A small town of Vyazma of Smolensk region was founded in 1239. In the town one must visit the Monastery of John the Baptist. Also, it will be interesting to ascend the Cathedral Hill where the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is located. The Khmelita estate, which was once owned by the Griboyedov family, is 30 kilometers to the north from Vyazma.
The ancient gorodishche on the Cathedral Hill dates back to 11 century. Eventually, the town of Vyazma surrounded by a fortified wall grew around it. By 17 century in addition to the wooden walls of the Upper Town there were erected the stone walls of the Lower Town. But to our days there remained from them only the Spasskaya (Saviour) Tower because it was on the territory of the former St. Arcadius monastery. Today it is occupied by a museum.
The Monastery of John the Baptist is considered the most interesting tourist attraction of Vyazma. At the monastery there remained an architectural masterpiece. It is the three-domed tent church of the (Hodigitria) Icon of the Mother of God.
The walls of the Vyazma fortress, which encircled the Cathedral Hill, didn’t survive to our days. But in 1674 on the top of the Cathedral Hill there was built the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. At the foot of the Cathedral Hill one can visit the Chapel of St. Arcadius of Vyazma.
The Khmelita estate is 30 kilometers from Vyazma. In 19 century it belonged to the Griboyedov family. There one can visit a museum devoted to the literary work of Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov, the author of the play «The Mischief of Being Clever», as well as have a walk in a beautiful landscape park. Not far from the manor house one can visit a small museum devoted to a prominent Russian naval commander, Admiral Nakhimov.
On the way to the Khmelita estate one can stop at the memorial on the Bogoroditskoye Field. The memorial is related to the tragic events of the Great Patriotic War. In October 1941 near that place there were surrounded the troops of the Western and Reserve fronts. As a result, over 600 thousand soldiers were captured and about 400 thousand soldiers were killed in heavy combats.
