Along with historical and natural landmarks of this or that part of Belarus, there are also quite original and interesting sights, which are unlikely to be referred to any of a certain type. However, they are of great interest, and not only for historians and local lore specialists, but also for curious residents and guests of the country.

Mysterious stone

If you travel in Vitebsk region, close by the village Dvor-Toronkovichi, you ought to see the thing for which now and then people specially come from other parts of Belarus. We are speaking about so-called a boulder-credence table, however, as before there are no any reliable evidences of the usage of it in the pagan aims.

First, you will be delighted with the size of this stone – it is truly impressive. For more particular visualization just imagine twenty people, standing together. This is the size of the boulder.

Which other factors could lead to the theory, that this boulder was used by our ancestors in the aims of sacrifices? In the middle of the boulder on its surface you can notice quite a big hollow, which would be ideal as a tool for immolating animals to the pagan gods. Cracks of too regular form to be considered natural widen in all directions from this hollow.  It is supposed, that they played a role of a drain for sacrificial blood. Surely, there are no evidences that both the hollow and the cuts were man-made, however, it lets us one more time refer to the divine component of the boulder.

In addition to the central hollow, there was one more small, but quite deep pit, where appearingly, pagan ancestors put decorations, precious metals and stones as a gift. Many people believe, that they lay there even today, although it does not seem possible to look into the shrine.

Contemporary life of the stone

When the boulder was discovered by the descendants of ancient pagans, such a remarkable construction became a favourite place for pastime of village children and teenagers. At that time there was an opinion among people, that water was capable of destructing stone, that is why every winter children filled the cracks with water as a visual experiment. Surely, due to this the pits became wider with the duration of time.

Today the visit to the boulder-credence table in the village of Dvor-Toronkovichi can be possible on your own rather than in a course of an organized excursion. However, annually a great number of historian amateurs come here together, in particular, those who are fond of unsolved mysteries. To stand in the place where our ancestors went through the most significant in the lives religious ceremonies – this is truly worth it to abstract for a little while from sightseeing other located nearby attractions and to visit a famous boulder.

By the way, you can see a famous old cemetery near the village, where there is an impressive number of stone crosses – a truly impressive view. You can also visit local distilleries of the XX century period.