Tourist and sightseeing trip "History and culture of the Orsha region"

On March 14, 2026, the staff and students of VSMU embarked on a new journey along the route Vitebsk – Orsha – Alexandria – Kopys – Levki – Vitebsk, organized by the trade union committees of the university's staff and students.

The first stop was Orsha, one of the oldest cities in Belarus. Today, it is a cozy and compact city with many historical monuments: the Orsha hillfort is considered the "heart of the city," there is a watermill from 1906, and a former Jesuit monastery that vividly exemplifies Belarusian Baroque architecture.

Next, the participants visited the Vladimir Korotkevich Museum. The exhibition "Portrait of a Writer and a Man" displays Korotkevich's personal belongings, manuscripts of his works, drawings, and a fragment of a creative workshop — a reconstruction of his office from his Minsk apartment. In total, the museum houses about 640 exhibits.

The following stop was Alexandria. Here, the participants saw the school where President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko studied from 1961 to 1971. An old wooden building has been preserved on the site, which is now a museum. Inside, almost everything remains as it was: wooden desks, an old globe, and a portrait of Lenin — creating the atmosphere of a Soviet-era school.

In Kopys, tourists visited a castle with an observation deck and the Center for Folk Art and Crafts. Traditional crafts such as pottery, straw weaving, embroidery, and dowsing are preserved here. Many participants brought home original handmade souvenirs.

The final stop was the Levki — Kupalovsky Memorial Reserve. Here, the restored Yanka Kupala cottage displays the poet's personal belongings, furniture, documents, and household items from the 1930s and 1940s.

We look forward to more trips together with the trade union!