Slavgorod

Slavgorord is located 70 kilometers fr om the city of Mogilev on a bank of the Pronya River. Formerly this town had been called Propoysk, and after the Great Patriotic War it was called Slavgorod. Historians say that in the local dialect the word “propoy” means a strong whirlpool that formed the origin of the name of the settlement.  And the necessity to rename the town came when in 1945 the division liberated the town received the title of guards. The command found that the name “Guards Propoysk division” was dissonant and decided to change the name to the town. 

The town was first mentioned in 1136 when its lands were a part of Smolensk princedom, and later they became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

During its existence the town suffered a lot from various wars and destructions. During the Northern war most of the town's population died, and in 1772 the lands were transferred to the Russian Empire. Catherine II presented the lands to Prince Golitsyn who owned them for many years.

Water trade routes that passed through the town had strategic importance for its development. Thanks to it the town’s economy developed quickly.  

The trademark of the town is the Castle Hill, an ancient settlement situated on the Sozh River. Military fortifications of the settlement in the form of earthen ditches and ramparts have survived to nowadays.

On the place of the former estate of the Golitsyns have preserved remains of the park wh ere anyone can go for a walk.

In the center of the town there is the most beautiful Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. It was built in the style of classicism the evidence of which is the ensemble of the Church and bell tower. In 1793 a new Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built under the guidance of Golitsyn. It was a beautiful temple with an octagonal dome. Ivan Lvov was a designer of the Church. It is worth noting that all building materials, except iron for the roof, were made in the town. The interior of the Church was decorated with an iconostasis, frescos and paintings from the New and Old Testaments. Close to the temple there was a small bell tower, outhouses and the building of a parochial school. During the atheistic persecution the Church was closed and the building was used as a storeroom of the wharf.  During the Great Patriotic War the temple was severely damaged. Today it is the most beautiful Church of the town. The building of the parochial school built near the Church is one of the attractions of the town.

In the 19^th century in the town was built a post office which anyone can see nowadays.

The local history Museum keeps the town’s history and its traditions. Everybody can see the suggested exposition and learn from the guides about the history of Slavgorod.  

It is interesting that a pontoon bridge across the Sozh River is laid from May to October.

In the heart of the town there is the Alley of memory of the buried villages of Slavgorod district suffered from the Chernobyl disaster.