Swedish Mountain

One of the main attractions of Vawkavysk, Belarus, is seen from every spot of the city and even beyond it. Besides, this attraction offers the best view of the whole of Vawkavysk and its vicinity.

Swedish Mountain is the highest point among the ice moraine hills surrounding the city. Its height, from the bottom to the peak, is more than 30 meters, and its circumference is around 350 meters. The mountain form is a truncated cone: it is round at the base and cup-shaped at the top. All its slopes, covered with green grass and lots of bright flowers, are seen from the top. If you take a look at this splendor of colors from a distance, then the whole surface of the mountain will remind you of a fabulous oriental carpet that fits a sultan.

According to a local legend, the mountain was made by Swedish warriors who during a Russian-Polish war buried their commander there. Other sources say that it is the place where not only one commander was buried. They say that all the dead soldiers of the Swedish armies of King Karl X Gustav were buried there during the siege of Vawkavysk in 1654. This is where the name, Swedish Mountain, comes from.

However, the history of this place started much earlier than all those battles. A row of historians and archeologists, who have conducted their works since 1925 (first, under the control of the famous Jozef Jodkowski), are sure of it – they have the evidence. According to explorations, previously, the territory of the mountain was occupied by a settlement dating back to the 10th century. At the same time, a powerful defensive rampart was created along the perimeter of its base. The defensive rampart was 7 meters high and had wooden fortifications with only one gap – in the place where there were the entrance gates. This was the so-called Vawkavysk citadel. It was the center of crafts and trade, the place where the city aristocracy lived; it had prospered till the 14th century.

Today, the mountain remains a popular and favorite vacation spot for Vawkavysk residents. This place hosts celebrations and festivals. The fireworks, set off its top, are seen even beyond the city.