Mogilev. Castle Hill. Gorky Park.

There is a Maxim Gorky Park in the historical center of Mogilev. This is where the history of this ancient city begins. According to legend, the robber Masheka is buried here, about whom the first national poet of Belarus Yanka Kupala wrote the poem "The Grave of the Lion". And there are such words there:

 "Over time, the trees of the field are above it,

And the city grew as if from the ground,

And it was called Mogilev,

They couldn't think of any other way."

Historians believe that the name of the city of Mogilev comes from the name of the Grave of the Lion.

During the time of the Principality of Polotsk, at the beginning of the 11th century, the first wooden fortifications of the city were built here on this site. Then a castle is built, the description of which has not survived to our time. In 1408, Prince Vytautas the Great visited Mogilev Castle.

 And it was only during the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that information reached us, when a large wooden castle was built in 1526. The castle had 6 towers. The perimeter of the fortification was more than 600 meters. The castle has been burned and rebuilt more than once.

After the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the residence of the Russian Governor-General was built here. And in the 19th century, a recreation park was created, which was named after Governor Alexander Dembovetsky. During the First World War, when there was a headquarters in Mogilev, army tents were set up in the park on hot summer days and Emperor Nicholas II of the Russian Empire ate here with his family and retinue.

In Soviet times, the park was named after the classic of literature, writer Maxim Gorky. Gazebos and alleys were created, a summer amphitheater was built, a shooting range and a cafe worked.

In the summer of 1941, the line of defense of the Soviet troops passed here. All the trees were destroyed. The park is dug with trenches and trenches. In 1944, the Nazi invaders built a reinforced concrete bunker on the territory of the park.

In the post-war period, the park is being restored. Archaeological excavations were carried out, including the famous historian and archaeologist Mikhail Tkachev.

In recent years, an Orthodox church has been built in the park and a mock-up of Mogilev Castle has been installed in the center of the park. The model was made by sculptor Andrey Vorobyov.