Portraits of Prince Algird and Princess Juliania opened the gallery of Vitebsk benefactors in "Dukhovskiy Kruglyk"

May 7, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. A gallery of historical figures who contributed to the prosperity of Vitebsk opened today in the "Dukhovskoy Kruglik" exhibition hall, a BELTA correspondent reports. The portraits of the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Algirdas and his wife, Grand Duchess Juliana of Tver, painted by Vitebsk artist Igor Durov, were not by chance the first to appear in the gallery. As local historian, Candidate of Historical Sciences Nikolai Pivovar, said, thanks to this couple in the 14th century, the first stone castle appeared in Vitebsk, and the foundations of a large trading city were actually laid. The current "Dukhovskoy Kruglik" exhibition hall is reconstructed and built on the site of one of the corner towers that were part of the stone Lower Castle built by Algirdas and his wife. The "Vitebsk" Center for Culture, which includes the exhibition hall, will continue the portrait gallery of Vitebsk celebrities. A place of honor in this series will be occupied by the legendary founder of the city - Princess Olga, the great-grandson of Vseslav the Sorcerer Prince Vasilko Bryachislavich, Alexander Nevsky, who defended Vitebsk from the troops of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1245. In the exhibition hall today, you can get acquainted not only with the history of Vitebsk from its foundation to the present day. Here you can touch the history of the famous "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" arts festival, see series of festival photos from different years, awards of the arts forum itself and its participants. No city tour program is complete without visiting "Dukhovskoy Kruglik". In the year and a half of the exhibition's existence, more than 11,000 people have managed to get acquainted with it, including numerous foreign guests. -0-