One of the oldest places in the Molodechno region is today’s agricultural town Town, the first mention of which dates back to the middle of the 12th century (1161). Here you can see part of the ordinary buildings, a church, an ancient Jewish cemetery and the building of a former synagogue, a new church, the ruins of a water mill and, of course, the main attraction - castle.
At first glance, it seems that Gorodok is an ordinary village, of which there are hundreds in Belarus, but as soon as you approach the massive mountain, all doubts go away - the place is historical.
On this very settlement, a long time ago (it is assumed that somewhere in the 14th century), a real castle was built - “Garadzec”, the defensive ditches and earthen fortifications of which have survived to this day.
In the center of the castle there is an oval detinets (island) measuring approximately 40 by 60 meters, which, like several centuries ago, is surrounded by water. And around the water on all sides there is an embankment, about 10 meters high. The passage to the fortress existed only on one side, the eastern side, where a wooden donjon tower previously stood. It is unknown how long the castle existed on this site, but it is likely that by the beginning of the 18th century it no longer existed. In addition to the unique relief, the historical object in front of us is reminiscent of a stone with an information plaque.
Since the 17th century, the Town has been mentioned as one of the countless estates of the Radziwills, who really did not invest much in its development and, apparently, rarely visited here. Therefore, in the end, the lands were sold to the Kodnicki family, who built their own small estate next to the old castle. Then, already in the first half of the 19th century, the town passed to the Tyshkevichs, under whom the town flourished again. Brick buildings are being built more actively, but the main buildings still remain wooden, which will lead to a severe fire that will almost completely destroy the Town.
Near the reservoir, right on the Western Berezina River, stands water Mill late 19th century.
The building is impressive in its size even in a state of ruins; not every settlement in those days had such mills. For example, in the neighboring Petrovshchina The mill, although it was made of stone, was quite small.
The foundation is made of large rubble stone, the base is made of smaller ones, and 2 floors are already completely brick.
The building surprises with the abundance of decorative elements that you would not expect to see here: the facade is decorated with pilasters, a stepped cornice and a rather unusual pediment. This is how it turns out to be a monument of industrial architecture with neo-Gothic elements.
The town stores and remembers many interesting facts, legends and details. It is believed that here, the daughter of Vincent Dunin-Martsinkevich, Camilla organized a school for orphans and children from peasant families. Later, like her father, she would be arrested for her activities. Despite the challenges and problems, the place was constantly developing, and the second half of the 19th century became an active time for the development of the Town; the local synagogue was also built during that period.
Unfortunately, the building has not retained its original architecture, but under a layer of plaster there is still authentic brick.
On the synagogue territory there are several memorial stones, reminiscent of the fact that the Town was a Jewish town. During the German occupation, a ghetto was created here, in which more than 1942 residents were shot in 700.
A little further from the center there is also an ancient Jewish cemetery, unfortunately getting to it is problematic - all the approaches are lined with residential buildings. Below are newsreels from 1931.
Opposite the synagogue there is a church, which was built in 1874, on the site of a wooden predecessor that burned down in a fire.
Interestingly, the stone fence and part of the gate have been preserved from the old church. From 1944 to 1991 the temple was closed and gradually destroyed.
There is also a church in Gorodok. The modern one appeared not so long ago and was rebuilt from an ordinary residential building, to which a turret with a spire was added.
The old Church of St. John the Baptist was most likely located on the outskirts of the Town, where there is a Catholic cemetery. It was built in the 30s of the last century from wood, below in the photo you can see what the building looked like.
Today's Catholic cemetery.
A modest wooden cross serves as a reminder of the church.
In the center of the Town there is a museum where, if you wish, you can learn more interesting things about the history of the place. Below is the location of the castle on the map:
If you're in the area, I highly recommend visiting Molodechno и Lebedevo.
