Primarily, Belarus attracts tourists by its rich history, lots of war memorials, and perfectly preserved fortresses and fortifications. However, this country cannot be understood if you do not know its heroes. The name of Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration is known all over the world, as well as the name of Napoleon Bonaparte. The complete collection of items related to the legendary General of the Russian Empire is located in the Volkovysk War and Historical Museum n.a. P.I. Bagration.

The museum named after Bagration was founded in 1935 by historian and enthusiast George Iosifovich Pekh. At that time, it was a private museum supervised by the Society of Local Historians of Warsaw. Only 5 years later, it became state property. Unfortunately, during the Second World War, most items of its collection were destroyed, and in 1948 one of the most important museums of Belarus opened its doors for the second time.

It is located in the building of the manor named the House of Bagration, where in 1812 there was the army headquarters of General Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration. The museum was officially named after him in 1953, right after its collection was enriched with weapons and soldiers equipment of the XVIII-XIX centuries. In the past, the weapons and equipment belonged to the Leningrad Military Historical Museum of Artillery. The number of exhibits that have historical and cultural value was growing exponentially, the museum was developing rapidly, and G.I. Pekh led it loyally until 1967.

The vast collection embraced the period from the day of the city foundation to the time of the Second World War. The number of its exhibits was incredibly high, and soon an additional area was needed. In 1989, the construction of the second museum building started, which was opened in 2001. Nowadays, there are two permanent expositions in the museum: “Ancient Volkovysk” and “Wars of the XX Century.” Moreover, there is an exhibition hall with temporary exhibitions from Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and other cities.

In the halls of the old mansion of the beginning of the XIX century, there is a permanent exposition dedicated to heroes of the French invasion of Russia of 1812. There, a vast collection of weapons and uniforms, as well as a rare collection of landscape paintings of Russian and European masters, are presented.