Metravel city quest
City Polotsk: free walking route “Quest: The Oldest City in Belarus” along the sights. 10 points. Approximately 2 h 30 min. Quests and legends - straight from
Polotsk is the oldest city in Belarus, first mentioned in 862. The princely dynasty of Polotsk began here, Saint Euphrosyne lived here, and the printing pioneer Francysk Skaryna and the poet Simeon of Polotsk were born here. The people of Polotsk like to say that their city is the geographical centre of Europe.
Imagine the history of Belarus as a book whose first page was written here, above the Dvina. Today, you will read it yourself: the route will take you from Saint Sophia Cathedral past a stone bearing a thousand-year-old inscription, a philosopher's talking head and an unusual monument to a letter found in almost no other alphabet, all the way to Saint Euphrosyne's ancient convent. At each stop, look for a sign of its era, and at the end you will return to the river where it all began.
The route points in order — what these places are and why they are interesting. Tasks and answers stay inside the quest.
The first page of the book is Saint Sophia Cathedral, built in the middle of the XI century under Prince Vseslav the Sorcerer.
Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–19:00 (ticket sales until 18:30). Closed on Monday. · Ticket: Admission: full price — 8 BYN, concession — 4 BYN. Audio-guided tour — 15 BYN.
Head down from the cathedral towards the water: an enormous boulder, the Boris Stone, lies beside its walls. Several such glacial boulders bearing carved symbols from the XII century once stood along the banks of the Dvina.
The book turns another page, to the XVIII century. The Polotsk Jesuit Collegium was then one of the finest educational institutions in Europe.
A pyramid almost 24 m tall rises on Freedom Square: a memorial chapel to the heroes of the war of 1812. That summer and autumn, Russian troops and Napoleon's army clashed twice near Polotsk, and in the second battle, in October, the city was recaptured.
The next page is Epiphany Cathedral, the heart of an old monastery in the middle of Polotsk. The Baroque church was consecrated in 1777, and the monastery was later enlarged using state funds provided by Empress Catherine II, who visited Polotsk.
Here is a page you will find nowhere else in the world. On Skaryna Avenue stands a monument to a single letter.
A short break right along the route: Grand Pub, on Francysk Skaryna Avenue. You can have a coffee, catch your breath and then move on.
Opening hours: Mon–Thu, Sun 12:00–24:00; Fri–Sat 12:00–04:00.
An optional stop for enjoyment, rather than riddles. The best discoveries on a trip often happen over a cup of coffee.
Opening hours: Daily 12:00–24:00.
At the junction of Oktyabrskaya Street and Euphrosyne of Polotsk Street, a bronze Vseslav the Sorcerer rides his horse: the very prince under whom Saint Sophia Cathedral rose above the Dvina. This is the first equestrian statue in Belarus.
The last page takes you to the north of the city, to Saint Euphrosyne's Convent: the place where the spark of learning that has guided you throughout the route was, in essence, first lit. Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk founded the convent in the XII century.
This route is part of Metravel city quests. Below are the other quests in this city and cities with quests nearby.
Traveller articles about this city will help round out the walk.