NOVOGRUDOK: AT THE FOOT OF ZAMKOVAYA HILL

MINSK - NOVOGRUDOK - LITOVKA - MINSK

For custom groups

Cost: for the group of 30 + 2 - 47.0 rubles, children - 42.0 rubles

for the group of 15 + 1 - 65.0 rubles

ACTUAL PRICING AND ROUTE INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED BY PHONE OR BY SENDING A MESSAGE

О Navahrugski krai –

Moi rodny dom…

Adam Mickiewicz

Смотреть встроенную онлайн галерею в:
http://www.abc-project.by/index.php/belarus/welcome-to-belarus-en/novogrudok-at-the-foot-of-zamkovaya-hill-en#sigProIde317d79df6

Covered with forests and arable lands, the hills stretch along the road to Novogrudok, which has been picturesquely located on the slopes of Zamkovaya Hill and the adjacent hills since 1044. There are a lot of things to see here, in the first capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: museums, temples, monuments, mounds ... Whatever role Novogrudok played in the distant and near past, no matter to its status in the centuries, it will always be the town of Adam Mickiewicz.

PROGRAM

8.00 - The beginning of the trip to the ancient city in its modern embodiment. There were a lot of names of the town in the past: Novogorodok, Novgorodok, Novgorod, Novogorod. The locals still refer to it as Navagradok... We rise to the Novogrudok Altitude (323 m above sea level). Right here, in the central part of the elevation, in Rynochnaya Square our excursion begins. We’ll learn a lot of facts from the written history of the town, which begins in 1044 in the Sophia and Novgorod IV annals. Firstly, we can see Mindovg’s Hill where the founder of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Prince Mindovg was buried in the XIII century according to the legend. There are also the ruins of Novogrudok Castle (XIII-XVI centuries) - the residence of the grand dukes of Lithuania. At the end of the XIV - early XV centuries it was reconstructed into a stone-brick citadel with three towers: the Shield, the Church and the Minor Bram, connected by walls. In the XVI century 4 more towers were erected. The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (farny) of the XV century is well seen from the castle walls. It is here King Vladislav II (Jagaylo) and Princess Sophia Golshanskaya married in 1422, and Adam Mickiewicz was baptized in 1799. From the Dominican Church of St. Archangel Michael, which faces the old Market, Boris-Glebskaya Church (1519) and St. Nicholas Cathedral (1780), we will head for the house-museum of Adam Mickiewicz along the modern avenue of lanterns (the museum funds store about 7000 exhibits: the manuscripts of the poet, portraits, things and furnishings of the Mickiewicz era). There is a recently reopened Tatar mosque built in 1855 in the same street with the Tatars museum. Tatars appeared in Novogrudok at the end of the XV century and served in the militia.

Free time with the possibility of visiting the Adam Mickiewicz house-museum, the Museum of Local History, the Kastus Kachan Art Gallery or shops.

14.00 - Group gathering and a walk to the cafe "Molodezhnoye" for lunch.

The excursion around Novogrudok continues at the monument to Vladimir Vysotsky, which appeared in the town thanks to one of the natives. As a sign of respect for the musician, who spent several weeks in Novogrudok during the Turov's movie shooting "Sons go into battle," a grateful admirer of the great bard’s creativity presented the town with Vysotsky's bust. Vladimir Semenovich did not star in the film himself but he wrote several songs for it. The bust to bard in Novogrudok was officially opened during the Dozhynki on November 11, 2012.

15.00 - Following Vladimir Semenovich, we will head for Lake Litovka, where in 1969 Vysotsky lived (slept in the hayloft, composed songs at night) and where Marina Vlady came to visit him.

Lake Litovka. There is a small lake, a few kilometers from Novogrudok that is known all over the world thanks to Adam Mickiewicz's poem “Grazhina”. In the image of Grazhina, woman's beauty and courage of the patriot have united. The local legend became the plot of the poem. Novogrudok Prince Litavor was inclined to a disgraceful alliance with the enemies of Novogrudok - Teutonic knights due to circumstances. He rejects the exhortations of his friend Rymwyd not to agree with the shameful peace. Rymwyd turns to the wife of Litavor Princess Grazhina. Unfortunately, the Prince does not listen to the persuasion of his wife. Then Grazhina leads an army to the lake to meet the Teutons secretly from her husband. She is wearing a helmet to be unrecognizable. Grazhina is deathly wounded in the battle and dies. At this time, the Prince casts aside doubts and rushes into battle to help the unknown knight. The Novogrudchane win. However, what is the wonder and grief of Litavor when having opened the visor of the knight he sees his wife... In honor of Grazina's act of bravery the lake is named "Litovka".

We will see an "ordinary" bus stop on the lakeshore. The front side of which is drawn up on Adam Mickiewicz’s poem "Grazhyna". Here is the final battle depicted, which occurred exactly at this place according to the text. And yet ... Let's go to a private fantasy house of an extraordinary businessman from Novogrudok Sergey Koval over a fairy-tale bridge hung with locks of lovers. The territory of the house is a mixture of stories and legends "The House of Dwarves", the Coliseum, the Spirit of the Forest, the engraving "Fallen Angel", the cat Katka are Sergei’s muse, the sculpture showing how greed strangles a man (while the man holds the ground ...), the perpetuum mobile. And, of course, the house was purchased precisely because it was resided by Vladimir Vysotsky and Marina Vlady in1969. By Sergey's order a huge portrait of the musician was written in the room where Vysotsky and his wife lived. 120-year-old collection of works by Adam Mickiewicz is stored on the wall in the reliquiovarium. All the buildings of this unusual private house are gifted to people (as Sergey says) and will not leave anyone indifferent, will cause different feelings, emotions ...

18.00 - Gathering on the bus. Trip towards Minsk. Stopping on the site of the Novogrudok ghetto. "The Museum of Jewish Resistance" is the name of the exposition, which tells about the history of the most successful escape of the Jews from the German ghetto in Europe.