Ivenets

Ivenets is an urban settlement located in the Volozhin district of the Minsk region on the banks of the Volma River. The distance to Volozhin is 31 km, to Minsk is 68 km. Ivenets is connected by motor roads to Minsk, Dzerzhinsk, Volozhin, Stolbtsy, Novogrudok.

According to historical data, the settlement arose at the turn of XIII-XIV centuries and was the private possession of the Grand Duke of Vitovt. Ivenets appeared at the intersection of important means of communication - Minsk-Stolbtsy-Novogrudok, Minsk-Vilnya and Minsk-Grodno roads. In the XIV century. Ivenets was donated by Vitovt to his nephew Andrei Sologub. By the end of the century, the settlement became the property of Davojnov and became part of the Minsk principality.

Since the founding of the settlement, Ivenets was famous for its fairs, where they sold grain, flax, cattle, products made from wood, iron and clay. Active trade contributed to the development of a wide variety of crafts: pottery, blacksmithing, cooperage, weaving, wood carving. Local masons, plasterers and carpenters were famous far beyond Ivenets. In addition, the ceramic products of the Ivenets potters acquired particular fame. The products of local craftsmen were even exported to the markets of Vilna and Minsk.

The coat of arms of Ivenets is a shield of the Varangian form of red color on which the crown is decorated, decorated with pearls. Under the crown is a lion. It is a sign of the Sologub family, which once belonged to Ivenets.

In 1793 Ivenets became part of the Russian Empire and became the center of the volost of the Minsk district. By the end of the XIX century, about 2,500 people lived in the settlement. During the First World War (1914-1918) the city was captured by German troops, and during the Soviet-Polish war (1919-1920) Ivenets was occupied by the Polish army. As a result of the Riga Peace Treaty (1921), Ivenets became part of Poland, where it remained until 1939, when Western Belarus became part of the BSSR. During the Great Patriotic War from 1941 to 1944 Ivenets was occupied by the German fascist invaders.

Ivenets has a high cultural and tourist potential. To this day, the historical layout of the place has been preserved, which is a traditional scheme for building a medieval city: six streets, three of which are roads to Rakov, Stolbtsy and Dzerzhinovo, depart from different areas in the center of the village.

The main attraction of Ivenets is the complex of buildings of the Catholic Franciscan monastery (1702), located on the banks of the Volma River. The central element of the architectural ensemble is the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, built in 1749 in the style of "Vilna baroque". A distinctive feature of the church is the presence on the facade of multi-stage, pyramidal towers, looking to the sky. In addition to the historical and cultural value, the monastery complex attracts the attention of numerous tourists and believers because the miraculous icon of the Mother of God is kept in the Church of St. Michael the Archangel.

At the entrance to Ivenets from the town of Rakov, all travelers are greeted by the village’s second high-rise temple. The Church of St. Alexei, erected in 1905. Next to the church is another small landmark is the Catholic chapel of the mid-XIX century, a monument of wooden architecture.
Another unique attraction of Ivenets is one of the three wooden synagogues preserved in Belarus with frescoes on the walls.

Of particular interest to tourists is the museum of Traditional Culture, which tells about the life and culture of the locals. The archive fund of the museum consists of rare photos, documents, books and objects of the XIX - beg. XX centuries. In 1998, a crafts center was established at the museum, in which there are workshops «Weaving, «Pottery», «Forge», a workshop for artistic woodworking, a museum object «Tavern». On the basis of the crafts center, a feast-competition «Glinyanyy zvon», animated performances, an open-air «Solnechnoye teplo dereva», and a candy festival «IVKON» are held. In addition, at the request of those who wish, a revived ceremony «Wedding» is held.

Today Ivenets is a large settlement in which more than a dozen industrial enterprises and several cultural and educational facilities operate. Thanks to the numerous monuments of history and architecture, the village attracts tourists from all over Belarus and guests from abroad.