Historical and cultural museum-reserve "Zaslavl".

Zaslavl has a rich history that goes back more than a thousand years. The city was founded in the 9th-10th centuries and played an important role in the history of Belarus. Important trade routes and cultural centers were located here.

The museum reserve features a unique territory of the historical center of the ancient city of Zaslavl with preserved architectural and archaeological monuments of the 10th and 20th centuries and museum facilities.

 Visitors can visit the following objects of the museum-reserve: 

1. Museum and Exhibition Complex

2. The ethnographic complex "Mlyn"

3. Children's Museum of Mythology and Forests

4. The PILLBOX Museum

Here you can see such archaeological sites as the Zamechak settlement, a fortified settlement built at the end of the 10th century by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich of Kiev, and the Val settlement, the second fortress built after people left Zamechek in the 11th century.

You can also explore architectural monuments with historical heritage: the Transfiguration Church (a former Calvinist cathedral) built in the late 16th century, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an architectural monument of the 2nd half of the 18th century in the late Baroque style, and others. Special attention should be paid to the Market Square, which appeared in the 11th-12th centuries at the intersection of roads in three directions: to Logoisk, Rakov and Minsk. Access to archaeological sites is free.

In the ethnographic complex "Mlyn" you can see a steam mill. This is the only steam mill in Belarus that has been preserved in its historical place. Visitors also have the opportunity to learn about the way of life of our ancestors and visit the buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries - a mill, a forge and others.

The exposition of the Children's Museum of Mythology and Forests presents to the visitors the images of Belarusian mythology embodied in the vytinankas of the craftsmen. The gallery presents a mysterious forest inhabited by mythological characters: a Swamper, a Mermaid, a Snake King, a Forester, and a Forest Grandfather.

The museum offers a variety of exhibitions dedicated to the history of Zaslavl, its culture and traditions. Visitors can see artifacts related to the way of life and culture of local residents, as well as art objects.

The Museum-Reserve actively organizes various cultural events, including exhibitions, workshops, lectures and festivals, which promotes the popularization of local culture and attracts tourists. 

The Zaslavl Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve is not only a place to study history, but also a center of cultural life in the region, which attracts both locals and tourists. A very interesting authentic complex with excellent expositions. It is interesting to visit it with an excursion. It is especially interesting for schoolchildren here!

In 1988, the staff of the newly created museum acquired the first museum items. This is how the museum collection began to form. At present, the collection of the historical and cultural museum-reserve "Zaslavl" contains 12,282 items of the main collection and 4,711 items of the scientific auxiliary collection. The most significant acquisitions occurred in 1989. They served as the basis for forming the structure of the collection. Today, the museum collection consists of the main collection, the scientific auxiliary collection, and the temporary acquisitions collection. In turn, the main collection is divided into 22 collections. The largest collection in the museum-reserve collection is the archeology collection. It contains more than 3,700 items of the main collection. This collection mainly includes items transferred to the museum during archeological excavations both in the city of Zaslavl itself and in its environs (the excavations were carried out in 1967-1986). These are various fragments of dishes from the 10th-18th centuries, tiles from the 16th-18th centuries, iron products (knives, nails, tools, weapons), slate spindle whorls, fragments of amphoras, bone products (10th-12th centuries), jewelry (bracelets, rings, beads, temple rings) from the 10th-11th centuries and the 12th-14th centuries.

The second largest and well-stocked collection is the weaving collection. It includes items purchased from the population during expeditions to the Brest, Vitebsk, and Grodno regions. Then the collection was replenished with items that were common in Zaslavl and its environs. Today, the number of weaving items in the collection amounts to about 1,000 units.

The "Ceramics" collection has more than 700 items. It is distinguished by its great diversity: pots, jugs, jars, glazes, bowls, makitras. The Brest and Grodno regions, where the first expeditions were most often sent, are the most represented. Nowadays, the collection is replenished with items from Zaslavl and its environs.

The collection "Decorative and Applied Arts" is diverse in terms of the subjects of the collected items: tapestries, art products made of straw, wood, bone, horn, stone, porcelain, earthenware, artistic ceramics, glass, toys.

The collection of painted carpets has gained wide popularity. Today the museum owns the largest collection of painted carpets among Belarusian museums – 130 items.

The museum-reserve's collections "Painting" and "Graphics" contain works of art by V.P. Markovets, V.P. Stashchanyuk, G.Kh. Vashchenko and other artists. At present, the collections number more than 600 and 260 units, respectively.

The process of completing the funds of the historical and cultural museum-reserve "Zaslavl" continues. New collections have been created: "Vehicles and Harness" and "Collection of Items from the Fire of the Transfiguration Church".