Vileyka - is a town of Minsk region of Belarus, an administrative center of Vileyka district. The town of Vileyka is located on the bank of the river Viliya. The main attractions of the city of Vileyka are two important architectural and cultural monuments. We are talking about the Catholic and Orthodox churches, most beautifully located next to the central square of the town of Vileyka.
Before proceeding directly to the description of these temples, we will mention that the Catholic and the Orthodox churches are located next to one square in the historical part of the city - this situation is very typical for the towns and villages of Belarus, and, in some ways, precisely such architectural ensembles in the historical part of Belarusian cities can even be considered a visiting card of the country and its apparent difference from its neighbors. The fact is that such a situation on a regular basis can only be found in Belarus. This factor, in particular, determines the added value of the churches and the whole architectural ensemble that they form in the town of Vileyka.
So, one of the main attractions of the city of Vileyka is the Catholic church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This temple was built in the gothic style in 1906-1913. This church is quite large and monumental, it has a very memorable appearance. Near the church in the town of Vileyka there is also a small modern (but very successfully stylized at the beginning of the 20th century) office building, in which the parish administration is located.
Let's note the most important events in the history of the Catholic church in the town of Vileyka. So, almost immediately after its construction, namely during the First World War, the temple suffered much from artillery shelling, probably because its tower is the highest object of the entire terrain, and could be used as a watchtower. In the 1920s, when the city of Vileyka was part of the interwar Poland, the Holy Cross Church was carefully restored. After the Second World War, the church was closed by the Soviet authorities and turned into a warehouse. Later, however, it was declared an architectural monument and housed an exhibition hall in it.
Thus, the church in the town of Vileyka, unlike many other Belarusian churches, even in Soviet times was maintained in proper condition. In 1990, the church in Vileyka was returned to the faithful. To date, this church is an active temple, is in excellent condition and is a cultural and historical value and landmark of Belarus.
As already mentioned, the second important sight of the city of Vileyka is a Orthodox church consecrated in honor of St. Mary of Egypt. This small, but very beautiful Orthodox church was erected in the town of Vileyka in 1865. An interesting feature of this church is the presence of a tower clock that decorates the church bell tower and has three dials, aimed in different directions. This detail is not typical for Orthodox architecture. The church actually functioned continuously throughout its history and, if necessary, was timely repaired.
Thus, today the church in the town of Vileyka is in excellent condition, continues to be open to believers and is an important architectural monument. Near the church in the town of Vileyka there is also an additional service building, in which the parish administration is located. This building was erected in our time in a single style with the church itself and very successfully combined with it. And taking into account the fact that there is also a similar building near the nearby church, the architectural ensemble of the central square of the town of Vileyka represented by two ancient temples and two picturesque service buildings turns out to be very beautiful, symmetrical and completed. As already mentioned, the resulting ensemble has an independent value, and also adds tourist attraction to each of the temples separately.
We now turn to the description of other attractions in the town of Vileyka. And, firstly, in order to completely close the topic of the Christian heritage of the city of Vileyka, we note that there are several modern Orthodox churches in this city. These churches are located on various outskirts of the city of Vileyka and for a certain range of travelers around Belarus even today may be of some interest.
Another notable landmark of the town of Vileyka is the local railway station, erected here in the early 20th century. Near the station there is a water tower also built in the early 20th century. It should be noted that the building of the railway station in the town of Vileyka is both very picturesque and very typical. Similar railway stations adjacent to similar water towers have a lot in the vast expanses of Europe. However, this does not entice the value of each of these stations separately. The fact is that buildings of this type carry a very clear imprint of the era to which they belong and, in one way or another, constitute a part of the cultural and historical heritage of the country.
In addition to the mentioned, in the town of Vileyka there are a number of small architectural monuments and sights. Basically, these are buildings built in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, which can be attributed to the ordinary historical building of the city of Vileyka. Among these buildings there are former hotels, hospitals, gymnasiums, barracks, treasury, fire station, court, prison and other administrative and residential buildings. Some of these buildings in our time perform functions similar to those that were laid in them during construction. Together these small attractions of Vileyka successfully complement the main architectural monuments of the city, and give it an additional attraction in the eyes of tourists and travelers.
In addition, we need to say a few words about the city of Vileyka itself. As already mentioned, this city is the administrative center of the eponymous district. Accordingly, the city of Vileyka is quite large. There are all elements of the basic infrastructure and some elements of the tourist infrastructure. In particular, in addition to mandatory stores, post offices and banks, ATMs, gas stations and other things, there are a hotel and several restaurants.
It should also be noted that right in the central square of the town of Vileyka, just between the Catholic and the Orthodox churches is the central entrance to a small city park. And the other side of this park is facing the river of Viliya, on the shore of which the entire city of Vileyka is located. From temples to the river no more than 500 meters. Thus, a very attractive tourist atmosphere has developed in the center of Vileyka. There are very valuable sights and architectural monuments that make up a picturesque ensemble, adjoin to a beautiful park and river, and form a very wide area for pleasant and leisurely walks of tourists and travelers across Belarus.
