The village of Yurovichi is located in Kalinkovichi district, Gomel region, near Mozyr. Such a hilly area couldn’t be found anywhere else throughout Belarus. Since it is built on a hill, you can see the town of Mozyr, which is located 20 kilometers away, if you stand on the highest point. An ancient people’s settlement was in Yurovichi almost 25 thousand years ago. It is the historic past that makes this village famous.

That village was considered to be a large shopping center since olden times. Merchants and traders gathered at fairs there on the 25th day of each month. In order to protect the place from destruction and wars, a rampart with moats, which performed a protective function, was built in the village.

Once there was a large wooden castle on a high hill, which belonged to feudal lords. A high rampart has remained to the present day. It surrounded the castle and served to protect it. There are several versions about the village name origin. According to one of them, a descendant of Yuri Dolgoruky settled in a castle on the hill in the XII century, therefore a village began to be called Yurovichi. But according to another version, its name came from the ethnonym of the Yura, which means mountains, and yur – an open space. However, these are only suggestions of the historians.

Yurovichi is of great interest for archaeologists, as ancient settlements in the village; it has not been fully explored yet. In 1929, archaeological excavations were carried out there, in the course of which bones were found. The explorers came to the conclusion that the bones belonged to mammoths. After those explorations it had been decided to conduct more extensive and deep excavations, after which an ancient people’s settlement was discovered. In 1970, explorations were carried out in and around the village, and three more settlements were found, which suggested that the place had been inhabitable, and enjoyed great popularity in ancient times.

The archaeologists found the remains of a medieval town. It is presumed to have existed here in the IX-X centuries. However, it is not known until now why the town has disappeared, and why it is not mentioned in historical documents. The ancient settlement was fortified for protection from all sides by ramparts and moats. Only two of them have survived to the present day, while the other two were destroyed and demolished.

Remains of the tiles, spindles, fragments of clay pots, as well as a unique bone spoon with a sign of the Rurikovich kin depiction were found during the excavations. Some of the found dishes and tile belong to the 14-15 century, when the settlement was restored and considered a fortified estate.

That’s why Yurovichi draws great attention of those who are interested in ancient architecture, mythology and archeology. Also, many tourists, who love to discover new pages of history, to explore new places, to learn interesting facts and figures, come here. The route to this village has already been included in many tourist trips around Belarus and enjoys great popularity.