# Gilibert Park, Grodno > Gilibert Park (also spelt Zhiliber Park) is Grodno’s oldest park, laid out in 1775 as a botanical garden by the French botanist Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert. It is free and open 24 hours. Give it 40 minutes for a walk, or about 90 minutes with the Ferris wheel and rides, which cost extra and run seasonally. It is a 10-minute walk from Sovetskaya Square. Web page: https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-gilibert-park - City: [Grodno](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno), Belarus - YesGo score: 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 40 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Hours: Open 24 hours, every day — unofficial - Rides: Paid, seasonal; no official price list or timetable - Address: Ozheshko Street 15, Grodno — guidebook landmark - Bus stops: Universitet or Teatr Kukol (Puppet Theatre) — unofficial - On foot: About 10 minutes from Sovetskaya Square - Time needed: 40 minutes; up to 1.5 hours with rides - Paying: Belarusian rubles (BYN); foreign Visa and Mastercard usually work but can fail — unofficial - Coordinates: 53.68602, 23.83733 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **8 April 1775** — the botanical garden that became the park was founded (source: Russian Wikipedia; Wikidata; Know Your Land (my-places.by)) - **≈ 2,000 species** — grew in the garden within three years — it was rated among Europe’s best (source: Russian Wikipedia; Know Your Land (my-places.by); VGTK) - **Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert** — a physician and botanist from Lyon, invited to Grodno by Antoni Tyzenhauz (source: VGTK; Russian Wikipedia) - **Medical Academy** — the first higher school in what is now Belarus — the garden was its teaching collection (source: Russian Wikipedia; Know Your Land (my-places.by)) - **Haradnichanka** — the stream that runs through the park under small footbridges (source: Russian Wikipedia; Know Your Land (my-places.by)) - **“Swiss Valley”** — the 19th-century nickname for the stream valley (source: Russian Wikipedia; Know Your Land (my-places.by); Sputnik8) - **Eternal Flame** — over a mass grave of soldiers buried here by a WWII field hospital (source: Russian Wikipedia; Know Your Land (my-places.by)) - **Ferris wheel** — one of the tallest in Belarus (source: Russian Wikipedia; Know Your Land (my-places.by)) - **Poniatowski Theatre** — Belarus’s oldest theatre building, next to the park — now the puppet theatre (source: Russian Wikipedia; Know Your Land (my-places.by)) - **1920s** — a city garden was laid out here to a design by W. Tański; parts of it survive (source: Russian Wikipedia; Know Your Land (my-places.by)) - **East side** — where the few surviving plantings from Gilibert’s time stand (source: Russian Wikipedia; Know Your Land (my-places.by)) > **Rides and fountains are seasonal** The park itself never closes, but the fountains only run in the warm months and the rides keep their own hours, which are not published anywhere official. In late autumn and winter some rides may be shut. If the Ferris wheel is the point of your visit, pick a clear day and ask at its ticket booth how late it runs. ## Is Gilibert Park worth visiting? Yes, as a short stop. Gilibert Park is a leafy stream valley in the middle of Grodno, between Sovetskaya Street and the Intercession Cathedral, so most walks through the centre pass it anyway. It is worth extra time if you travel with children or want the view from the Ferris wheel; otherwise 40 minutes is enough. Don’t expect a formal botanical garden. Almost nothing of Gilibert’s plant collection survives, and today this is a busy city park: old trees, bridges, sculptures, fountains, a summer stage, playgrounds and a small amusement area. On a sunny weekend it is full of local families — on a weekday morning it is calm. ## A botanical garden from 1775 The garden was founded on **8 April 1775**. Antoni Tyzenhauz, who ran the royal estates around Grodno, brought the physician and botanist **Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert** from Lyon. Together they set up the Grodno Medical Academy, the first higher school in what is now Belarus, and the garden was its living textbook: within three years it held around 2,000 plant species. After Gilibert left, the city took over the garden and it slowly turned into an English-style landscape park. In the 19th century people called the valley the “Swiss Valley” for its hills and winding stream. A city garden by W. Tański followed in the 1920s. During the Second World War a field hospital buried soldiers here; they now lie in one mass grave with an Eternal Flame. ## Ferris wheel and rides: prices and hours The amusement area fills part of the valley: a **Ferris wheel**, one of the tallest in Belarus, a small roller coaster and carousels for kids and adults. Each ride is paid separately, while walking in the park is free. There is no official price list or timetable online — check the board at each booth. The rides keep a seasonal schedule, and in the cold months some of them close. We found no official hours, so we don’t quote any. On a clear day the wheel shows the old town roofs and the Neman valley; in haze the view is flat. Prices are in Belarusian rubles (BYN). Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards usually work in Belarus but terminals sometimes refuse them — this is unofficial — so take a little BYN cash from an ATM for the ride booths and ice-cream kiosks. ## What to see in Gilibert Park - **The Gilibert monument** at the entrance — a good starting point. - **The Haradnichanka stream** and its footbridges — the quietest corner of the valley. - **The Eternal Flame** over the WWII mass grave. - **The “Gorodnichanka” statue** — a girl in a clearing, a favourite photo spot. - **The bust of Eliza Orzeszkowa**, the novelist who lived in Grodno; the street beside the park bears her name. - **The fountains** on the central square — the liveliest place in summer. - **The Ferris wheel** — the best view over central Grodno when the weather is clear. - **The Poniatowski Theatre** next to the park — Belarus’s oldest theatre building, now home to the puppet theatre. ## How to get to Gilibert Park 1. From Sovetskaya Square and the Farny Cathedral, walk north-east along pedestrian [Sovetskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-sovetskaya-street) to Lenin Square — about 10 minutes. 2. Beyond Lenin Square the ground drops into the stream valley — that is the park. Guidebooks give the address as Ozheshko Street 15. 3. From the railway or bus station, walk towards the centre along Ozheshko Street; the park is on the way, about 15 minutes. 4. By bus, get off at Universitet or Teatr Kukol (unofficial); check route numbers in a maps app before you ride. 5. Taxis in central Grodno are cheap and quick to arrive; the Yandex Go app works in Belarus. ## Before you go - [ ] Clear weather if I want the Ferris wheel - [ ] Some BYN cash as well as a card - [ ] 40 minutes for the park, 1.5 hours with rides - [ ] Comfortable shoes — the valley has slopes and steps - [ ] Water and snacks for kids — cafés don’t open all year - [ ] Next stop planned: Intercession Cathedral or Sovetskaya Street ## Gilibert Park, Sovetskaya Street or the castles | | Gilibert Park | Sovetskaya Street | Old and New Castles | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Former botanical garden, main city park | Pedestrian street in the old town | Castles above the Neman | | Entry | Free, 24 hours | Free | Museum ticket | | For kids | Playgrounds and rides | Cafés and shops | Museum and river views | | Time needed | 40 min – 1.5 h | 20–30 min | 1–2 h | | Best time | Summer or a clear autumn day | Evening | Daytime, museum hours | On a one-day visit, treat the park as a green break between Sovetskaya Street and the Intercession Cathedral. Make a special trip only with children or for the Ferris wheel. The [Old and New Castles](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-castles) belong in every first day in Grodno. ## Grodno views: compare and choose Places in Grodno with a good view, rated by YesGo. - [Kalozha Church](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/kalozha-church) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Bernardine Church](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-bernardine-church) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Gilibert Park](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-gilibert-park) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free; rides cost extra - [Old and New Castles](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-castles) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · 10–12 BYN per castle, separate tickets ## Central Grodno in half a day From the Farny Cathedral down Sovetskaya Street into the park, then on to the Intercession Cathedral and the Lutheran church. Add it to your route and YesGo sets the times and walks. 1. [Farny Cathedral (St Francis Xavier Cathedral)](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-farny-cathedral) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free 2. [Sovetskaya Street](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-sovetskaya-street) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free, open 24/7 3. [Gilibert Park](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-gilibert-park) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free; rides cost extra 4. [Holy Intercession Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-intercession-cathedral) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 25 min · Free 5. [Lutheran Church of St John](https://yesgo.io/belarus/grodno/grodno-lutheran-church) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free; concerts are ticketed ## One park, many spellings You will see Gilibert Park, Zhiliber Park, Zhilibera Park and the Belarusian Park Zhylibera — all the same place. Don’t mix it up with the green slopes around the Kalozha church by the Neman. ## Tips - Pair the park with Sovetskaya Street and the Intercession Cathedral — they are a few minutes’ walk apart. - With kids, allow at least an hour: playgrounds and carousels eat time. - Ride the Ferris wheel on a clear day; in haze the old-town view disappears. - Carry a little BYN cash for ride booths and kiosks in case a card terminal fails. - Summer weekend evenings and city festivals are the busiest times; for a quiet walk come on a weekday morning. - The east side of the park is the oldest — the few plantings from Gilibert’s time are there. ## Questions ### Is Gilibert Park in Grodno free? Yes. Entry to the park is free at any time. Only the Ferris wheel and the rides cost money, priced on boards at each booth. ### What are Gilibert Park’s opening hours? The park is open 24 hours a day, every day. The rides and fountains are seasonal and have no official timetable; some close in the cold months. ### How do I get to Gilibert Park? Walk about 10 minutes from Sovetskaya Square along pedestrian Sovetskaya Street to Lenin Square; the park lies just beyond. From the railway station it is about 15 minutes on foot along Ozheshko Street. ### Is there a Ferris wheel in Grodno? Yes, in Gilibert Park. It is one of the tallest in Belarus and gives the best view over the centre on a clear day. ### Is Gilibert Park good for kids? Yes. It has playgrounds, carousels, a small roller coaster and fountains in summer, and the paths are paved. ### Who was Gilibert? Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert was a French physician and botanist from Lyon. In 1775 he founded the botanical garden that became the park, and with Antoni Tyzenhauz set up the Grodno Medical Academy. ### How long should I spend in Gilibert Park? About 40 minutes for a walk, up to 1.5 hours with the Ferris wheel, rides and playgrounds. ### Can I pay by card in Grodno? Usually. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards generally work in Belarus, though terminals can fail. Prices are in BYN, so keep some cash from an ATM for small booths. ### What is near Gilibert Park? Sovetskaya Street, the Intercession Cathedral, the Lutheran church and the puppet theatre in the old Poniatowski Theatre — all within a few minutes’ walk. ## How we checked The park has no official website, so nothing on this page carries an “official” badge. Free entry and 24-hour access come from the Sputnik8 travel guide and are marked “verifying”. Other facts are checked against at least two sources. Sources disagree on the mix of trees — Russian Wikipedia says broadleaf trees dominate, my-places.by says conifers — so we only say “old trees”. Only one source gives the Ferris wheel’s height (42 m), so we leave the number out and use “one of the tallest in Belarus”, which two sources share. Ride prices and hours are not published officially. Bus stop names come from one guide and differ in another, so they are unofficial. Card payments are unofficial. ## Sources - Russian Wikipedia: Gilibert Park (Grodno) - Wikidata Q47507989: founded 8 April 1775 - Know Your Land (my-places.by): Grodno, Gilibert Park - Sputnik8: Gilibert Park — hours, entry, bus stops - VGTK: Gilibert Park - Roller Coaster DataBase (rcdb.com): Zhiliber Park - ATM Fee Saver: money and cards in Belarus --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.