Architectural monuments and Museums of Vitebsk

Kate - We shall start out today’s sightseeing with some architectural

monuments of the 19th century - the building of the present

Regional Executive Committee in Gogol street and of the Art

Museum in Freedom square. I recommend you to visit the

museum, it is very beautiful inside and there is always some

exhibition in it.

Mr. Adams - Oh, we will go there by all means. And what is that

picturesque structure over there?

Kate - It’s our Summer Amphitheatre, the venue of annual Slavonic

Bazaar Festivals of Arts. It quite modern. And the building up

there with a clock-tower is an architectural monument of the

end of the 18th century. It has been restored and looks nice,

doesn’t it? It is our former Town-hall.

Mr. Adams - And what is there now?

Kate - It houses our Local Lore Museum, the exhibits of which are

connected with the history of this region. Historical and

cultural heritage of Vitebsk is immensely rich in names and

events.

Mr. Adams - I would like to visit it. Are there any more museums in your

town?

Kate - Certainly, there are some. In Freedom Square you will find the

Museum of Applied Arts with very interesting exhibits. We

also have the Museum of Minay Shmiryov, one of the

organizers of the heroic struggle of Belarusian partisans

during the Great Patriotic War.

Mr. Adams - I have read some books by Vasil Bykov about your partisans.

It would be interesting to visit this museum. By the way, I was

told that your town is the birth-place of Mark Chagal.

Kate - Yes, it is a well-known fact. By his pictures Mark Chagal

made Vitebsk world-famous. We have Mark Chagal Museum

and Mark Chagal Centre here. Would you like to see them?

Mr. Adams - By all means. It would be wonderful to have a look at some

photos and pictures of this famous artist.

Kate - I feel you will enjoy it.

Ex. 13. Give appropriate attributes to the following nouns. If necessary,

consult dialogue 2.

Committee, museum, tower, town-hall, heritage, struggle, festival, amphitheatre, structure, sightseeing, monument.

Ex. 14. Disagree with the following statements. Prove your point of view.

1. All the buildings in Vitebsk are of the post-war period.

2. The town has only one museum.

3. The name of Minay Shmiryov is known to very few residents of Vitebsk.

4. The Local Lore Museum is situated in a modern building.

5. Nobody has ever heard about Vitebsk in France.

Ex. 15. Answer the following questions:

1. Where is the building of the Regional Executive Committee situated? Is it

a modern building or an architectural monument? What century does it

belong to?

2. Are there any monuments of architecture in Freedom square? What do

they house now?

3. Almost every town has its own local lore museum. Is there such a museum

in Vitebsk? Where is it situated? What was in that building before?

4. What world-famous artist was depicting изображая Vitebsk in many of

his pictures for a long time after he had left it? In what way does the

town honour his memory?

Ex. 16. Tell your friends about architectural monuments in Vitebsk and its

museums.

Ex. 17. Learn and dramatize the dialogue.