Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Gomel Palace & Park Ensemble

Photo by Andreenko99 from Wikimedia

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Gomel Palace & Park Ensemble

The Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble are one of the most beautiful specimens of the architecture of Belarus.

Today the unique museum complex in the center of Gomel comprises a palace of the Rumyantsevs and the Paskeviches, a chapel with a burial vault, a conservatory, a watchtower, and a magnificent ancient park.

It is the largest fully preserved country estate in Belarus, and regularly hosts art and history exhibits, concerts, conferences, and official meetings of national leaders.

Gomel Palace & Park Ensemble is a great place for spending hot summer days. It includes both an amusement park and a recreation area with a picturesque quay.

Let’s look at the Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Gomel Palace & Park Ensemble

1. Explore the Palace of the Rumyantsevs and Paskeviches

Photo by Andreenko99 from Wikimedia

The Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace is one of the oldest landmarks of Belarus the 18th-19th century. Its history is connected with the life and work of outstanding personalities of the Russian state, statesmen, and military figures.

The two-story palace of Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev was built between 1777 and 1796 to a Neoclassical design attributed to Ivan Starov. The architecture and external decoration of the premises corresponded to their status

It houses the original owners of the Gomel estate Rumyantsevy and Paskevichy personal possessions. They include paintings, sculptures, art bronze, weapons, and personal items.

A visit to the palace is included in almost all tourist trips around the Gomel region, and it allows you to study the history of Gomel and understand the lives of the former owners.

2.  Discover chapel-tomb

The composition of the state historical and cultural institution “Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble” includes a chapel-tomb of the family of princes Paskevich, built-in 1870-89. 

 It is a complex architectural structure, the ground part of which includes a chapel – a square brick structure covered with a high octagonal tent with an onion cupola.

Similar domes crown its corners and a crypt for burials (tomb), is framed by a small above-ground volume entrance, from where a staircase leads to an underground vaulted tunnel.

 3. Visit the Winter Garden building

The building of Winter Garden was constructed in Gomel in the first hath of the 19th century at the same time as the construction of the palace park. It was converted and became part of Gomel Palace & Park Ensemble in 1877.

It stands on an area of 245  square meters and it is surrounded by 18 species of subtropical plants, including magnolia, Himalayan jasmine, and a coffee tree. The most famous and the oldest is a palm tree which was planted in 1888.

In the Winter Garden, you can also enjoy watching different kinds of fish in a big aquarium housed in the Winter Garden building.

4. Visit the Observation Tower

The observation tower is located in the southern part of the park near the Winter Garden. Its history dates back to the middle of the 19th century and it is connected to the Winter Garden building.

It served as a parking facility throughout the entire Soviet period. During the Great Patriotic War, the building suffered from shelling. Traces of shrapnel and bullets have survived to this day. 

Due to its dilapidated condition, the tower was restored in 2010. The metal structures and brickworks were replaced. It was also supplied with electricity and reopened in 2015.

5. Relax at the Embankment of the Sozh River

Photo by Szeder László from Wikimedia

The Gomel palace and park ensemble is unique in terms of a combination of factors of historical, cultural, and environmental significance. 

The entire area of the embankment of the Sozh River is a monument of archeology, carrying the cultural remains of the life of different eras, from the Upper Paleolithic to the 18thcentury.

It was constructed by outstanding statesmen and military figures of the Russian Empire, and today the embankment is the most beautiful to relax in the whole city of Gomel.

6. Walk through Gomel Palace & Park Ensemble Park

Photo Source: Wikimedia

One of the most beautiful mid-19th-century Park parks, the Gomel Palace & Park Ensemble is one of the most visited historical sites in the whole of Belarus. It is located on the steep bank of the Sozh River and a ravine with the Gomiy stream.

This botanical natural monument covers an area of about 18 hectares, on which there are over 3187 trees of 84different species. There is also a variety of rare native flowers and several 160-year-old European larch trees.

7. Shop at Palace Gift shop

The development of tourism and the increase in the flow of visitors to the Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble naturally led to an increase in demand for souvenirs, hence the opening of a gift shop.

The store offers a wide range of Belarusian souvenirs which represent the country’s rich traditional culture. They include original works of artists from the Gomel region and other regions of Belarus.

8. Tour the City of Gomel

Photo by Zserghei from Wikimedia

The Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble offer a tour of the historic center of Gomel city. The tour starts from Lenin Square which is the most historical place in the city and then goes through all the administrative districts of the city. 

Visitors will get acquainted with the history of the city, as well as learn about its people and culture. You will also get an opportunity to visit many historical monuments, and educational and healthcare institutions around the city.

9.  Visit the Museum

The archaeological collection of the museum consists of more than 95,000 exhibits, reflecting the history, material, and spiritual culture of the region, from the late Paleolithic to the 19th century.

The collections were obtained as a result of scientific research conducted on the territory of the Gomel region from the late 1940s to the early 2000s.  The museum’s employees of the museum offer the visitors a whole range of educational and cultural tours.

10. Practical information

Located in: Homieĺ Palace and Park Ensemble’s Park

Address: sq. Lenin, 4, Gomel 246050, Belarus

Hours: 11 am – 7 pm, Weekend: 10 am – 6 pm, Monday: closed

Phone: +375 232 70-38-18