of the country, site for “Slavyansky Bazaar” - International Song Festival - which is held annually at the end of July-beginning of August. In Vitebsk you can look over an old Town Hall and memorial Obelisk commemorating defeat of Napoleon troops.

Vitebsk is a hometown for many famous people. Admittedly the most famous is a genuine dreamer Marc Chagall. He called the city "my second Paris", Vitebsk views of the beginning of the 20th century can easily be traced in many of his works.

1. Minsk City Hall

The history of Minsk City Hall is directly connected with the Magdeburg right that was granted to the city in 1499 by the Lithuanian grand duke Alexander (1461-1506). Minsk got the right to create its own institution of self-government - a city council, for the sessions of which the building of the City Hall was constructed. The first wooden building was erected in the first half of the XVI c. but the place of it remains unknown as the archeologists didn't find any rests of it. The stone building of the City Hall was built in 1582 instead of a wooden one. It stood on the territory of the Upper market, in the middle of the Cathedral square (Freedom square). During military conflicts the City Hall was repeatedly destroyed, but each time inhabitants of Minsk restored their symbol of the city. When the Russians came to power the city self-government was abolished. In the building of the City Hall at various times there was the court, a police station, a guardroom, an archive instead of the city council. In 1830 there was a musical school here and in 1847 - theatre.

Minsk Sightseeing Tour Part 2

Last time we finished the story about the walking tour around Minsk in one of the restaurants, offering national cuisine of Belarus. After having something delicious, we keep on walking and notice a two-storey building in the Rakovskaya Street that was a Sunday school in 1901-1906 organized by Ekaterina Izmaylovich, socialist revolutionary terrorist, who was later executed. In another building (number 17) in this street there was a sinagogue.