Sights in Smolensk
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A
Assumption Cathedral
Smolensk's big green-and-white working Assumption Cathedral rises at the top of a flight of steps off ul Bolshaya Sovetskaya. A cathedral has stood here since 1101 but this one was built in the late 17th and early 18th centuries; it is one of the earliest examples of the Russo-Greek revival in architecture following the Europeanisation trends of Peter the Great's reign. Topped by five domes, it has a spectacular gilded interior, which was partially damaged by fire during WWII.
According to legend, Napoleon was so impressed that he set a guard to stop his own men from vandalising the cathedral.
Immediately on your left as you enter, an icon of the Virgin is richly encrusted…
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Fortress Walls
Built between 1596 and 1602, the impressive 6.5km-long, 5.5m-thick, 15m-high walls originally had 38 towers, with 17 still standing. The pleasant Central Park of Culture and Rest backs onto a longish southwest stretch of the walls. Overlooking the Spartak Stadium just outside the line of the walls on the west side of the park, the Korolevsky Bastion is a high earth rampart built by the Poles who captured Smolensk in 1611.
It saw heavy fighting in 1654 and 1812. The park has a 26m-high cast-iron monument to the 1812 defenders.
At the foot of the walls (southeast of the Glinka Garden) you'll find an eternal flame memorial to the dead of WWII and the graves of some of the Sov…
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B
History Museum
Smolensk’s History Museum doubles as a fine-arts museum, displaying a hodgepodge of 18th and 19th century portraiture and 13th-century iconography and graffiti, along with battle maps and Soviet paraphernalia. Particularly interesting are the fragments from the 1812 war, including a French uniform from one of Napoleon’s soldiers.
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C
Flax Museumhttp://atlas.lonelyplanet.com/ui/merge_pois/new?ids[]=494080&ids[]=1101677
The pink former Church of Trinity Monastery now houses a small Flax Museum. Historically, flax production has been one of Smolensk’s main industries as the moderate climate sustains soil ideal for growing flax. Exhibits here are sparse, but you’ll get an idea of how the process works. Walk around the back to find the entrance.
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D
Museum of Russian Vodka
The one-room Museum of Russian Vodka gives visitors a brief overview of the drink’s colourful history. Fifteen-minute guided tours (in English or Russian) end at the makeshift bar where you can purchase a glass (or better yet a bottle) of some noteworthy Smolenskiy brands.
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E
Konenkov Sculpture Museum
The Konenkov Sculpture Museum contains playful woodworks by Sergei Konenkov; Lenin seems to have been captured in the midst of a ballet manoeuvre. The museum also has steel, bronze and aluminium works from some of the other noted artists who hail from Smolensk.
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F
Art Gallery
The town’s Art Gallery, south of the fortress walls, has paintings by famous artists such as Rerikh and Ivanov, a good sampling of socialist realism, 14th to 18th century icons and works by Smolensk artists patronised by Princess Maria Tenisheva.
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G
Wwii Museum
The WWII museum documents the invasion and widespread devastation; it is incredible to realise just how much of old Smolensk is actually reconstruction. A collection of tanks, artillery and a MiG fighter jet are parked behind the museum.
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Central Park of Culture and Rest
The Central Park of Culture and Rest is a pleasant place that backs onto a longish southwest stretch of the fortress walls.
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