GOMEL REGIONAL GOVERNMENT APPEALING

The Rumiantsevs-Paskevichs' Palace and Park Ensemble has been the heart of the city of Gomel and the pride of the whole region for more than two hundred years now.

The cultural value of the ensemble is well-known far outside Gomel region. Since 1919, when a museum was set up in the Palace, the place has been the storage of the many-century cultural heritage of the region. At present the museum has more than 126000 rare objects of much value.

But time has no mercy on the museum and its beautiful values. In 1995, the regional government decided to restore the place up to its original beautiful appearance. Most of the job has already been done funded by the state of Belarus.

Re-opening the object after the restoration will allow Gomel region to have one of Belarus's best museum complexes, which will harmoniously combine historical expositions and wonderful palace interiors. This is particularly exciting in view of the upcoming 860th anniversary of Gomel. The year of 2002 also marks the 220th birthday anniversary of field-marshal general Ivan Paskevich. Unfortunately, the money available is insufficient to complete the job.

Gomel is now forming a Gomel Palace Friends' Club and each one who renders assistance to the restoration will be its honoured member. We hope, the historic annals will remember the names of those in and outside Belarus whose hearts have the room for empathy for the destiny of the value of a whole humanity.

Respectfully,
Alexander Yakobson, chairman of the Gomel regional government


YOU ARE WELCOME TO TRANSFER YOUR CHARITABLE DONATIONS FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE RUMIANTSEVS-PASKEVICHS' PALACE TO:

1. FOR U.S. DOLLARS:

(Intermediary):
AMERICAN EXPRESS BANK, LTD., NEW-YORK
ACCOUNT No 737296
BANK CODE S.W.I.F.T.-CODE AEIBUS33

(Bank of beneficiary):
JOINT-STOCK SAVINGS
BANK BELARUSBANK MINSK
S.W.I.F.T. AKBBBY2X
BRANCH No 321, ACCOUNT 6111OOOOOO484

(Beneficiary):
Department of Culture of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee
account 3715000000022USD

2. FOR EUROS:

(Intermediary):
DEUTSCHE BANK АG, FRANKFURT AM MAIN
ACCOUNT No 9498114 10
BANK CODE S.W.I.F.T.-CODE DEUT DE FF

(Bank of beneficiary):
JOINT-STOCK SAVINGS
BANK BELARUSBANK MINSK
S.W.I.F.T. AKBBBY2X
BRANCH No 321, ACCOUNT 6111000000484

(Beneficiary):
Department of Culture of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee
account 3715000000048EUR

3. FOR RUSSIAN RUBLES:

(Intermediary):
Russian Savings Bank
A/С 30101810400000000225 at the Bank of Russia's Moscow department
Moscow BIK 044525225

(Bank of beneficiary):
Belarusbank, Minsk, ИНН 7707083893
"К"-type a/c 30122810100000000063
"Н"-type a/c 30123S 10400000000063
branch 321 account 6111000000484

(Beneficiary):
(Department of Culture of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee)
(account) 3715000000035RUR

4. FOR BELARUSIAN RUBLES:

Charitable a/c 3712000000184 with Belarusbank, branch No. 321, Gomel, МФО 151501804, УНН 400080728, beneficiary - Department of Culture of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee Pls mark "for the restoration of Rumiantsevs-Paskevichs' Palace"

For further details call: (375 232) 53 51 37 (Gomel)



GOMEL'S PALACE AND PARK ENSEMBLE

HISTORY
The Palace and Park Ensemble of the city of Gomel is an unique natural, archeological, historical and architectural memorial. In includes the following:

The ancient and medieval settlement site of Gomel, natural and historic landscapes preserved (category I)

The Rumiantsevs-Paskevichs' Palace (category 1)

The park of XIXth century (category 1)

The St Peter and St Paul's cathedral of early XIXth century (category 1)

The burial vault chapel of the Paskevichs of late XIXthe century (category 1)

Winter garden veranda (previously a sugar plant) (category 2)

Administrative buildings (category 3)

The natural river-and-park area

The historic street centre with monuments of architecture dating back to XVIII-early XX centuries

The park is the central element of the complex. Its territory is a picturesque landscape with the right side of the Sozh river as its basis. People have lived there since as long ago as the Stone Age. In early Iron Age, there was a fortified settlement there, and in the VI-VIIth centuries a.d. an East-Slavic tribe of radimichi lived there and began to form a city.

In 1142 and later, it was mentioned as the city of Gomiy (Homiy) in the annals. Numerous jewels, daily-use objects, weapons, tools, etc. of much historical importance were found there. In mid-XIV, Gomel became part of the Great Duchy of Lithuania, which was a Belarusian-Lithuanian state, and a medieval castle appeared instead of ancient fortifications to protect the south-east of the state.

After Recz Pospolita was divided in 1772, Gomel became part of the Russian empire.The Rumiantsevs-Paskevichs Palace, an architectural monument of the 18th-19th centuries, is one of the chief sightseeing places in Gomel. The construction of the Palace was launched by great Russian commander, field-marshal general Piotr Rumiantsev-Zadunaisky (1725-1796), who received Gomel as a present from Catherine II in 1775. After his death the estate in Gomel was inherited by his son - Russian Chancellor of State, earl Nikolai Rumiantsev. It is difficult to overestimate his contribution into the construction of Gomel as a European city in the early 19th century.

The Palace was a centre according to which all major city streets were build. George Clark, an English architect, elaborated the city map under which stone buildings were erected along the streets around the Palace. In 1819, the St Peter and St Paul's cathedral was constructed to become a notable building of the classical architecture style.

In 1834 the Palace was bought by field-marshal general, earl of Erivan, duke of Warsaw Ivan Paskevich (1782-1856). In the first half of the 19th century the formation of the architectural-park ensemble in Gomel was completed with the help of Polish architect Idzkowski. The ensemble has romantic features, which was typical of that epoch.

Italian, Polish, Russian, Belgian masters helped decorate the interior and plant exotic trees and plants in the Palace garden.

In 1889, architect Chervinski and artist Sadikov erected the burial vault chapel of the Paskevichs family. Eight members of the family were buried there. The exterior of the building is extremely elegant and picturesque.

In late XIX-early XX century, administrative buildings appeared, such as stone cellar for food. Etc. The winter garden veranda replace a sugar plant at that time, too. A viewing tower adds to the beauty of the place.

More prestigious beautiful buildings were built around the place. Some of them are still there, such as the Russian Tavern (1822), the Hunter's Inn (1820), the Ilyin Church (1793), the religious college (1799), the City Hall (late XIXthe centiry, now unused), etc.

In the Paskevichs' times, the Palace acquired numerous unique paintings and sculptures made by Russian and foreign artists. A glass colelction from England and Bohemia, a porcelain collection from Germany, England, Russia, China, bronze watches and chandeliers from France, carpets and tapestries from Iran, turkey, Bukhara, Germany, as well as Italian, French, German and Oriental furniture. Lukomski, a famous Russian art scientist, visited the Palace and wrote, there was not a single similar mansion either in Belarus or in Russia.

In 1919 a museum was opened in the Palace. Unfortunately, time is merciless on the palace and its decor. The World War II caused huge damages to the place. However, more than 300 memorial items, which were parts of the collections of its owners before 1917, remain the pride of the museum. They include paintings by Sukhodolski, Kramski, Moshkov, Zalesski and sculptures by Torwaldsen, Canova, etc.

The view onto the Sozh river adds a lot to the beauty of the place leaving it as unaffected by the urban changes in Gomel.

In 1996 a monument to Russian Chancellor of State, earl Nikolai Rumiantsev was erected on the territory of the palace-and-park ensemble. According to Gomel Governor Alexander Yakobson, today the Rumiantsevs-Paskevichs Palace is "a unique architectural pearl of Gomel region".