Dashkovka

Dashkovka is a village which is situated in Mogilev region on the right bank of the river Dnieper. The traffic connection between the village and the regional center is very good. There are both motorways and railways.

According to “The Barkolabkov Chronicles” the settlement was founded in 1597. Those days it was called Bogdanovskaya Sloboda in honor of Prince Bogdan Solomeretsky. At the end of the XVIII century the village took possession of Princess Dashkova. Since that time it has been known as Dashkovka. However there is an opinion that the name of the village comes fr om the name of the river Dashka, flowing there.

When the eastern lands of Belarus became the part of the Russian Empire, the place got the ownership of the noble family of Zhukovsky. 

During the Northern War between Russia and Sweden, the outbreak of hostilities in Dashkovka contributed to the defeat of the Swedish army.

At the time of Napoleonic War, the battle between General Rayevsky troops and Marshal Davoust took place near Dashkovka. It was a difficult fight, which lasted the whole day. The Russian army lost 2500 people.

Beginning from 1902 the village of Dashkovka enjoyed a period of economic development, due to the building of the railway station.

During the Great Patriotic War 42 Jews were shot in Dashkovka. And within the operation called “Bagration” 9 Krichev Rifle Division warriors received the order of Hero of the Soviet Union. In honor of them the stele was erected in Dashkovka.

Despite the fact that Dashkovka is a small village with the population of 1.5 thousand people it is worth visiting. On the southern outskirts of the village you can see the estate of the noble family of Zhukovsky.

The mansion represents an asymmetrical building, combining both one-story and two-story buildings. Regarding to the windows, they all have different shapes and sizes. The most part of the mansion’s first floor was occupied by the banquet hall, wh ere balls and parties took place. The three-story tower windows looked out in every direction upon the estate. The terrace had a steep slope, covered with lawn, giving the opportunity to relax in the fresh air. The unusual beauty of the interior was achieved with the help of small decorative bridges installed near the main entrance. Nowadays the mansion building is occupied by the village council.

In the XIX century on a high Dnieper terrace a beautiful park was laid out around the estate of Zhukovsky. The central parkway led to the main entrance of the estate. On the northern side of the park shade and chill loving trees were planted. The walking area was organized here. The southern part was occupied by the great variety of the fruit trees. Besides, there was a huge pond in the park. In the middle of the pond there was a floating island, which was destroyed during the lake cleanup.

During the times of Zhukovsky in the northern part of the park there were more than 34 kinds of trees. Today only birch trees basically remained. The locals say that several years ago the great-granddaughter of Zhukovsky visited Dashkovka. She subscribed a significant amount of money to ennoble the park, refine the lake and renovate the estate. 

Though the village is small it is worth seeing. 

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