Dubrovno

Today, Dubrovno is a regional center in the Vitebsk region, picturesquely nestled on two banks of the Dnieper and two rivers flowing into it. Just a few centuries ago, watches were made here that were superior in reliability to Swiss ones, and fabrics, the quality of which went down in history.

The area was first mentioned in written sources in 1393, but the settlement itself - in 1514, this date was officially taken as the date of the founding of the city.

The history of Dubrovno is connected with two famous families: the Glebovichs and the Potemkins. Thanks to the first family, a stone castle was founded here, and in 1630 a Bernardine monastery was founded.

For some time, the Sapiehas owned the lands, but they did not leave their mark on the cultural heritage of the city. Prince Grigory Potemkin himself bought Dubrovno from Sapieha and built two factories here in the 80s of the 18th century: the first watch factory in Russia and a braided one. The latter became the basis for the creation of the famous Dnipro Manufactory. Unfortunately, the geographical location and wars forced the production to be moved to the territory of modern Russia.