First day

First city on my marshurt - Mahilioŭ.

Although life in modern Mahilioŭ lags behind life in a metropolis, but it also rushes forward, erasing obsolete locations and breathing life into new ones. Exhibitions in underground passages, under bridges and in garages, mechanical troubadour Mogislav in a snow-white town hall and festivals of soap bubbles and draniki: all this is possible here in Mahilioŭ. Go to the city on the river Dniapro to leisurely stroll through the old preserved streets, sipping coffee, riding the catamarans along Dubravienka and bicycling through the thick coniferous groves of Piačersky Park. This town is perfect for a weekend getaway, or if you’re on your business trip, you won’t also be bored during the week.

The most obvious cultural program takes place between three squares: Lenina, Zvyozdnaja and Slavy. One might think that Soviet past won’t let Mahilioŭ go, but it's not really so. The city is like a patchwork quilt, still contains references to different periods of not only Belarusian, but also world history.

For example, the House of Soviets on Leninа Square. Minskers usually say that this building is very similar to the Government House in Minsk, but this is not entirely true. Despite the fact that the building of the Mahilioŭ regional executive committee (the authority located there) has many similarities with its elder brother, there are several differences in details. The construction started in 1938 after the plans of the Soviet government to move the capital from Minsk to Mahilioŭ. And who knows how the city's fate would have turned out, if the war hadn’t burst out. Plans were not destined to come true and now the city has a real metropolitan building, which was a main focus during post-war reconstruction, and now, in addition to its practical authority functions, is an architectural monument.

Mahilioŭ pedestrian street is a place you will definitely walk through and cross several times, because it is the one that unites those three main Mahilioŭ squares. The street has started shaping 17 years ago, and for locals it's not just a tourist attribute, but a city artery – in the morning there're workers, children, students hurrying to work, schools or universities, and in the evenings the whole street bustles with life. It also attracts street musicians: the closer to the weekend, the more music you will hear.

If you're into museums, then everything is very convenient for you: Mahilioŭ History Museum, Local Lore Museum and the Museum of Ethnography are all located within an imaginary triangle some 200 meters from one another. It's better to start with city's History Museum, which is located in the town hall. You'll definitely notice this building when you come to Glory Square.

In the town hall, apart from learning interesting historical facts about Mahilioŭ, you can also climb up to the observation desk and see the unique mechanism of the trumpeter performing the Mahilioŭ fanfare. You will find its schedule inside the building.

The Square of Glory, which was named Soviet Square for quite a long time, has greatly changed in recent years. And now it is a powerful place even for the locals themselves. The view that opens to the Dniapro river and the area beyond is bound to make you contemplate and ponder about important life issues. But if you're not in a mood to do so, you can go downstairs to take a closer look at the river and take a selfie with Mahilioŭ lions. Before you reach them, you will see an underground passage with its walls depicting important moments from city's history.

Besides history museums, the city has art museums of Białynicki-Birula and Maslenikaŭ – a fancy building that can be seen on a two-ruble banknote. The center of cultural life is also the Exhibition Hall, next to the Drama Theater. Check the current events guide, there is always something going on there.

Since we’ve mentioned theaters, they are a real pride of Mahilioŭ. The  is not only located in an amazing old building, but people working in it make real art. Tickets can be bought online, so when preparing for a trip it's easy to plan a theater evening. The Puppet Theater deserves the same amount of attention . Their performances have gone far beyond the usual prejudice that the puppet theater is only for children.

Mahilioŭ is lucky to have five cinemas. It’s not really that locals are desperate movie enthusiasts, but there is a definite cinema culture in the city. All the cinemas have been modernized; each has a good movie bar inside. You can buy a ticket online to each cinema.

Sky Time Café   is one of the few places in the city where various meetings, discussions, open dance lessons and Mafia games take place. Central location, a pleasant atmosphere and a constantly updated event poster.