Monuments and historical places of Smorgon. Sports and tourism sector

Smorgon was first mentioned in acts of the 14th century as a town of the Zenovich princes, which served as their residence. But special notoriety Smorgon was acquired during the First World War, which today is called still unknown.

"Unknown War"

By 1914, more than 16 thousand people lived in Smorgon. But the Russian-German front line passed through the town, and until 1917 the so-called positional war was waged. In the Smorgon region, 67 concrete pillboxes have been preserved. One of them is located right next to the road and is designated as an excursion site. Another, more thorough one, is in the village of Khodoki.

Tourists coming to Smorgon are told about the heroic 810-day defense of this small town. In September 1915, retreating Russian units near Smorgon managed to stop the enemy for the first time during the war. The civilian population was ordered to leave the city within three hours. After fierce battles, Smorgon practically ceased to exist. At the end of the war, only 154 people returned here.

One of the most tragic pages of military events in these places was the use of poisonous gases. Gas attacks were first tested by the Kaiser's soldiers on June 19, 1916, near Zalesye. Soldiers unfamiliar with these terrible weapons died in the thousands. In order to provide medical care to the wounded, a mobile hospital was deployed on the railway tracks near Zalesye, headed by Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, daughter of Leo Tolstoy. But many could not be helped, so up to 1,200 soldiers were buried a day. There were six mass graves in total.

...Today about 40 thousand residents live in Smorgon. This small cozy town perfectly combines antiquity and modernity. On the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, a memorial dedicated to the events of 1914–1917 was built here.

An excellent addition to the excursion is a visit to the exhibition “Belarus during the First World War” at the Smorgon Museum of History and Local Lore.

Dancing bears

During a tour of Smorgon, guests are told fascinating stories from the past. One of them is about the Smorgon Academy, a bear training school. It became especially widely known under Karol Stanisław Radziwill, nicknamed “Pané Kohanku” (1734–1790). During its heyday, up to 10 bears were trained at the “academy”. Their training lasted about 6 years and was carried out in several stages. At first, young bear cubs were taught to “dance”, for which they were placed in a special cage, the metal bottom of which was heated.

Having taught them to stand on their hind legs and shift from one paw to the other to the sounds of a tambourine and horn, they moved on to the next stage of training: they were taught to fight, bow, etc.

In the spring, the guides, together with the learned bears, went to work at fairs in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Russia, Hungary, and Germany. In the fall we returned back to Smorgon. Until the 30s of the 20th century, on the territory of Belarus, wandering gypsies with a bear were called “Smargonskiy vuchytsel z vuchnem.” The fact of the existence of the “Smorgon Academy” formed the basis of the city coat of arms. It is an image on a silver field of a Spanish shield standing on a red lattice on the hind legs of a black bear, in the front paws of which is the Radziwill coat of arms “Trumpets”. Today in the city center you can see a monument to dancing bears...

Famous bagels

Another story is connected with... steering wheels. Smorgon is traditionally considered the birthplace of bagels. This fact was first mentioned by William Pokhlebkin in his cookbooks: “...The birthplace of bagels is the city of Smorgon in Belarus, where narrow flagella were first made from choux (boiled) dough and baked from them into scalded dough products.” It is assumed that the bagels were initially used as a “ration” for the students of the Bear Academy and their guides.

In the 19th century, Smorgon bagels became widely known in Belarus and abroad. Adam Kirkor in his work “Picturesque Russia” wrote: “In Smorgon, Oshmyany povet, Vilna province, almost the entire bourgeois population is busy baking small bagels, or pretzels, which are very famous under the name Smorgon boiled eggs. Every passerby will definitely buy several bundles of these bagels; in addition, they are delivered to Vilna and other cities.” Today is the recipe for this delicacy - alas! – lost.

Sacred monuments

Despite its rich past in historical events, Smorgon nevertheless has virtually no major architectural landmarks preserved. The exception is the defensive church in the name of St. Michael, built in the Renaissance style. The walls of the structure are very powerful - from 1.8 to 3 meters in thickness. In 1866 the church turned into a church, in 1921 - again into a church. In 1947, it shared the fate of many sacred buildings and was closed, after which it was used as a store, exhibition hall and museum. In 1990 it was handed over to believers.

This is what the temple looked like during the First World War

Under the temple itself there is a dungeon, which is the tomb of the Zenovich family. The tomb has not yet been fully explored, but legends that exist from it underground passages to Vilnius (Vilnius) and Krevo, were not confirmed. In 2003, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the first mention of Smorgon in historical chronicles, the Church of St. Michael was renovated.

Monument to Bogushevich

In September 2009, the grand opening of a monument to the founder of new Belarusian literature, Frantishk Bogushevich (1840–1900), took place in the Smorgon city park. The ceremony was timed to coincide with the XVI Day of Belarusian Literature. The monument is a 3.6 m high bronze statue of the poet, which rests on a block of light gray granite and a meter-long light gray granite pedestal. There is a bronze plaque on it with Bogushevich’s call to the people: “Don’t give up on our Belarusian language, lest they die.”

The city of Smorgon, Grodno region, is by no means a bearish corner on the map of Belarus. IN district center lives more than 37 thousand people. But the history of the city is closely connected with bears...

Glory to the Smorgon Academy

In the 17th-18th centuries, the famous “bear academy”, a school for training bears, operated in Smorgon. Clubfoot students from Smorgon amused people not only at fairs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but also in Europe. They founded the bear school of the Radziwills, who owned the city. And the cubs were brought from the surrounding forests.

There is a version that successful bears were fed bagels, which were baked in the city for two centuries. Moreover, Smorgon is called the birthplace of bagels.

The bear training school was closed in the 1870s, but managed to bring fame to Smorgon. The “Smorgon Academy” was glorified in the poem of the same name by the Belarusian classic Rygor Borodulin, and in 2014 the townspeople erected a sculptural composition in honor of the bear school.

The black bear also occupies a central place on the coat of arms of Smorgon, established in 2004. The bear stands on its hind legs and holds the Radziwill coat of arms in its paws.

About the origin of the city's name

There are many interpretations of the toponym “Smorgon”. According to one of them, the name of the city comes from the combination “with morgue goni.” In the distant past, “morgues” measured land areas (1 morgue – 0.7 hectares), and arable plots were called “gonya”. There is information that the Zenovichs, who owned the town, allocated no more than 1 morgue to the villagers. Hence the combination.

According to another version, among the first settlers there were those who, after clearing the site, uprooted stumps and drove turpentine from them - “smar”. These were called “smarogons”.

7 milestones in the history of Smorgon

This Western Belarusian city, located on the Oksna and Gervyatka rivers, has a rich and eventful history, but it has not always spared it from wars and devastation. Thus, during World War I, it was near Smorgon that Russian troops used a gas attack for the first time in history. In 1921, Smorgon had only 154 inhabitants.

1503 – first mention (about the construction of the Church of St. Nicholas the Archangel by Zenovich).

1590 – a paper mill was founded in Smorgon.

1762-1790 – Smorgon was owned by Karol Stanislav Radziwill (Pane Kohanku), who founded the “bear academy”.

1812 (December 5) - Napoleon transfers control of the army to Murat in Smorgon and leaves for Paris. The French are retreating. Within a couple of days, Kutuzov’s headquarters was located here.

1972 - 1976 - optical machine-tool factories, milk powder and a flax plant were put into operation in Smorgon.

2003 – Smorgon celebrated its 500th anniversary.

Land of Oginsky and Bogushevich

The Smorgon land has become the homeland and haven for many wonderful people. Thus, near Smorgon (the village of Zalesye), the composer and diplomat Michal Kleofas Oginsky, who wrote the famous polonaise “Farewell to the Motherland,” lived in his family nest. Oginski Manor (“Northern Athens”) – a must-see tourist routes according to Smorgon.

And in Kushlyany, not far from the regional center, there is the estate of Frantishka Bogushevich, the founder of Belarusian literature. In 2009, a monument to the writer was erected in Smorgon - the only one in Belarus.

Smorgon is the hometown of the famous Belarusian poet and prose writer Vladimir Neklyaev.

To experience and understand this city, you must definitely touch the walls of the defensive church of St. Nicholas the Archangel, visit the rock garden and the Winter Garden greenhouse, taste the local bagels and don’t forget about the bears...

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 to reverse direction, then the reverse sequence of actions will result. 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 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 the main square there is a 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:


Nearby is a nice sculptural group depicting a pet of the academy:


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 beast, 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!

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 southwest Viliya River. 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 documentaries by domestic and foreign directors have been made about that terrible time.

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 am, 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, it is better to compare Smorgon 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. This is what they said about other horrifying places of 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!” Not a 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 " 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. On June 21, 1917, on the square near St. Isaac's Cathedral, a solemn ceremony was held 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 sent to stop the German advance war 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.