Borisov

This town of Minsk region is considered one of most advanced industrial centers of Belarus. Moreover it is also one of the oldest ones, because the first mention of it was found in Belarusian-Lithuanian Chronicles of the year 1102, when Prince Boris Vseslavovich had built a town in his honor at the confluence of the rivers Berezina and Skha. As for the industry, it ranks second in Minsk region after Minsk by the number and the capacity of plants and factories.

Historical chronicle

There are debates about the first mention of Borisov, as in other Chronicles (Laurentian, Hypatian), it occurred no sooner than in 1127-1128. Anyway, the settlement was destroyed by fire, and the locals moved a bit to the South, where the modern town is located now.

The basis for the settlement was a wooden castle with the area of two hectares built in the XIIth century on a small island near the left bank of the Berezina, surrounded by a ditch. The castle served as a sort of strengthening and existed until the XVIII century, when it was replaced by a new, more fortified prison-like castle, which today is considered to be the cultural and historical heritage of the Republic of Belarus.

What concerns the history of the town, its strategically important location influenced it greatly. Borisov had been the scene of fighting, occupations, locations of armies and so on for many centuries. Being a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Borisov was one of the first towns to be granted the famous Magdeburg law, giving the opportunity of self-government in 1563. But being included into the Polish Commonwealth the town experienced numerous destructions as a result of civil wars, the conflict between Russia and Poland of 1654-1667, the great Northern war.

It should be noted that, for some reason, it is in the area of Borisov where the enemy attackers were rebuffed since the days of Charles XII. This trend can be seen especially clearly in the famous crossing of the Berezina by Napoleon's troops. Although it had taken many lives of the defending troops and was one of the saddest pages in the chronicle of Borisov, its role in the war was one of the most significant.

No less impressive is the courage of local residents during the great Patriotic war. There were many guerrilla and underground groups, which had been undermining the activities of the German fascist invaders. As a result, not only many soldiers received the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union, but also the town of Borisov was granted a special award of the Patriotic war of the 1-st degree. Later it also received the pennant "For courage and firmness during the great Patriotic war" and a diploma.

What deserves attention

In the view of the mentioned facts, among the attractions that are worth noting, is the historical monument of Borisov, an artillery battery, preserved since the war of 1812. There are some monuments on Brilevo field as well.

A monument in the form of a mass grave is built in honor of the tank crew under the command of Rak P. N who died in 1944 while liberating the town. Another mass grave is located directly in the cemetery and is dedicated to all the heroes who had fallen during the liberation of Borisov.

There are also religious sights in the town. Resurrection Cathedral, built on the site of the destroyed original Church in the second half of the nineteenth century, is an example of pseudo-Russian style. Prominent artists from Vilnius, Ilishevski and Trutnev, were engaged in designing its exterior and interior.

Another object, built on the site of burned buildings is the Roman-Catholic Church of 1823, which also served as the elementary school and was engaged in the matters of education.

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