Many cities of Belarus stand on picturesque rivers and lakes. Much attention is paid to the improvement of the embankment, which sometimes becomes one of the key attractions (just remember the embankment of the Mukhavets river in Brest or the Trinity suburb in Minsk). The list will be incomplete without the embankment of the Sozh River in Gomel, which is one of the favorite vacation spots of Gomel residents and guests of the city.

Gomel and Sozh: History

Gomel was not in vain founded on the banks of the full-flowing river Sozh. The city kid was built on the high bank of the river, which made it possible to successfully defend itself from enemies, and the river itself was navigable. Gomel flourished: crafts of various directions (jewelry, weapons, metalworking, etc.) were developed here. Gomel successfully traded with Kiev, Chernigov, Smolensk, Volhynia, Northern Russia, Byzantium and was considered one of the largest cities founded by the Radimichi tribe.

Gomel was either part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then the Commonwealth, then the Russian Empire, then the BSSR, that is, went the way typical of most cities of Belarus. The turning point was when in 1775 Empress Catherine II granted Gomel Count Peter Alexandrovich Rumyantsev. She also allocated funds from the treasury for the construction of the estate for the count. With this money, a palace and park ensemble was founded, the heyday of which fell already on the board of the next owners of Gomel - the Rumyantsev dynasty.

An interesting fact from VETLIVA: the palace and park ensemble includes not only the palace and the park, but also many other locations located in the city of Gomel.

How the embankment of the Sozh River appeared in Gomel

Despite the fact that it is now difficult to imagine a city park without a promenade, it appeared not so long ago. Back in the 60s of the last century, there was nothing here: only the natural banks of the river. In the 70s, concrete was laid, the famous pedestrian bridge was built. Before its appearance, it was only possible to cross the river on a boat running every hour.

An interesting fact from VETLIVA: at the end of the twentieth century, the most desperate daredevils at their own peril and risk conquered the arch thrown over the bridge. For example, many did it "by argument", and some tried in this way to take their own lives. In 2014, the bridge was equipped with protection, blocking access to the bridge farm with the help of special metal bars.

The famous Kiev descent, which goes directly to the pier, where the Gomel motor ships "Brest", "PT-01" and "PT-02" moor, was also not immediately built. There was a flowerbed in front of the pier for a long time, until in 2006 it was replaced by the sculptural composition “Boatman”.

An interesting fact from VETLIVA: among the people, the monument to the first Gomel resident is called "A Man with a lynx." In fact, it symbolizes the first person who sailed into the city along the Sozh River. The lynx at his feet is a reference to the emblem of the city and has already become as popular a symbol of the city as, for example, the monument to beaver in Bobruisk.

For a long time, the embankment stretched only to Swan's Pond. Only in 2015, the work began to boil: the plans were to stretch the Gomel landmark further south, from the emergency hospital to the Novobelitsky bridge. A curious installation called “Lighthouse” appeared on the embankment, which consists of 48 pillars with lamps. After a sightseeing tour, VETLIVA recommends going here to make amazing shots.

An interesting fact from VETLIVA: 15 years ago it was Gomel embankment that could compete with the famous Oktyabrskaya Street in Minsk with its graffiti. In 2003, street artists from seven countries painted concrete slabs painted here the longest graffiti in the CIS countries. This record is even documented in the "Book of Records" Divo "". Unfortunately, nature was harsh towards the creation of human hands, and after rains, snow and spills of Sozh, nothing was left of the masterpiece...

Acquaintance with the park is impossible to imagine without a walk along the promenade. Take a walk on it, take a pleasure boat on Sozh: VETLIVA I'm sure you will want to come back here!