Description of the attraction
Disna is one of the oldest cities in the Vitebsk region, known since the 11th century. Disna was built at the confluence of the river of the same name with the Western Dvina River.
Initially, Disna had a different name - Kopets-Gorodok (the name is derived from the word to dig). As the name implies, already in the 11th century the city was surrounded by an earthen rampart. The rapid construction of the city began in the 16th century, when, after the capture of Polotsk by Ivan the Terrible in 1563, the Polish king Stefan Batory decided to build a military fortress here.
Now Disna is considered the smallest city in Belarus, however, upon entering the city, it immediately becomes apparent that he knew better times. There are many majestic ruins in Disney - monuments of the glorious past.
Now there is a restoration of the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, which used to belong to the Franciscan monks who built a monastery here in 1773. The city still has the ruins of a hospital built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. By the size of the hospital, one can judge what the city of Disna was like during the time of tsarist Russia.
A bridge has been built across the Disna River, which is more than 100 years old. It is called that - the Centennial Bridge. Its uniqueness is that it is covered with wood. After World War II, the bridge had to be rebuilt, for which a captured German span was used. You can get to Disna not only by the Stoletny Bridge, but also by an operating river ferry - where else can you find such exoticism ?!
The Resurrection Church houses a miraculous Orthodox shrine - the Disna Icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria. The icon was miraculously found during a terrible city fire. People walked around the city with the icon, and the fire stopped. For Hodegetria, Governor-General Muravyov built a beautiful Resurrection Church in Disney.
