Bryansk is a city in western Russia on the banks of the river Desna. The city’s history is believed to date back to 985, when it may have been founded as a military outpost and mission by Prince Vladimir of Kiev. In the 13th century, Bryansk became the capital of the principality of the same name, and the city was the residence of princes and bishops. The Mongol invasion led to Bryansk’s decline, and later the city became Lithuanian from 1356. The Grand Duchy conquered Bryansk in 1503 after the Battle of Vedrosha.

In the 17th century, Bryansk developed into an important fortress town and trading post, where there were annual markets. In 1709 it was subordinated to the governorate of Kiev and from 1778 to Orel. The 18th century was also a time of growth, and Peter the Great built a shipyard in Bryansk as part of the establishment of the Black Sea Fleet. Wars against the Ottoman Empire and Sweden also gave rise to the town’s production, and a new artillery factory was established in 1788. Growth continued in the 1800s, when the railway came to Bryansk and where industrialization really took off.

With the October Revolution, Bryansk became part of the Soviet Union, and during this time Bryansk grew further as an industrial city. From 1897 to 1939, the city’s population increased from approximately 25,000 to 180,000, but then came World War II, when German troops invaded and occupied Bryansk from 1941-1943. During this time, many of the town’s citizens were transported to Germany as forced laborers, and when Bryansk was liberated in 1943, there were only about 5,000 inhabitants remaining. After the war, the city was rebuilt and expanded with new residential areas and industrial facilities, and the population increased to over 400,000.

Today Bryansk is a city with several attractions. On the western bank of the Desna lies the central part of the city, and here you can take a walk in the Sovetsky Rayon quarter, which in general is a fine example of a town plan from the Soviet era. The main thoroughfare through the neighborhood is Prospect Lenina, and along the street there are several sights and attractions such as the city’s circus building, the Church of Christ’s Explanation, the Christ Resurrection Church and the impressive Trinity Cathedral, which was built from 2006 and inaugurated in 2012. Next to the cathedral you can see the contemporary wooden church, Bryansk New Martyrs Church.

If you continue south along Prospect Lenina from the Trinity Cathedral, you come to the best examples of the Soviet city. It is the square Ploshad Lenina, where you can see the city’s statue of the head of state Lenin, which was erected in 1970. A little after the square you pass the Bryansk Drama Theater, which was rebuilt after the destruction of the Second World War in 1949. At the southern end of Prospect Lenina is the Partisan Square, named after the partisans who fought in the area against German occupiers during World War II. In the square you can see a monument from 1966 in memory of the partisans and visit the Bryansk regional museum.

In Bryansk you can take a walk along the promenade along Desna as well. Here you can enjoy the view over the green belt in the city, and centrally on the promenade you can see the city’s large modern philharmonic. From the Philharmonic you can walk ulitsa Kalinina to the monument for the city’s 1000th anniversary. Next to the monument is the beautiful Old Pokrovsky Cathedral from 1626. Continuing north are several churches, including the Tikhvin monastery church, which was built 1702-1705 in an architecture inspired by 17th-century churches in Moscow. A little west of the center is Kurgan Bessmertiya, which means Mount of Immortality. It is an impressive structure commemorating those who fell fighting the Germans during the German occupation during World War II.