Gomel Oblast Sightseeing Attractions
There are 1,360 historical and cultural, 140 architectural and 1,040 archaeological monuments and sites in the Gomel region. The region also boasts more than 20 museums including the Gomel regional museum of local lore, the Vetka arts and crafts museum and two picture galleries.
The Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble has been one of the most famous sights of the city for more than two hundred years. Its pearl is a magnificent palace of the Rumyantsevs- Paskevichs, one of the best species of the Classicism- style architecture not only in Belarus but in the whole CIS area.
There is a Gavriil Vaschenko picture gallery in Gomel. The artist’s creative work had a strong impact on the whole Belarusian art. Gavriil Vaschenko is a People’s Artist of the Republic of Belarus, an Honored Art Worker, a State Prize-winner of the Republic of Belarus. His works are very popular in Belarus and abroad. The International Biographical Centre in Cambridge called Gavriil Vaschenko “Person of the 20th Century” and “Person of the Year ’92”. The American Biographical Institute called him “Man of the Year ’94” and awarded him a Medal of Honor 2000.
There is a regional drama theatre, a puppet show and a youth experimental theatre-studio in Gomel.
The Gomel State Circus is considered to be one of the best circus shows of Belarus. Performances of the Gomel city symphonic and chamber orchestras are always a great success as well. The Gomel regional philharmonic society organizes concerts of Belarusian and foreign singers.
The Gomel region hosts traditional festivals “Art Masters to Villages”, “Chernobyl Path – Road of Life”, musical art festivals “Belarusian Musical Autumn”, “Sozh Round Dance”, “Slavonic Brotherhood” and an instrumental music festival. The region is famous for its medieval centre – the Old Turov – the former capital of the Turov Principality. Kirill of Turov (1130–1182), a philosopher, preacher and author of many works, which make part of the golden stocks of the Orthodox compositions, lived and worked there. In 1993 a monument was erected to this outstanding man in Turov.
Founded in 1680 by the Old Believers who fled from Russia, the Vetka arts and crafts museum presents a unique collection of blackletter books.
Those who are keen on archaeology can visit a small Belarusian town of Yurovichi in the Kalinkovichi district. A whole cluster of specimens of archaeology including six ancient settlements, remainders of an ancient fortified town and a burial mound were discovered there. Collections of the archaeological-ethnographical museum of Frantsisk Skorina State University of Gomel may arouse deep interest as well.
The national park Pripyatsky was once laid out on the territory of the region to preserve unique landscapes of the Belarusian Polesye. This is the only place on the Earth where ancient floodplain oak woods exist.
More than a half of all Belarusian oak woods grow in the Gomel region. There are many lakes in the region as well. The biggest one is Lake Krasnoye. Big navigable rivers – the Dnepr, the Sozh, the Berezina and the Pripyat run through the region.
The Gomel region boasts 3 rehabilitation centres – Pridneprovsky, Solnechny and Vasiljevka, 15 health centres, 4 children’s recuperation facilities, 4 health resorts, 3 student’s rehabilitation centres, 5 recreation centres and 29 children’s summer camps.
More than 30 hotels and motels offer their services to Gomel guests.
