There is a popular opinion that all the most beautiful palaces in Belarus are located in the west of the country. I wrote about it myself, and now I’m not going to argue with this statement. But (!) there are, of course, their own tourist gems in the east of Belarus. And two historical complexes are a good proof of this – the Bulgakov Palace in Zhilichi and the Gatovsky Estate in the agro-town of Krasny Bereg.
I went there last weekend. And I was very surprised that for many this area is still little known. While the World and Nesvizh are literally bursting with the number of tourist groups, few people go to the palaces of eastern Belarus.
Seriously, our own tour was postponed for two weeks in a row because we couldn’t even find the minimum number of tourists. As a result, there were only 12 of us traveling to the east of Belarus! And at that moment, I even felt a little offended by the palaces in Krasny Bereg and Zhilichi.
To correct this injustice, I actually undertook to write this text. Today I will show you an unfamiliar Belarus – and maybe this article will be a reason for some of you to travel.
Reason No.1. Interesting route
Formally, Zhilichi and Krasny Bereg are located in two different regions – in Mogilev and Gomel. But in reality there are only 30 km between the two palaces, so it’s easy to combine them into a single trip. The journey from Minsk takes about 2.5 hours, and on the way here you can make stops at several interesting points at once.
For example, to look at the famous upside-down house in Dukor… Or to walk around the Jewish capital of Belarus (as it was once called Bobruisk).
This city is still full of surprises, so you can stay here for a variety of reasons. Once here, be sure to find…
- the wooden mansion of merchant Katsnelson;
- and the remains of the once famous Bobruisk fortress;
- futuristic “the Tetris house”, inspired by the projects of Kise Kurokawa;
- and, of course, the branded stores of the Krasny Pishchevik factory, which has recently been flooding Belarus with the most unusual sweets.
« The Tetris House». Photo of the project vokladki.by . An example of a backpack «Bobruisk ».
There is marmalade with celery, halva with the taste of bacon and onions, and (almost legendary) marshmallows with cornflowers. If you are looking for unusual souvenirs, then you are here. And you can read about Bobruisk itself at the link below.
Another interesting point on the way to Krasny Bereg is the Berezina River, where once (according to legend) Napoleon sank his semi-mythical treasure. Today, historical reconstructions often take place here, and various enthusiasts even conduct costumed excursions recreating the atmosphere of those times.
One of them can be found on this page.
Reason No.2. Gargoyles, devils and unusual architecture
Another 50 km along the M-5 highway – and here you are at the Gatovsky estate in the agro-town of Krasny Bereg. Today there is an agricultural college here, so do not be surprised by the abundance of young people and the simple brick buildings that are scattered throughout the territory.
All the most interesting things are waiting for you next. First, the red building of the old Brovar
Next is the manor wing where the servants once lived…
And then, behind the bushy maples, the palace itself will appear, as if descended from the pages of an old fairy tale.
Its history began in 1890-1893, when, by order of the then owners of the town, they began to build a manor house here. The author of the project was St. Petersburg architect Victor Schroeter, who proposed to build the estate in the shape of the letter “G” (in honor of the Gatovsky family).
The house was built, but already in 1904, the head of the family, Mikhail Semenovich, died suddenly. The estate was inherited by his daughter Maria, and her husband, the Vitebsk nobleman Vikenty Kozell–Poklevsky, became the actual owner of the complex. He also fixed his rights to the estate in stone – by his order, a crown and three upward-facing arrows appeared above the balcony of the main entrance (the Kozello-Poklewski family coat of arms).
In general, the architecture of the palace still seems rather atypical for Belarus. There are pointed spires, gargoyles on the facades, and mystical images of devils that are still found in various rooms of the palace.
The manor’s appearance combines Renaissance, Gothic and Art Nouveau at the same time. And there’s even more inside the palace of styles. Walking here is like walking through the pages of an architecture textbook.
Reason No. 3. The scars of World War II and the unique memorial
Vikenty Kozell-Poklevsky also ruled the estate for a short time – only 13 years. After the revolution, the family emigrated to Poland. And the palace itself was nationalized and turned into an agricultural college. The administration is located in the building of the former wing. And classrooms were set up in the living rooms of the former owners. In this form, the palace in Krasny Bereg existed until the Second World War.
During the German occupation, a hospital for Reich officers was set up in the former Kozell-Poklewski estate, and a children’s concentration camp was set up nearby, where children from neighboring villages (mostly girls) were used as donors, pumping blood from them for wounded Germans.
In 2007, a very emotional memorial dedicated to child victims of the war was created in Krasny Bereg. There’s an empty school classroom, and streaks of blood underfoot, and a monument in the form of a paper boat, as a symbol of a lost childhood…
Today, you can see it about a kilometer from the palace building. It is the only memorial of its kind in Eastern Europe and the CIS.
Reason No. 4. Stucco, gilding and luxurious interiors
Another unique feature of the palace in Krasny Bereg is its perfectly preserved interiors. If the interior decoration in Mir and Nesvizh only “recreates the atmosphere of the era,” then in the former Kozell-Poklewski estate, the interiors really have historical authenticity. There are delicate moldings, colorful stained glass windows, and carved ceilings made of noble wood…
At the same time, each of the 36 rooms of the palace is made in its own special style. In one room you see Gothic in front of you, in another you see Romanesque style, and in the third you see rare neo–Moorish motifs for Belarus. It is already possible to come to Krasny Bereg just for this.
The cost of tickets and excursions, as well as the museum’s opening hours, can be viewed on the website.krbereg.museum.by .
Reason No. 5. Belarusian Versailles
Another 40 minutes by car – and we stop at the palace park in the agro-town of Zhilichi. Today it is a sleepy place where geese run across the road, and the total population barely exceeds 600 people. But once these places were the real center of the cultural life of the region.
The magnificent park by the pond is now reminiscent of those times, with neat gazebos and bridges, as well as numerous historical buildings literally scattered in different parts of the town. Somewhere it could be a 19th-century water tower. And somewhere there are the ruins of a red brick stable. Against the background of vegetable gardens and simple village huts, they look like real aliens from another time.
The palace itself is located deep in the park, but from the first seconds it impresses with its scale. If Krasny Bereg is a small cozy manor, then a residenceBulgakov in Zhilichi is a real city under a roof (with its own church, greenhouse, music hall and dozens of rooms).
The construction of the palace began in 1825, when Marshal Ignatius Bulgak of Bobruisk returned home from Paris, where he fought in the Russian army. This is largely why French motifs are still easily discernible in the features of the family estate.
The palace was built with luxury: the ceilings were decorated with gilded stucco, the floors were made of expensive woods, and the columns and arches were decorated with fashionable Greek motifs. Just imagine – in those days, the Bulgakov Palace surpassed even the Nesvizh residence of the Radziwills in scale and luxury! And the features of its former greatness are preserved in it today.
During Soviet times, the house housed an orphanage and a zootechnical college in turn. At that time, the original parquet was lost, the house stoves were dismantled, the gilding was stripped from the ceilings and the greenhouse was dismantled. But most of the palace still managed to survive. The palace has never burned down and even during the war was not subjected to large-scale shelling. Coffered ceilings, stucco elements, columns, arches and stairs have successfully survived to the present day. And already in 1973, restoration began in the complex.
Some time ago, the 34travel project published a comparison of old photographs of Yan Bulgak with modern views of the palace. I think the similarities are immediately apparent.
See the museum’s opening hours and ticket prices on the websitemuseyjilichi.by .
The afterword. Or how to get to Zhilichi and Krasny Bereg?
Last year, my wife and I went on this tour of the Imperial palaces of St. Petersburg. And now, walking through Zhilichi and Krasny Bereg, I really felt about the same as I did then.
Mir, Nesvizh, Kossovo, Ruzhany and Krevo are still slightly different in atmosphere and mood. And only after visiting each of them do you begin to understand how different our country can be.
Tours from Minsk to Mir and Nesvizh
The palaces of eastern Belarus are a great destination for a short trip. But having said a lot of good things about them, one important disadvantage of these places should also be noted. Getting here from Minsk is not so easy. The best option is to travel by car. But for me personally, 5 hours behind the wheel is a pretty serious challenge. Therefore (as I said) I went to Zhilichi and Krasny Bereg with this tour. In addition to the transfer, it included the services of a guide, a set lunch and all tickets according to the program.
As for public transport, there is no direct connection between Minsk and Zhilichi yet. Therefore, it is most convenient to get here by making a transit stop in Bobruisk. Minibuses run from this city to the Bulgakov Palace three times a day – at 06:35/12:40 and 17:15. In summer, there are also tourist flights from Mogilev. But they are then launched, then canceled again.
See the exact schedule on the websiteticketbus.by .
The situation with Krasny Bereg is a little easier, as you can get here by train.
Flights depart 5-6 times a day, but the schedule is inconvenient. Therefore, you can arrive and leave on the same day only by transit through Zhlobin.
If you know of other options, welcome to the comments. And now I just have to say goodbye. Thank you for reading this article to the end. Zhilichi and Krasny Bereg are really beautiful places. It is a pity that they are not written and spoken about so often.
