Shumilino. The railway station was built in 1866.

Until 1962, this station was named Sirotino, in honor of a place located nine kilometers from Shumilino. It was one of the key stations of the Dinaburg-Vitebsk railway, built in 1863-1866, and connected Vitebsk province for 244 versts. This road, founded by large industrialists from Riga and London, with management in the English capital, served as an important transport artery through which transit goods were transported from Vitebsk to Dvinsk (present-day Daugavpils).

The station in Shumilino is one of the oldest in Belarus. After it was built in 1866, it was serviced mainly by German specialists, who later moved to the larger Vitebsk.

The two-storey station building with attached single-storey wings, a complex gable roof and arched windows is an example of the architectural style of that time. The harmonious combination of shades of ochre with white decorative elements gives the building an elegant and sophisticated look. Lampposts decorated with elegant patterns are installed along the platform, and in front of the station stands a bust of Peter Melnikov, an outstanding engineer who supervised the construction of the Rigo-Oryol railway. It was Melnikov who sent a telegram to the emperor with a report on the successful completion of the work when the first steam locomotive with three carriages passed through the station.

Very close to the station, on the same Vokzalnaya street, you can see another old building – a warehouse that served as a warehouse at the railway station. Unfortunately, this brick one-story building with patterned trim along the gable roof and arched windows is in an abandoned state and needs restoration.

The history of the station is rich in notable events. It is believed that Emperor Nicholas II himself visited here, and it was from this building that he sent a telegram of abdication in 1917. Surprisingly, during the Great Patriotic War, when Shumilino was under German occupation, the railway station building miraculously survived, becoming the only surviving building in the city after the war.

Visiting this ancient railway station is an opportunity to touch the history, feel the connection of times and see how the provincial cities of Belarus preserve invaluable evidence of the past.

In the outback, you can sometimes find very interesting places where the destinies of people and states were once decided...