Travel Guide Mstislaw (Мсціслаў)

Lost in the middle of the hills, a few kilometres from the border with Russia, Mstsislaw is a charming small town where it feels like time stopped in the th century. Considered one of the oldest cities in Belarus, Mstsislaw was founded in 1135 by Roman Veliki, the prince of Smolensk. It bears the name of the son of the latter, Mstsislaw, who succeeded him in 1180. At the time of its founding, the city dominated the Zamkovaja gora, the mountain of the castle. Today, nothing remains of the ancient fortifications. At the top of this hill, however, there is an extraordinary panorama of the city, the river Vikhra and the forests surrounding it. At the foot of the Zamkovaja gora is the Catholic church of the Ascension of the Virgin (1637). It stands in all its splendour among wooden houses, immersed in greenery. Inside, you can see frescoes of the th century. The city centre is dominated by the former Jesuit monastery (1842 th-century), next to the former Catholic church, which became the Orthodox Church Saint-Nicolas in. At No. 30 of Leninskaja street, you can see the Church Aleksandr Nevski, built in 1870. She belonged to the order of Bernardins.Mstsislaw was able to preserve its provincial aspect of the th century. Just a walk in the city centre to immerse itself with this «revolutionary» atmosphere, which is reflected in its many buildings, such as the old Paris Hotel at 51 Pralietarskaja Street.