Miory

Miory is the administrative center of the Miory district of the Vitebsk region. The city is located on the shores of Lake Miorskoe, 190 km from Vitebsk, 232 km from Minsk, 25 km from the border with Latvia and 79 km from the border with Lithuania. Two motorways of republican destination R14 Polotsk-Braslav and R18 border the Russian Federation-Sharkovschina-Kozyany, as well as the railway that connects the city with Minsk and Vitebsk pass through Miory.

For the first time in written sources, Miory is mentioned in 1514 as the estate of Merei Braslavsky povet of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Later, the name of the town was transformed into Meury and preserved until the XIX century. At the same time, the estate belongs to the family of the Worlds. In 1793, as a result of the second division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Miory became part of the Russian Empire. By the end of the XIX century. in the town lived only 110 people.

In the period from 1921 to 1939. Miory, as part of Western Belarus, were part of Poland. Since the autumn of 1939 - the village became part of the BSSR. Before the Second World War, the population of Mior was about 800 people. In the period from July 5, 1941 to July 4, 1944, the Miory were occupied by the German fascist invaders. At that time, a ghetto operated in the town, in which almost the entire Jewish population of Miory perished during the war. After World War II, the Miory were actively recovering. In 1972, the town was granted city status. Today, Miory is a small regional center, in which half a dozen industrial enterprises operate, educational and cultural institutions operate.

You can visit Miory on the way to Braslav. The city has a beautifully preserved Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary built in 1907, built according to the design of the Vilna architect Anthony Filipovich-Dubovik. The temple is notable for the fact that the XIX century icons are stored in the church: «The Mother of God of Czestochowa», «The Mother of God of Rosary», «Joseph with a Baby».

Miory has its own historical-ethnographic museum whose exposition consists of archeological, numismatic, visual and decorative-applied art objects, photographs and photographic documents telling about the history of the development of the Miory region.

Undoubtedly, the main attraction of Miory is the landscape reserve «Yelnya» is the largest lake-marsh complex of Belarus in whose territory there are about a hundred lakes. The nature trail «Ozeravka-Yelnya» with a length of about 1.5 km was laid on the reserve's territory. The beginning of the trail is located 13 km from the city of Miory, on the edge of a bog. The ecological route ends at the edge of the marsh lakes. In addition, in the reserve you can watch cranes and current grouse.

Miory swamps are famous not only for their natural beauty, but also for their rich cranberry harvests. In terms of cranberry stocks, the swamp Yelnya ranks first in Belarus. Starting from 2012, an environmental holiday «Zhurauli i zhuraviny Miorskaga krayu» is held annually in Miory. This holiday is timed to the beginning of the harvest season cranberries.

Modern Miory is a cozy town with preserved architecture of the XVIII-XIX centuries, located on the shore of a picturesque lake.