Every town and city in the world has its own history. But it is not always possible to find out from the name of the settlement how it was founded and what used to be in this place. However, the town of Volkovysk immediately gives the legend about its foundation. Once upon a time, dense forests were on those lands, which were inhabited by a great number of wolves. Hence is the name: “isk” means a search of wolves – Volkovysk. However, there is another less widespread legend. According to the legend, two gangs of robbers (their leaders were Voloka and Viseka, who were caught and killed) hunted on those lands many years ago. A Zabeyko did it. He decided to protect travelers passing through the grove near the Netupa River. So, there appeared a settlement known as Voloko-Visek. The Netupa River either dried up or was renamed into the Volkovyja. Though some locals claimed that the Netupa River was close to the suburb of Zapolye. The legend says that a gypsy’s son drowned in the river and she cursed it – that is why the river disappeared. But there is a more logical explanation. The river Netupa is a small one: “net” in Lithuanian means “almost” and “upe” is “river”. It exists nowadays, falling into the larger Volkovyja River.

A wolf monument was erected on Lenin Street in honor of the thousandth anniversary of the beautiful town with a rich history. The holiday date was celebrated in 2005. The monument immediately caught the fancy of tourists and locals – not only children but also adults regularly take photos with the wolf. The figure of the wolf is quite massive, with a proudly raised head and protruding ears – a wild animal is always on the alert and is ready to rush and to defend its city at any moment. The monument is made of metal and placed on a stone pedestal. It is the only monument to a wolf in Belarus.  

Modern Volkovysk is a small cozy town situated in the South-West of Grodno region of the Republic of Belarus. Tourists say that they are pleasantly surprised by the hospitality of the town, as well as by amazing local sights. Initially, the settlement was a fortress town, but it was actively developing and growing, because the famous waterway “from the Varangians to the Greeks”, which connected the Black sea and the Baltic sea, passed through Volkovysk. In this regard, the town was inhabited by merchants and artisans that became an economic basis for successful development of the settlement. It is one of the oldest towns of Europe. It withstood many wars and seizures, but every time the town was reborn literally from the ashes like a Phoenix. The town was damaged especially heavily during the World War II, when most of the population died and buildings were almost completely destroyed.

This uncrowded city has a huge number of stories and legends. The territory was under the rule of different countries, was occupied by Germen and Poles, the town survived 3 revolutions and 2 World Wars. In 1812, the famous commander Pyotr Bagration stayed there. All these events have always been seen by the symbol of the town – a wolf, which now stands in splendor in the center of the oldest settlement.