Hunting Lodge, Gomel

Gomel Hunting Lodge tickets and tours

Adult admission is 10 BYN, students pay 7.50 BYN and schoolchildren 5 BYN, according to the museum's official price list. The museum itself asks visitors to confirm prices by phone (+375 232 35-06-17), so treat them as a guide.

A guided tour of 45–60 minutes costs 12 BYN for a single visitor or a group of up to 20 — good value if you are two or more. Themed tours and talks of the same length are 12 BYN per person with the ticket included. Tours are normally in Russian, but the museum lists a guide who runs a heritage tour in English; ask when you book.

Photography is allowed only once you have paid the amateur photo fee at the desk; the price list doesn't give the amount, so ask. Shooting the permanent rooms without paying is against the rules.

Paying: Belarus uses the rouble (BYN). Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards work only at terminals and ATMs of banks not under sanctions, and Russian-issued Visa and Mastercard don't work at all. The museum doesn't say whether its desk takes cards, so carry cash in BYN.

What is the Hunting Lodge?

It is a late-classical town mansion built around 1820 for Count Nikolai Rumyantsev, who owned Gomel before the Paskevich princes. Archive papers describe it as his summer residence, and the architect was Ivan Dyachkov.

Despite the name, nobody hunted here. According to Russian Wikipedia, people started calling it the Hunting Lodge in the mid-19th century, probably because it stood on what was then the edge of town; Rumyantsev himself had no interest in hunting.

From the 1830s until 1919 the house belonged to the Krushevsky and Lisovsky families. In Soviet times it changed hands many times — Wikipedia says the city's first radio station worked here. The same source notes a surprise: the 'stone' mansion is a timber frame from an old shop, faced with brick and plaster.

It was restored in 1993–1997 and reopened as the Gomel City History Museum on 18 May 2009. It has been a listed monument since 2002.

What to see inside

• Period rooms of a well-off Gomel family around 1900 — drawing room, bedroom, study and dining room with furniture, clocks, paintings, glass and porcelain. This is the highlight.
• History of Gomel from ancient times to the early 20th century — coins, documents, old photographs and designs by the city architect S. D. Shabunevsky.
• Walks in Old Gomel — according to the Belarusian heritage guide Znai svoi krai, a recreated street scene with a railway station, photo studio, grocer's and bazaar. Children usually like this part most.
• Temporary exhibitions — check the museum website for what is on.
• The facade: a portico of white columns, an open terrace above and a balcony set in a large semicircular arch.
• Everyday objects: Russian Wikipedia says about 90% of the collection was donated by Gomel residents, which gives the rooms a lived-in feel.

Is the Gomel Hunting Lodge worth visiting?

Yes, as part of a walk through the palace park. It is small — a handful of rooms you can see in 45 minutes — and shows how a comfortable provincial family lived, which makes a good contrast with the grand palace next door.

It is not worth crossing town for on its own, and if you only have time for one museum, pick the Rumyantsev–Paskevich Palace. Without Russian you will rely on the objects rather than the labels, so a guided tour in English, booked ahead, makes much more of it.

It works well with children: tickets for schoolchildren are 5 BYN and the recreated old street is more fun than display cases.

Museum rules worth knowing

Coats, backpacks and bags larger than 40 × 20 × 28 cm go to the cloakroom; keep money, keys, phones and small handbags with you. Backpacks can't be worn on your back in the halls.

No food or drinks in the halls and no pets. Children aged 11 and under must be with an adult, and under-threes must be carried — there is nowhere to leave a pushchair.

Professional shoots with a tripod or lighting need written permission from the director.

Hunting Lodge, palace or riverside?

The easiest order: the palace first, north through the park to the Hunting Lodge, then down to the river.

Gomel's historic sights compared

Every historic place in Gomel rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

38

Museum of Military Glory

Gomel, Belarus

1 h · 12 BYN, students 7, schoolchildren 4.50 · 6 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Museum of Military Glory

39

Paskevich Burial Chapel

Gomel, Belarus

30 min · 5 BYN, outside free · 9 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Paskevich Burial Chapel

45

Peter and Paul Cathedral

Gomel, Belarus

30 min · Free · 9 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Peter and Paul Cathedral

40

Gomel Regional Drama Theatre

Gomel, Belarus

30 min · Facade free; plays from 11 BYN · 9 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Gomel Regional Drama Theatre

How to do it right

• Pair it with the Gomel Palace park — the lodge is just north of the palace, an easy 8–10-minute walk.
• Want photos of the rooms? Pay the photo fee when you buy your ticket, or staff will ask you to put the phone away.
• The classic shot of the facade is from the path in front of the entrance, when the flower bed is in bloom.
• Book the English-language tour a few days ahead — there is only one guide listed for it.
• Afterwards, head down to the Sozh riverside, right below the park.

Questions