Vitebsk City Day

The city of Vitebsk is famed far and wide as the birthplace of the internationally recognized artists Marc Chagall and Ossip Zadkine, as the city hosting the unique art festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk. Last weekend the city celebrated its 1044th anniversary. The celebration was truly magnificent, with multiple concerts, exhibitions, movie screenings, and various cultural and entertaining events cheering up Vitebsk residents and guests for two days.

“My city – my love!” was the motto of the new milestone in the history of the city. Music could be heard all over the place. The Summer Amphitheater was the central stage. By the way, it will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. Apart from multiple concerts the organizers had a bunch of other surprises in store: a street art festival, a historical reenactment, theater plays, a contest of kites, a car show, a brain quiz, and dramatic readings surely kept the locals and guests entertained.

The unveiling of the monument to a giant Belarusian was one of the central events. The monument was inspired by the Vitebsk Oblast resident Fyodor Makhnov. He was 285cm tall and is believed to have been the world’s tallest person. The author of the monument Ivan Kazak said that the idea was born about ten years ago. He initially intended to depict Fyodor Makhnov and his wife: the giant was supposed to be inviting her to take a seat on a chair. But the final version was changed. “Now the famous Vitebsk Oblast resident stands alone and invites viewers to take a seat on the chair. The proportions of the sculpture match the real height of the original person,” said the sculptor.

On Sunday the celebration continued with sport and entertainment events: a costumed bicycle race, dancing competitions, a mass morning exercise and – the staple of the show – a performance by the strongmen sport champion Alexander Bulavko. The schedule of the second day was infused with the urban art forum Prastora. A Smart City hackathon was its main event. IT specialists, designers, urbanists and ecologists got together to discuss smart city technologies and try to develop a smart city concept.

The most interesting moments of Vitebsk’s 1044th anniversary are captured by our report!