Sights of Grodno, what to see
If you love Belarus and want to see the country from an unusual side, I recommend coming to the western city of Grodno, where you can walk along typical Eastern European streets, visit ancient churches, find castles and other attractions. The doll-like European town, perhaps the best preserved in Belarus, is radically different from other cities in the country - it looks like a real foreigner against the backdrop of Soviet buildings.
To make it easier for you to navigate the city, I have compiled a list of the main attractions of Grodno that are interesting to see even for an experienced tourist. And if you have never been abroad, then visiting Grodno will be a European adventure.
We begin to learn about the city of Grodno from the Ipatiev Chronicle of the 12th century, as a city on the border with the Balts and the Principality of Polotsk. Perhaps the name of the city is closely related to the words “to fence or fence”, because Grodno had to perform the protective functions of the Old Russian state. However, soon the situation changed dramatically - Grodno passed to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and became a strong and significant city, second after the capital. As you know from a school history course, the Principality of Lithuania united with Poland, resulting in the emergence of a new state - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Grodno grew and grew stronger, so now we can see architecture that is strange for Russia. After the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the city came under the rule of the Russian Empire, and then to the Belarusian SSR. Due to its border location, Grodno was one of the first to be captured by the Nazis at the beginning of the Second World War, but, fortunately, the war was won, the wounds of the war were healed, and we can now enjoy the beautiful architecture of the city under peaceful skies.
The center and heart of the city is Sovetskaya Square, from which it is convenient to start exploring the city. We also lived in one of the best hotels in Grodno - Neman 4*, which is located on this square.
On the map, I marked sections of the city with colors, as if grouping the attractions into three groups.
Here you can download tourist maps of Grodno (clickable pictures), plus in any bookstore, in any stall like our “Soyuzpechat” you can buy a paper map of the city.
"Blue group" of attractions
So, let's go see the sights of the “blue group”. First of all, the magnificent church attracts attention.
Church of St. Francis Xavier or Farny Church
Sovetskaya Square
This is one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in Belarus. The temple was built for almost a hundred years in the 16th-17th centuries by the Jesuit order. Allies in the Northern War, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Augustus II and Emperor of the Russian Empire Peter I, were invited to the consecration of the church.
The appearance of the church and its decoration have remained virtually unchanged since that time; it amazes with the richness of gilded balustrades and balconies and magnificent statues of saints. For a long time, the church was a farnaya, that is, the main parish church.
Another highlight of the church is the clock on the tower. The mechanism itself dates back to the 15th century, but the clock was installed here much later; it used to decorate the old town hall. But, nevertheless, they still keep time very accurately today.
In close proximity to the church there is a pharmacy museum, distinguished by its venerable age. In general, in Grodno we observed an extraordinary love for pharmacies, where in the center you can’t turn your head - a pharmacy.
Antique pharmacy
Sovetskaya Square, 4
Interestingly, this is the oldest pharmacy in Belarus. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1709 for the needs of the city. There has been a pharmacy on this site for three centuries, and today, just as in the 18th century, you can buy medicine here. The pharmacy building is divided into three parts, one of which is dedicated to the museum. It displays an exhibition of ancient bottles with various potions and ancient devices for making various mixtures.
The tourist pride of the city is the pedestrian Sovetskaya Street, which originates from the square. A cobbled street with European architecture, funny Belarusian signs, cozy cafes.
Pedestrianized street
St. Soviet
When you get here, you can’t help but feel like you’re walking through a provincial town, somewhere in Hungary or Poland. Two-story, ancient buildings, wrought-iron lanterns, geraniums on the windows. The street seemed frozen in time.
Each building has its own history, and it’s pleasant to walk along the Pedestrian Street both during the day and in the evening when all these buildings are illuminated with a soft, warm light.
There are many souvenir shops and cafes here, we especially liked the NAME cafe, which has a courtyard and serves wonderful desserts, smoothies and aromatic coffee. Heartier dishes are on the menu, but we came in just for coffee.
Continuing your journey, you can reach several more attractions of the city. Sovetskaya Street smoothly turns into Lenin Square, which is difficult not to recognize thanks to its typical architecture. Although in Grodno, even in such a square, there is something European. Next, you will see a park lush with vegetation, which you can walk past, or you can go in and relax.
Park named after Gilibert
From st. Ozheshko to Lenin Square
The park named after Jean Emmanuel Gilibert is located on the site of the botanical garden where this amazing scientist grew rare plants. Part of the park is still called “Swiss Valley” for the similarity of landscapes.
Today this is one of the most beautiful places in Grodno, where you can walk in silence and admire the picturesque landscapes. The park is constantly being improved and replenished with new exhibits. Beautiful wrought iron benches, a mermaid by a small pond, Jean Gilbert himself resting on a bench, beautiful flower beds and skillfully trimmed bushes, nice art objects.
Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Ozheshko street 23
It was built in memory of the fallen soldiers in the Russian-Japanese War of 1905. The style of a similar temple of the military garrison in Peterhof is taken as a basis. The architectural style of the cathedral is reminiscent of original Russian buildings, with elegant, lacy facades - a very beautiful cathedral.
After the restoration, many icons of unusual themes appeared in the cathedral, which depict the period of persecution of Orthodox Christians during Soviet rule. The icons depict arrests of priests, trials by security officers, and destruction of churches.
It is interesting to come here not only as a temple of faith, but also from a historical point of view; history is presented here in a very unusual way.
If you turn your head to the left, you can see the pretty Church, which is literally a hundred steps away.
Kirch
St. May Day 5
At the end of the 18th century, the Germans came to Grodno to build factories. The local elder gave them an old tavern for services, which was rebuilt into a church. The building was completed and rebuilt many times until it acquired its present appearance. The architectural style of the church is very close to Gothic, but it also has its own nuances.
The inside of the church is ascetic: the only decorations are stained glass windows. Previously, the building was decorated with a high spire, which, according to various sources, was destroyed either during the war, because a sniper was sitting there or so that the building did not exceed the Intercession Cathedral.
This is the only functioning church in Grodno.
This is part of the urban development of the second half of the 18th century, right in this area, when the city was ruled by Tyzengauz, a famous politician and philanthropist of that time, who did a lot for Grodno.
Here you can see both residential and commercial buildings made in different styles. In order to learn the history of Grodno and about each surviving building, it is worth visiting the museum, located in the old master’s house at the address: st. Ozheshko 37.
The buildings are located on Gorky, Dzerzhinsky, Ozheshko streets and Tyzengauz Square, many of them still perform their functions, almost every one has a sign with the year of construction.
City Zoo
St. Timiryazeva 11
This is the first zoo in Belarus. There are no exhibitions with rare animals, but it is still very interesting to visit.
The zoo is conventionally divided into several zones: predators, ungulates, small animals and for the smallest “Granny’s Corner”, where you can watch the life of domestic animals, pet a rabbit or goat, feed a guinea pig - the now fashionable petting zoo.
Separately, you can visit a small terrarium with snakes and lizards.
We were not personally interested in the zoo, so we turned around and walked back to Sovetskaya Square.
"Green group" of attractions
On the square you will see a specific theater building, from which we will begin our walk through the castle part of Grodno.
Grodno Regional Drama Theater
St. Mostovaya, 35
The regional theater will be a contrast to the ancient part and the unusual facet of Grodno for city guests. The building was built in 1984 in Art Nouveau style and resembles a bulky organ. The theater itself is located on a hill, and there is a long staircase leading to it, which adds grandeur and monumentality to the building.
In the evening, the theater is beautifully illuminated, which makes it look like a fairy-tale palace. Near the entrance there is an interesting statue of Pegasus. The theater is operational and open to the public.
Behind you will be the Church of the Mother of God of the Angels, which you can also visit.
Church of the Mother of God of the Angels
St. Titova 11a
A beautiful, slender building on the banks of the Neman, with amazing views of the river. The church building was built in the 18th century in the Baroque style. It was rebuilt several times after fires, so the style has not been preserved everywhere.
Very beautiful interior of the church. The decoration is rich: stucco, gilding, elegant columns, and carved balconies. The color palette of the interior is designed in golden-cream tones, which gives the room real royal luxury. Photography is not allowed, so take my word for it.
The church houses the Miracle-Working Icon of the Mother of God of Angels.
But let's return to the theater. Once you step behind it, a beautiful landscape of the steep banks of the Neman River opens before your eyes. Below there is a quite popular restaurant in Grodno overlooking the water NAME, on the opposite bank there is a beautiful church.
Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross
St. Podgornaya
This beautiful and unusual Bernardine church can be seen from almost any part of Grodno. The church was built during the XV-XVIII centuries and its architecture reflected all the styles of those periods. Here you can see the airiness of the Renaissance, the majesty of the Gothic and the luxury of the Baroque.
The monastery today houses a theological seminary, but services are held in the church. We didn’t get to the church, but the guidebook promised rich interior decoration: exquisite stucco, intricate stained glass, the altar is decorated with brown marble against which the snow-white statues look especially sublime.
We look to the right and see the New Castle, located next to the theater.
New castle
St. Zamkovaya 20
The new castle was built as a summer residence for the Polish kings. Together with the old castle, it was combined into one complex. Behind the modest facade lies the real royal luxury of the interiors. The castle building houses a historical museum, where you can learn more about the history of the city. Unfortunately, we were in Grodno on Monday, so we couldn’t get into the museum. It's good that at least the area was open.
Interestingly, it was in the New Castle that the famous “silent” Sejm took place in 1793, which marked the second partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is worth noting that the structure in its original form has not survived to this day; the castle was almost completely destroyed during the Great Patriotic War. After the war, the regional party committee was located here, as the star on the spire still reminds of. The castle is quite Soviet, so we go to the neighboring Old Castle.
old lock
St. Zamkovaya 22
The old castle above the Neman was the favorite residence of the Polish king Stefan Batory. A lot is connected with his name here; he turned this castle into a real palace. But even before, the fortress did not go unnoticed; the place is already very tasty.
Today, little remains of the former luxury of the castle, but the old walls retain their grandeur and monumentality, and restoration is underway in some places. The city and the castle are connected by an arched, picturesque bridge, built much later, to replace the wooden one. The castle is interesting both inside and out; lovers of beautiful photographs will especially like it.
There is a museum within the castle walls, which was also closed on Monday.
I would like to note the beauty of the ramparts that surround the castle.
Without leaving Castle Street, pay attention to the fire tower.
Fire Tower
St. Zamkovaya 19After a fire that destroyed more than 600 houses in Grodno, residents began arranging their own fire system. For this purpose, an architect was sent from St. Petersburg, who designed and built the tower and fire station. The time of construction dates back to 1900
The height of the tower is equal to an eight-story building; at that time it was the tallest city building with a view of Grodno. Today, if you look closely at the observation deck, there is still a fireman standing and watching the city. True, this is just a mannequin dressed in an old fireman's uniform.
On the facade of the fire station there is a large fresco painted much later in Soviet times - the spirit of the workers is immediately visible. But if you look closely, the extreme girl is exactly Leonard’s Mona Lisa - and you don’t need to go to the Louvre.
Going downstairs you can see the synagogue.
Grodno State Museum of the History of Religion
St. Zamkovaya 16The Museum of Religion is represented by a wide exhibition that tells about the beliefs of local residents, starting from the pre-Christian period. There are pagan idols, figurines of mothers of the clan, ancient amulets. The exhibition also includes objects of different religions, which are presented in Grodno. There are both Christian icons and Muslim books, which, although written in Arabic script, are in the Polish-Belarusian language.
The period of Soviet power is also covered in detail, where not only atheistic posters are presented, but also books that scientifically proved that there is no God.
Very often, the museum presents temporary exhibitions on topics of city life, everyday life or religion.
Grodno Choral Synagogue
St. Bolshaya Troitskaya 59AThe Great Choral Synagogue can rightfully be considered one of the oldest in Europe. The first building was built in the 16th century, but was later destroyed. The modern synagogue has incorporated ancient walls and surviving chapels into its architecture. The style of the building itself is interesting, reminiscent of southern Spanish houses, with a rich Moorish flavor. The prayer hall has preserved beautiful stucco moldings, which speak of the former grandeur and wealth of the building.
It is worth noting that this synagogue became a monument to the victims of the Second World War. This is where Jews were kept before being sent to concentration camps. Today the synagogue is open and services are held, but there are only about 50 parishioners left. But before the war there were 44 synagogues in Grodno alone.
Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
St. Gorodenskogo 3
Located near the Old and New Castles, the monastery has an ancient history. The walls of the first monastery grew back in 1633 on the site of the church. It was a Uniate monastery of Basilian women, later transferred to an Orthodox parish.
The monastery was often rebuilt and therefore outwardly it does not attract attention, except for the unusual black domes of the temple, painted with golden stars.
In the courtyard you are amazed by the abundance of flowers, and you can feel a caring female hand. It is also worth marking the temple where the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir, which began to flow myrrh, is kept.
And now it’s time to talk about the treasure of Grodno, one of its most important attractions.
Church of St. Boris and Gleb (Kolozhskaya Church)
St. Rybatskaya 6/1
The Church of St. Boris and Gleb is one of the five oldest buildings in Belarus, built back in the 12th century. The temple was destroyed more than once. The last happened in 1853, when the eastern part of the wall collapsed during a landslide. But it was replaced with a wooden one.
On the surviving walls you can see interesting mosaics that are a bit reminiscent of the Byzantine style.
According to legend, the famous commander Danila Grodno is buried near the walls of the Boris and Gleb Church. Today the temple is open for parishioners and services are held.
"Pink group" of attractions
Returning to Sovetskaya Square, you can stroll through another district of Grodno, where you can also feel like you’re in Europe. We went out onto Karl Marx Street and wandered through the alleys and wide streets, densely packed with cars.
Annunciation Church
St. Karl Marx
The Annunciation Church was built in the middle of the 17th century by order of the Lithuanian marshal, who thus wanted to perpetuate the memory of his deceased daughter. The Baroque building attracts attention with its interesting facade. Previously, the monastery occupied almost an entire block, but gradually the structure fell into disrepair.
In Soviet times, a psychoneurological hospital was located here, but later the church and the surrounding area were again transferred to the parish. In the monastery courtyard, a lamus has been preserved, where the nuns used to live, built without a single nail.
Water towers "Kasya" and "Basya"
St. Sverdlova 2
Two octagonal water towers “Kasya” and “Basya” were built at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. The buildings reach a height of 22 meters, and their task was to provide the city with water.
The “older” tower is more restrained in style. The only decoration is a wrought-iron, hanging balcony. But the “younger” sister is very elegant, decorated with lace balustrades and bas-reliefs of columns. Different styles are mixed here, so experts classify the towers as eclectic.
Today they house the workshops of Grodno artists.
If you have a lot of time in Grodno, then you can afford to visit the museum of everyday life.
Museum of Life
St. Lermontova 25
The most unusual museum in the city. This is the first private museum in Grodno, where various antiques are collected. The entire exhibition is located in a small courtyard space in a private house, but to examine all these things you need at least an hour.
The exhibition includes both household items and folk art. The museum's special pride is its collection of old postcards.
Tours of the museum are conducted by the owner himself - a colorful old Greek man who personifies the collection of rarities.
The museum will give you a lot of positive emotions and a touch of nostalgia about the long-gone past, but you need to make an appointment in advance to visit.
There are a decent number of bunkers (long-term firing points) and forts around Grodno.
Grodno Fortress
On the way to Sopocin
These unfinished forts received the status of the last fortress of the Russian Empire. But the history of this defensive structure dates back to the 11th century, when the first fortified ramparts were built.
Construction of the fortress began at the beginning of the 20th century, when Grodno was declared a stronghold of the Russian army. But by the beginning of the war, none of the 24 forts had been completed and during the retreat the fort was blown up.
During the second war, near Fort No. 2, the Nazis shot local residents and today there is a monument to the dead (it is located in the border zone, in the forest and is badly damaged).
The best preserved ones, as the border guards told us, are forts No. 9 and No. 4 - they did not have time to blow them up. And the most picturesque and beautiful are forts No. 7 and No. 8.
Just be careful when searching for these forts; under no circumstances drive under the sign “Attention! Border zone" without a special pass, otherwise, you may find yourself detained by border guards and spend several hours of your vacation drawing up protocols. We experienced this the hard way, so I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the law on the border zone, link http://gpk.gov.by/border/.
Grodno seems to be a small city, but there are plenty of attractions on its territory. In general, without visiting museums, you can do it in one day, but it’s better to stay here for at least two days, especially since there are wonderful hotels and restaurants in Grodno.
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