Yshachi

Ushachi – a favorite place of Belarusian race car drivers

Every year, people, who can’t live without speed, take participation in one of the popular events – rally. A favorite place of race car drivers is located in one of the picturesque area, not far from several lakes, in an urban-type settlement – Ushachi.  

Specialized area for racing covers 10 km and features many turns and twists of different difficulty levels. 120 km/h is average speed during this kind of competitions.

However, it is not all that can be told about Ushachi.

The History of the Urban-type Settlement Ushachi

The first mention of the town dates back to the XVI century. In Ushachi, many religious buildings were constructed. For example, in 1672 the first Basilian monastery was built. Almost 50 years later, the Dominican monastery with a Catholic church was built. At that time, in the monastery there were a six-year school and hospital, also local residents could go to banya (steam bath) and enjoy drinks in a brewery.

By 1758, Ushachi received Magdeburg rights and its own coat of arms. 20 years later, Ushachi was a center of Polotsk “voevodstvo”. After the second division of the Rzech Pospolita, the town belonged to Russian Empire. In 1919, Ushachi was part of the RSFSR and 5 years later it was part of the BSSR.

Ushachi Today

Nowadays Ushachi is considered a typical Belarusian urban-type settlement. There are lovely streets and alleys, health service is developed, plus there are several educational establishments and many cultural centers.

A memorial complex “Breakthrough” is considered one of the main sights, which symbolizes combats during the Second World War. This memorial is considered one of the most significant complexes in memory of Soviet soldiers in Belarus.

The complex is dedicated to sixteen groups of guerrillas, which had to block the onset of the Nazi invaders. Belarusian guerrillas with their leader V.E. Lobanko (Hero of the Soviet Union) resisted the Nazi army bravely until reinforcements arrived. Incredible efforts of Belarusian soldiers saved over 15,000 civilians’ lives.

At the beginning of the path leading to the memorial monument, you can see a map with defensive lines on a bronze plaque. Also, you can read shocking info that 17,185 Belarusian guerrillas fought against 60,000 Nazis. Moreover, guerrillas triumphed and saved so many lives!

In Ushachi, the St. Lawrence Church is well preserved, which is an architectural monument of the Gothic Revival. The church was built in 1908. Its construction lasted over 5 years. The church was named in honor of St. Lawrence, who is considered to be a protector of this building and the whole urban settlement. The history of the church is not so simple: in 1932 the church was closed, and only 62 years later the Catholic church of St. Lawrence opened again. Then three-year restoration works were begun.

In addition, the Ushachi museum of people’s glory named after V. Lobanok and the Orthodox church of St Nicolas function in the settlement. The church was built in the second half of the XX century.