A WALK AROUND SLONIM

by Kate Risunova, Kate SinitsaSlonim gymnasium 1

Belarus

SLONIM

• Slonim was founded in the 11th century in a picturesque place where the river Issa flows into the river Shchara. This is one of the most ancient and beautiful towns of Belarus. The Slonim region is located in the south of Grodno Region. As of January 2011, there were 72,000 people living in the region (of them 55,400 in the town of Slonim).

Slonim Synagogue, a baroque structure that has overlooked the Slonim city marketplace since 1642, remains the best preserved synagogue in Belarus, despite decades of neglect and vandalism.

ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH

The present brick church was built in the 18th century in the late baroque style. It has a splendid facade emphasized by the moldings and pilasters, two small towers express the building’s fantasy and lightness.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

ALBERTIN

Slonimsky farmstead and park complex" Albertine" - the former manor of the counts Puslovsky is a monument of farmstead and park architecture of late classicism. It was created in the first half of the 19 th century in the former suburb of Slonim. It included the farmstead house, economic constructions, landscape park, a forest park with ponds. The farmstead house is the two-storeyed building of an asymmetric form. At the entrance there are two sculptures of lions. Voytekh Puslovsky - the first owner of this estate, had three sons: Albert, Magdalene and Tit. However Albert was the favourite of the father. The father worshipped the son therefore after Albert's tragic and very strange death, the estate was called after his name. This place is worth visiting.

CHOPPED STONE

It is the largest boulder in Slonim District. It is a monument of nature. It is 3,5 m long, 3 m wide and about 3.5 m high. The official name of the boulder is Chopped Stone but people call it “The Stone of lovers”. It’s located not far from the village of Yakimovichy, 3 km away from the Count Puslovsky’s estate in Albertin (one of the districts of Slonim).

What was Oginsky's theater famous for? The scene was the main "achievement" of Slonimsky theater. Its mechanism, size and opportunities simply struck. The scene was adapted for baroque ballets and operas with plots of scenic transformations in which hundred (!) actors and supernumeraries could be involved. The big scene was designed state-of-the-art and allowed to embody the most difficult opera and ballet performances,dramatized horse fights and water enchanting performances. Imagine the considerable part of a scene was flooded with water from the next pond and one could see boats floating there. There were fountains illuminated with Bengal lights. Well-known masters from abroad were invited to create such stunning miracles.

The town has a considerable number of architectural monuments and rich historic and cultural heritage. The town’s history is reflected in many exhibitsof the Regional Museum of Local Lore named after I.I.Stabrovsky. It’s one of the oldest museums in the area. The museum was founded by the archeologist and the regional specialist, the native of the farm Orlovichi of the Slonimsky district Iosif Iosifovich Stabrovsky . For the first time the museum opened its doors to visitors on September 20, 1929. Its exposition and funds include 5 thousand exhibits. There are three exposition halls which showcase the nature of the districtand the history of the town beginning from the most ancient times to the present.