Fourth day

Only 2 days left. Heading North of the country - Vitebsk.

Vitebsk is the Mecca of Belarusian artists, the birthplace of Marc Chagall and Ossip Zadkine. This is a city of three rivers and five landscape tiers, where tourists rush for a spirit of the empty old brick-styled streets and a couple of clubs with inexpensive concerts. Latvians, Poles, Belarusians, Jews and Russians were adding spices to the salad bowl of this city for a thousand of years. The city defended the eastern borders of the Polotsk Duchy, Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. During the Russian Empire times there studied the first female doctor of philosophy, and also the world's first parachute jump by Mrs. Drevnickaja happened here.The citizens were greatly depopulated during the second World War and the Stalinist purges. In its new revival in the early twentieth century, the city raised the flag with the profiles of Chagall and Malevich on it, and started sculpting the new brand: Vitebsk is the city of painters.

The city center of Vitebsk with a basic set of sights can be explored on foot, with no need to use any transport. The standard program begins with a Tysiacheletya Square. Here you may have a look at the reconstruction of the Blagovestchenie Cathedral, which was the first stone building in Vitebsk. You may touch the 900-year-old walls in places where there's no stucco. All above is the reconstruction of 1998. Next to the temple is a stone in honor of the 2000 anniversary of Christianity. If you take a close look at it, you may find an unusual coat of arms of Vitebsk: profile of the Saviour, i.e. the head of Christ, with the sword underneath it.

Next, we're heading to the beautiful high bank of the Dvina River to the Yakub Kolas theater, where the long pedestrian zone begins. Lions at the Pushkin bridge recall that the reconstruction of the bridge was funded by the Marko factory and the predators jumped here from its logo. Beyond the bridge to the right stood a house where Lazar Lagin lived.

High stairs lead up to the largest Vitebsk cathedral – Uspensky Cathedral , but before reaching it, it is better to turn right to the Tolstoy street, with its late 19th – early 20th centuries buildings. On the place where "Nikolaevskiy hutorok" is currently situated, was the House of a famous physician, Karl von Gibental. Being an amateur sculptor, he invented the use of plaster for medical purposes, but it was the year of 1812, and the invention was abandoned for forty years.

On the Ratusha square you're welcome to have a look at the Ratusha (City Hall) itself, which is an authentic 18th-century building. Voskresenskaya Church is a classy example of Baroque. Opposite this church is a source of pride of the every Vitebsk citizen – equestrian monument dedicated to Grand Duke of Lithuania Algirdas.

Historic street Vzgorskaya is named after Alexander Suvorov now. The corner building No. 3, which is easily recognizable by the "spire with mace", is fully covered with Memorial plaques. Previously, here was the art college of Vitebsk. Before the Second World War broke out, it was the place where famous Belarusian novelist Vasil Bykov received his art education. The future writer first studied at the scenic faculty, and then he and some of his fellow students were transferred by order of the Headmaster to the faculty of sculpture. Studios were located in the basement, their windows can still be seen. Commemorative plaque to Vasil Bykov is placed rightmost.

The Krylova street is connected with the famous Russian fable writer, but actually, it's not the case. To be true, the street is named after a commissioner. It is the only street, that kept the entire historic ensemble. That's why in the year of 2012 Aleksandr Mitta was shooting a film Chagall-Malevich in this street. On the building No. 2 is hanging the plaque dedicated to Nicholaj Kasperovich, one of the founders of the local lore in Belarus. During the Russian Empire times, the local Order of Masons located in the house of the counsel Volkovich. On the opposite side of the street, the Orthodox religious seminary is situated and it was here even in the 19th century.

The street ends with the reconstruction of the magnificent Uspenskiy Cathedral. At the time of the accession of Vitebsk to the Russian Empire, there were no Orthodox churches at all. New administrators had no place to pray, so the largest Uniate church was quickly reused for these needs of the new guests. The temple was blasted in 1936 and restored in 2000-s. And here is the former Bazilian monastery that keeps the authenticity of the 18th century. By the way, on the 5th of February, 1898 it hosted the first in the Belarusian lands cinema performance.

A wide sidewalk along the Dvina River in the park would lead you to the square of the year of 1812. The top interest place here is a classicistic building of the former manor of the nobility and the Palace of the Governors. The French Emperor Napoleon spent two weeks there: he welcomed the parade from the balcony, celebrated his birthday and took the worst decision in his life – he decided to conquer Moscow.

In the center of the park, there is a monument in a memory of the battle of Vitebsk that took place in the summer of 1812. Granite stele is damaged, but not by vandals – it was damaged during bombings of World War II. At the farther end of the park, you will find Vitebsk musical College with the monument to Ivan Sollertinsky behind it. Also, there's situated Marc Chagall Art Center (but don't confuse this building with the House-Museum, that is placed across the river).

There are two stationary theaters in the city. Yakub Kolas National Academic theater is a must see. Theater "Lialka" is a small one, and tickets are hard to get there, but you won't definitely regret visiting it.

To those, who are fans of in-depth programs, we suggest you to take a walk on the other side of the river, which is opposite to the historic center. Here you can explore salt warehouses of the 18th century, the monument to the Belarusian and Polish cosmonauts Pyotr Klimuk and Miroslav Germashevskiy. Former Jewish quarters with red hundred-year-old buildings are situated nearby. These buildings may be found on the following streets: Krasina, Revolucionnaya, Pokrovskaya, and Sovietskoj Armii. At the intersection of the last three stands a monument of Vitebsk artist No.1 – Marc Chagall. Nearby stands the Vitebsk brewery, on which Mayakovsky commented in is time, there's also poured takeaway beer on tap.

Lovers of Neo-Gothic architecture should mind getting to the Sviatoj Varvary Church. Bypass it around to feel the real professionalism of restoration artists of the early 1990-s. Stones in the basement of the temple were the headstones taken from the Catholic cemetery that was destroyed in Soviet times.

A significant pilgrimage point is a local "Bauhaus", the former building of the highest people's art school. In the 1920 's the most outstanding figures of the Russian avant-garde, including Malevich, Lisitzky, and Ermolaev gathered here. The building is now in a stage of reconstruction, promised to be opened by the next year, but in the summer of 2016, there was held a tribute to the memory of avant-garde artists. During this event, Belarusian painter Ruslan Vashkevich put his own variant of the Opera "Victory over the Sun" there.

Photographers might like the atmosphere of the courtyards on the Octyabrskaya str., the calm of Michurina str., industrial atmosphere behind the Vitsebsk amphitheater and the main pyramid of «Marko-city» shopping mall. And also you may find extremely attractive graffiti paintings of different celebrities sprayed by the HoodGraff crewand some other works by Predok, feelmyskill and URA.

If you're a tombstone tourist, we advise you to visit the following Vitebsk cemeteries: Staroobryadcheskoye, and Starosemenovskoe where the famous Belarusian artist, Chagall's teacher Pen Yudel is buried. Don't forget to visit Staro-Ulanovichskoe cemetery, which is often called the Jewish cemetery. Here are buried grandparents of Samuil Marshak, parents of Marc Chagall and other famous people. These necropoleis are incredibly atmospheric and will transfer you to the past immediately from the entrance.

Small House-Museum of Marc Chagall is a must see. Here the artist spent his childhood and adolescence. Be sure to take local tour guide who's just incredible there! At the Marc Chagall Art Center, which is behind the "Dvina" Hotel, there are exhibitions of the artist himself and congenial workpieces.

The City Hall houses the Vitebsk regional natural history Museum – here is the whole history of the city gathered in one place: archaeological evidence, treasures, war findings, etc. On top of the tower, there's a review site with excellent views, opened during the warm season. Art Museum is the best in the city for individual visits, with a collection of Belarusian and Russian paintings, a collection of works by Pen, the first teacher of Chagall, and the masters of the Vitebsk art school exhibitions.

Vitebsk Center of contemporary art has a large hall on the Pobedy square. Regular exhibitions, film screenings, and presentations happen here. To check the show schedule, visit this page. A fairly new point on the map of contemporary art in Vitebsk-is a freespace. An old building in the city center looks like an experiment: building spaces issued to creators and initiatives for the realization of their ideas. Today the platform is at the peak of the young art and the unprepared visitor can easily be taken aback.

For souvenirs, go to the Fest souvenir store and salon Olga. We'd like to strongly recommend you visiting a private gallery Stena. The place is opened by artists in their former workshops. If you comehere with a serious intent to support the art of Vitebsk, you will have a niceexcursion on artists and their works that are out for sale. When it's warmseason, many masters can be found on the pedestrian Suvorov street and you canalways buy something here as a keepsake, varying from magnets and brooches towatercolors and felt bags.