Metravel city quest
City Gomel: free walking route “Quest: The Rumyantsev and Paskevich Palace” along the sights. 8 points. Approximately 1 h 30 min. Quests and legends - straight
Gomel begins at the river. According to tradition, ancient merchants floated down the Sozh, and where their boats ran aground on a shoal, they shouted to one another: “Go! Mel!” (in Russian, «мель» means “shoal”) — and supposedly the city's name was born from that cry. It is a lovely legend, even if scholars dispute it.
The true symbol of Gomel, though, is the lynx. As far back as the coat of arms of 1855 it lay in a blue field, “for there are very many such beasts in the vicinity of this city,” and it still lies on the coat of arms today. Now we have tamed it: the lynx sits in a bronze boat by the river and hides in coats of arms and grilles. Think of it as your guide — it will lead you through the palace side of Gomel all the way to the cliff above the Sozh.
Ahead lies the ancestral seat of two field marshals: a palace, a cathedral-mausoleum, a fairy-tale chapel, an observation tower and a winter garden. Take your time and keep looking around — the lynx loves to hide.
The route points in order — what these places are and why they are interesting. Tasks and answers stay inside the quest.
Construction of the palace began in 1785 for Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, the victor over the Turks — Catherine II had given him “the little village of Gomiy” for his military service.
Opening hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–19:00, closed on Mondays
Chancellor Nikolay Rumyantsev built this church at his own expense in 1809–1819 — he commissioned the design from the very same John Clark who rebuilt the palace. Rumyantsev willed to be buried “in beloved Gomel,” and his grave is inside the cathedral, to the left of the altar.
This jewel-box of a tower-house amid the park's strict classicism is the Paskevich family mausoleum (1870–1889). The decor was the work of the St Petersburg architect Maximilian Mesmacher, and the polychrome finish was led by the craftsman S. Sadikov: intertwined flowers, leaves and eight-pointed crosses after Old Russian motifs.
A small rest stop right along the way: «Портофино» (Portofino), Lenin Avenue, by the park. You can have a coffee, catch your breath and move on.
Opening hours: daily 12:00–24:00
A small rest stop right along the way: «Мята Lounge» (Mint Lounge), by the park entrance, Lenin Avenue. You can have a coffee, catch your breath and move on.
Opening hours: Sun–Thu 14:00–02:00, Fri–Sat 14:00–04:00
“A Walk with the Borzois”: the bronze Prince Fyodor Paskevich — the last prince of the Paskevich line — has come out into the park with his favourites, in a frock coat and top hat. The sculpture was made by Vyacheslav Dolgov in 2015, and passers-by have already rubbed the dogs' noses to a shine.
The tall brick tower on the cliff above the Sozh looks like an old watchtower — but it isn't one. In the XIX century the Paskevichs' sugar factory worked here, and this chimney provided the draught for the furnaces of its boiler house.
Opening hours: daily 10:00–18:00 (winter season, 1 Oct – 30 Apr); closed on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month; tickets sold until 17:30 · Ticket: admission 7 rubles, 10 rubles with binoculars
Next to the tower hides the Winter Garden: in the early 1880s Prince Fyodor Paskevich turned a building of the former sugar factory into a greenhouse. From 1840 the factory's above-ground workshop stood here, and the boiler house worked in the basement, its smoke going up the chimney of today's tower.
Opening hours: daily 10:00–18:00 (winter season, 1 Oct – 30 Apr); closed on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month; tickets sold until 17:30 · Ticket: 7 rubles
This route is part of Metravel city quests. Below are the other quests in this city and cities with quests nearby.