Mozyr. The Land of Wooden Castles

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Mazyr is a city in Gomel Region of Belarus on the Pripyat River. Mozyr is known as a center of oil refining, machine building, and food processing in Belarus. It is home to one of the largest oil refineries in Belarus, pumping out 18 million metric tons per year! The Druzhba pipeline carries crude oil from Russia splitting in two at Mazyr. One pipeline branch is directed into Poland and the other one to Ukraine.

Mozyr first mentioned in the mid-12th century as part of Duchy of Vladimir, and then the Duchy of Kiev. In the 13th century it was conquered by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Initially a small settlement, in the 15th century it was donated to Duke Michael Glinski, who converted it into a town. The city received town rights (Magdeburg Law) first from king Stefan Batory in 1577 and then from king Sigismund III of Poland in 1609. During the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 the town was captured by the Polish Army in the so-called Mozyr Operation. Polish 9th Infantry Division captured the city in a swift and daring manoeuvre that earned its commanding officer Wladyslaw Sikorski (later Prime Minister of Poland) a promotion to general.

Mozyr is one of the oldest towns in Belarus: the remains of five ancient settlements with the oldest being four thousand years old were found on the territory of the town. In the 15th century in the center of Mozyr there was a castle that was repeatedly ravaged by the Tatars, and in 1649 was captured and burned down by Prince Janusz Radziwill. In 2005 by the 850th anniversary of the town, the wooden Mozyr Castle was restored on its historic site. Since then it has become a popular tourist attraction. The most iconic sites in the town are the Roman-Catholic Church of St. Michael the Archangel and the Bernardine monastery of the 17th century, St. Michael's Cathedral, a brewery founded in 1885, the building of the male gymnasium of the 19th century and St. Nicholas Church in the Constructivism style.

Sights in Mozyr:

• St. Michael's Orthodox Cathedral. Built in 1760-s, this two-towered church is a typical example of Baroque architecture of the region.

• St. Michael's Catholic Church. A nice little church built in 1743-45. The interior is rather simple but pleasant.

• The Bernardine monastery

• St. Nicholas Church

• The Pripyat River embankment

• Youth Boulevard

Museums:

• The Mozyr Castle (Gora Kommunarov str., 8)

• The museum of Local History (Gora Kommunarov str., 8)

• Museum-workshop of N. Pushkar (Yakub Kolas str., 1a)

• «Paleskaya veda» (Folk Culture Museum, Komsomolskaya str., 15)

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