Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Smolensk (Russia). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Dormition Cathedral, Immaculate Conception Church, and Gorodskaa kuznica XVII veka. Also, be sure to include Smolensk Kremlin in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Smolensk (Smolensk).
Table of Contents
Dormition Cathedral
Also known as: Успенский собор
Historic cathedral with grand shrines. The Cathedral Church of the Dormition, dominating the city of Smolensk, Russia, from Cathedral Hill, has been the principal church of the Smolensk bishopric for 800 years.[1]
Immaculate Conception Church
Also known as: Храм Непорочного Зачатия Пресвятой Девы Марии
Church in Smolensk, Russia. The Immaculate Conception Church is an old Catholic church in the city of Smolensk in Russia. This neo-Gothic building was built from 1884 to 1896 and hosted the Regional Archive of Smolensk. It is in a state of disrepair and is scheduled for complete restoration. It has a large body and remarkable stained glass windows. Religious services are now partial. The number of parishioners is around 9,000.[2]
Address: 1 улица Памфилова, Smolensk
Gorodskaa kuznica XVII veka
The smithy is the oldest secular building in the city of Smolensk. It is located at 8a Lenina St.
The house was built at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries and is the oldest civilian building in Smolensk. In the beginning, when Smolensk was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the house served as the city archive.
In 1785 the "Polish archive" was adapted as a smithy of the Engineering House. Subsequently, the engineering house was destroyed, but the smithy survived.
Now the smithy is hidden in one of the city courtyards and is a little deep in the ground. Since 1982, this house has housed the Museum of Blacksmithing, which displays authentic blacksmith's tools, anvils, furs and blacksmith's craft of the XVII - XIX centuries.
Address: Lenina St., 10A, 214000 Smolensk
Smolensk Kremlin
Also known as: Смоленская крепость
Fortress in Smolensk, Russia. Smolensk Kremlin is a kremlin enclosing the center of the city of Smolensk in western Russia. The partially preserved fortress wall was built between 1595 and 1602, during the reign of Tsars Fyodor I Ioannovich and Boris Godunov. The length of the walls is about 6.5 kilometres, of which less than the half was preserved. The fortifications were built under the supervision of the architect Fyodor Kon. The Smolensk Kremlin is classified as an architectural monument protected at the federal level, and also has a great historical significance, in particular, as the fortress protecting the Russian state from the west over centuries.[3]
Führerhauptquartier Bärenhöhle
The Führerhauptquartier Bärenhöhle was a bunker facility built by the German organization Todt, which was built during the Second World War near Smolensk in the Soviet Union.
It consists of a 43 square meter cubic superstructure still visible today. The subterranean dimensions have not yet been explored. The bunker facility is located in a forest about one kilometer from the town of Gnyozdovo on the road from Smolensk to Katyn. In addition to the bunker facility, the railway embankment of the former special track is still visible.
The facility was never used by Hitler as headquarters.[4]
Smolensk State University
Smolensk State University is a university in Smolensk, Smolensk Oblast, Russia.[5]
Address: 4 улица Пржевальского, Smolensk
Pamatnik Glinke
The Glinka Monument is the world's first monument to composer M. I. Glinka, one of the landmarks of Smolensk. It is located in Blonier Park, opposite the Philharmonic Hall. Sculptor - A. R. von Bock. The fence is designed by academician I. S. Bogomolov.
The monument to the composer was created by voluntary donations in 1883-1885. The solemn opening of the monument took place on May 20, 1885 with a large gathering of people. Among those present were Russian composers P. I. Tchaikovsky, A. S. Arensky, M. A. Balakirev, S. I. Taneyev, A. K. Glazunov.
The bronze sculpture depicts the composer at the lectern with the conductor's baton in his hand. The composer's coat, for some unknown reason, is made in the feminine manner, with the buttons on the left.
It is no accident that Glinka stands with his back to the lectern. This emphasizes that he is not just a conductor, but a composer who knows the notes by heart.
On the faces of the pedestal are bronze wreaths with inscriptions: "Glinka - Russia, 1885"; "Mikhail Glinka was born on May 20 in the village of Novospassky, Yelninsky district, died February 3, 1857 in Berlin, buried in St. Petersburg in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra".
The original openwork fence of the monument is made in the form of lines of music, on which 24 excerpts from Glinka's works are inscribed in bronze signs.
Twice a day, the composer's works are played from loudspeakers installed around the monument.
Cerkov Sv. Pervoverhovnyh apostolov Petra i Pavla
Peter and Paul Church on Gorodyanka is an Orthodox church in Smolensk. One of the three surviving monuments of ancient Russian architecture in the city.
Address: 20 улица Кашена, Smolensk
Pamatnik zasitnikam Smolenska 1812 goda
The Monument to the Defenders of Smolensk on August 4-5, 1812 is one of Smolensk's landmarks, commemorating the Battle of Smolensk in 1812. The official name of the monument is "Monument to the Defenders of Smolensk on August 4-5, 1812". It is located in the Lopatinsky Garden and is familiar to every Smolensk resident. The author of the project is Antonio Adamini.
Kulturno-vystavocnyj centr imeni Tenisevyh
Art gallery, Museum
Address: Пржевальского, 3, Smolensk
Voznesenskij monastyr
Ascension Monastery is a monastery of the Smolensk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in Smolensk.