Celebrations for the 1150th anniversary of Polotsk will begin on May 25

May 24, Polotsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The opening of the monument to architect Ioann today will be a preface to the festive events dedicated to the 1150th anniversary of Polotsk, the head of the ideology department of the Polotsk City Executive Committee, Natalya Ganebnaya, told a BELTA correspondent. The monument to the founder of the Polotsk architectural school, architect Ioann, who built the Transfiguration Cathedral in the 12th century by order of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk, was made with funds from the city's construction organizations and will be installed in the new residential microdistrict Airport. The legendary architect seems to be taking the new architecture of the old city under his patronage. The official start of the celebrations, which are united under the general name "Hymn to Polotsk - the Father of Belarusian Cities," will be on May 25. This day in the jubilee city has been declared a day off by decision of local deputies. Six concert, entertainment, and trade venues will welcome guests. The main one will be Freedom Square. Here, the best citizens will be honored, and festive concerts will be held. The Belarusian State Honored Choreographic Ensemble "Khoroshki" and the art group "Belarusy" will perform. And after the festive fireworks, scheduled for midnight, a youth disco will begin, which will last until the early morning. Concerts, folk craft exhibitions, and national cuisine will also await guests at other venues. Everyone will find something interesting and unusual for themselves, the organizers of the celebrations promise. The Year of the Book will be marked by the literary and musical program "A Lamp Lit by God for the World." The festive celebrations will last until June 5. Every day promises to be full of bright events. So, on Saturday, May 26, the regional festival of folk art "Play, Accordion!" and concerts of Polotsk's partner cities "Festive City, to You Our Talent and Love" will be held. Masterpieces of opera art will be heard near the ancient walls of St. Sophia in the evening, and lovers of Melpomene will see the play "Rogneda" staged by the Honored Amateur Collective of the Republic of Belarus, the Polotsk Theater "Pilgrim." The main heroes of this day will be Polotsk athletes. Olympic Day will be held under the motto "Polotsk! We will multiply your glory with sports." Following the athletes, Polotsk will honor its young residents. The city's last bell holiday "Graduate-2012" will be held on May 30, and on June 1, International Children's Day, a holiday dedicated to children and the open city children's vocal competition "On the Wings of a Dream" will take place. Orthodox creativity "Polotsk Gathers Compatriots" will be presented on June 2. The ringing of bells and spiritual chants will be heard over the ancient city. The medieval culture festival "Rubon" was loved by the Polotsk residents, and they decided to combine it with the anniversary celebrations and hold it from June 1 to 3. Historical reconstruction clubs from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic will send their knights to Polotsk to demonstrate their strength in tournaments and courage in capturing the castle - a breathtaking dynamic spectacle. The culmination of the celebrations will be the day of remembrance of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk on June 5. Divine liturgies will be held in the churches of the St. Euphrosyne Monastery, as well as a procession from St. Sophia Cathedral to the monastery. In the midst of the celebrations, ancient Polotsk does not forget about the present and cares about its prosperous future. From May 25 to 26, an investment forum will be held in the city, with the participation of about 20 enterprises from the Polotsk region. They will present their new products and introduce potential partners to investment proposals. During the celebrations, Polotsk will sign partnership agreements in the economic and cultural spheres with the Azerbaijani city of Mingachevir and the Armenian city of Alaverdi. About a thousand guests will come to Polotsk to congratulate it on its anniversary. Among them are high-ranking officials of Belarus, members of the government, senators and deputies, famous natives - members of the Polotsk community, representatives of seven diplomatic missions. More than a hundred media representatives will cover the celebrations. -0-