A capsule with a message to descendants will be laid by Vitebsk residents in the 1036th year of the beloved city's founding

June 17, Vitebsk / Sergey Kotovets - BELTA/. A capsule with a message to descendants will be laid on June 25 during the grand opening ceremony of Vitebsk City Day, which will mark the 1036th anniversary of its founding. This was announced today at a press conference by the Deputy Chairman of the City Executive Committee, Vladimir Terentyev, as reported by a BELTA correspondent. In recent years, the city's birthday has been celebrated during the international festival "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" and got lost against the backdrop of the music forum's extensive events. After studying historical sources and the opinions of citizens, the date for the official City Day celebrations was chosen and approved as June 25, outside the framework of the song festival, Vladimir Terentyev noted. "We proceeded from the fact that a city with rich traditions has the right to its birthday, so this year, after a long break, we will celebrate the founding of Vitebsk for the first time without being tied to the festival and on the eve of the city's liberation day, which is celebrated on June 26," emphasized the deputy chairman of the City Executive Committee. The official celebrations will be opened by a symbolic meeting of the Chairman of the City Executive Committee, Viktor Nikolaikin, with Princess Olga on Voskresenskaya Square, which has always been the central place of the city. The role of the princess, considered the founder of the ancient city, will be performed by a professional horsewoman named Oksana (the girl's identity is kept secret for now), who will arrive at the celebrations on horseback. During the ceremony, a message to descendants will be read and a capsule will be laid in a specially prepared pedestal. After that, a theatrical performance will unfold. Delegations from all 18 twin cities and partners of Vitebsk, heads of regional centers of the country, and chairmen of city and district executive committees of the region have been invited to the celebrations. The honorary guests of the birthday boy on this day will be all former city leaders, Honorary Citizens of Vitebsk, Heroes of the Soviet Union and Heroes of Socialist Labor currently living in Vitebsk, as well as laureates of the "Person of the Year of Vitebsk Region" title. The program of official celebrations includes laying flowers and wreaths at the memorial to the liberator soldiers on Victory Square, holding a solemn meeting with the participation of guests and the public, as well as three performances on the largest venues of the regional center. Moreover, for the first time, the renovated Victory Square will become the venue for a mass event – on the evening of June 25, the organizers of the holiday invite young people to a disco with the participation of popular Belarusian and Russian bands. In general, festive events will be held on June 25-26 and will cover all open concert venues and public recreation areas in Vitebsk. By its birthday, the city will appear renewed and unrecognizable, Vladimir Terentyev noted. For example, landscaping work will be completed on a number of residential and socio-cultural facilities. It is planned to open a water pier in the Victory Square area and organize a water route along the Western Dvina from the city center to the park named after the Soviet Army. Lighting will be installed on all seven bridges in the city center. The opening of the Alley of Partisan Glory after reconstruction is also planned. The program of celebrations is designed so that every participant of the holiday can choose events to their liking and worthily celebrate the city's birthday, added Vladimir Terentyev. -0-