Shumilino

The village with a symbolic name Shumilino is located in the heart of Vitebsk region and occupies the area of 1.7 thousand square kilometers. This village borders on the following districts of Vitebsk region:  Polotsk, Gorodok, Vitebsk, Beshenkovichi, and also Usha districts. The district Shumilino itself was formed in 1924. At that time it was called Sirotino (Orphan) district, but on the 13th of November 1961, it was renamed Shumilino district.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

 This village was first mentioned in the chronicles in the XIX century. The settlement of Shumilino is a small village in Polotsk district. Its further development was directly connected with the construction of the Riga-Oryol railway. And in 1924 the village of Shumilino became the centre of the district.

THE CLIMATE OF SHUMILO DISTRICT

The largest part of Shumilino is located on the territory of Polotsk lowland. The average height ranges from 140 to 160 meters. This area is not too rich in minerals, but still, they can be found. Peat and brick clay, gravel and sand are the materials required for construction and erection of many monuments. Besides, there are about 76 rivers crossing the district. The famous river Western Dvina with its tributaries Obol and Sechna is among them.

The district accounts many lakes, particularly about 80. The forest in this area covers almost 50% of the total landscape. There is a national wildlife preserve in Shumilino district under the name of “Koz’yanski” with the most amazing landscapes of the Belarusian Lake District and rare species of fauna and flora. Many of them are listed in the Red book of the Republic of Belarus.

AGRICULTURE IN THE VILLAGE OF SHUMILINO

The district has a quite well developed agricultural base. Dairy production as well as bakery products has been produced here for a long time. Some industrial enterprises are worth speaking about: for example "Vezha" is a company engaged in the production of fruit wines of excellent quality, "Vitkonprodukt" is a company specializing in growing broiler chickens with its own specialized workshop of poultry slaughter. All the products are in great demand in many countries of the European Union.

 ATTRACTIONS OF SHUMILINO DISTRICT

St. Sergius Church, which was erected in the 19th century in the village of Leskovich should certainly be mentioned among the existing monuments of this region. It is also impossible to ignore the historic Assumption Church dated the late 19th century in the village of Victory. Of course, we must confess that Shumilino cannot boast of many attractions, yet this place is perfect for family active holiday, because nature in this land fascinates with its beauty.

There are several legends in these places; one of them is directly connected with the name of the settlement. According to the legend, during the war of 1812 partisan detachment arranged an ambush in that place. Enemy troops happened to get into it and the sounds of the battle echoed with the wind many kilometers away. It was from that time the old people say "Whooped the place in a battle with the French." Soon after those remarkable events the forest was called "Noisy forest", and a busy settlement that renewed next to the forest was called “a noisy village”, which means in the Belarusian language «Shumilino».