Gorodishche is a cultural‑historical heritage, a monument and a symbol of the history of the city of Orsha. At the place where the Orshitsa River flows into the Dnieper, on the water route "from the Varangians to the Greeks," the Orsha Castle stood—a outpost that for many centuries performed an important function: here the sentries controlled the border between the Polotsk land and the Smolensk principality. The city of Orsha was located on the route of military campaigns and actions, often becoming the site of large battles. The castle was finally destroyed in the early 18th century during the Great Northern War. Today on Castle Hill there are symbolic gates with large white numbers "1067". And this number is not given without reason—it is the date of the first mention of the city of Orsha in the "Tale of Bygone Years".

The Jesuit College complex is one of the most recognizable landmarks of the city. Its history begins in 1604, when Polish King Sigismund III allowed the Jesuits to come to Orsha. By order of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania's chancellor Lev Sapega, a grand construction took place: a church, a school, a sewing workshop, a forge, a carpentry, a malt house, a brewery, a bakery and even a private pharmacy. In the 19th century, the Orsha College was closed by order of Emperor Alexander I. For almost 150 years a city prison was located here, up until 1989. Only at the beginning of the 21st century were reconstruction works started. Today the V.S. Korotkevich City Children’s Library, the city art gallery, and the culture department of the Orsha district executive committee are housed here.

The water mill stands on an artificial canal that connects the Orshitsa and Dnieper rivers. The Orsha water mill was built back in the 18th century. The modern building is an example of industrial architecture of the 20th century. Initially the mill was a water engine of 50 horsepower, employing 10 people. After 10 years the wheel was already turned by steam, and with the advent of electricity everything began to run on electric power. Until 1960 the mill performed its direct function. Now the mill building houses an ethnographic museum. In 2007 the building was entered into the list of historical and cultural heritage of the Republic of Belarus.

In 1996, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the first salvo of «Katyusha» in memory of the feat of Soviet soldiers in Orsha, a memorial complex «For Our Soviet Motherland!» was erected. «Katyusha» – this is how the Soviet combat installation was affectionately called. However, it is not just a massive heap of metal with a female name, it is a powerful piece of equipment with enormous destructive power. On July 11, 1941, near Orsha the first salvo of the legendary «Katyushas» was fired. A battery under the command of Ivan Andreyevich Flerov destroyed a large amount of enemy forces and combat equipment that had gathered at the Orsha railway station.

On the bank of the Dnieper in 1994 a monument to the internationalist warriors was unveiled, erected in honor of those from Orsha and the Orsha district who fell during the combat operations in Afghanistan. The monument consists of two granite steles that are split and placed on a common pedestal, symbolizing a broken life. On one of the bronze‑cast slabs there is a memorial plaque with the names of twenty‑two deceased individuals. On the second slab a bas‑relief of a grieving woman is placed and an inscription reads: "Man! I want you not to be wedded to war, that my death may be the very last death."

In the square near the railway station in Orsha a memorial has been erected, reminding us of a man whose life became a feat — Konstantin Sergeyevich Zaslonov, commander of a partisan unit known as "Uncle Kostya". He was born on January 7, 1910 in the distant Ostashkovo, but fate brought him to Orsha — a city that became key in the fight against the occupiers. Since 1939 Konstantin headed a locomotive depot, and with the outbreak of war he became the organizer of one of the first underground units in the occupied territory. The hero’s life was tragically cut short on November 14, 1942 — betrayal by defectors turned into an ambush. In an uneven battle Konstantin Zaslonov was killed. His name became a symbol of courage, devotion to the Motherland and unwavering faith in victory. In 1943 he was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Today his ashes rest in the heart of Orsha — in the square by the railway station, next to a monument erected in his honor.

Everyone who arrives in the city by train first notices the monument to the mainline passenger locomotive P-36. It was installed on the central square of the Orsha railway station in 1984. Among the people it received the nickname “General” because of the wide stripes running along the sides, which indeed resemble epaulettes. In Orsha the locomotive was in operation for 10 years, from 1950 to 1960. Next to the locomotive monument stands a monument erected in honor of the partisan and Hero of the Soviet Union Konstantin Zaslonov.

The Immortality Mound was opened in honor of the liberating soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. On the slope of the Mound stands the Golden Star of a Hero of the Soviet Union and a memorial plaque bearing in golden letters the words: "In the grateful memory of the people, the names of the heroes who fell in the struggle for the freedom and independence of our Motherland in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 will forever live on." At the foot of the Immortality Mound burns the Eternal Flame. From the Mound, in a radial direction like sun rays, six avenues lead out. The main avenue is named after the Unknown Soldier, the other five avenues are named in honor of Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Once there was a castle in Kopys, and there are documentary confirmations from 1726. But later all the castle structures, including the entrance tower, wooden wall and four bastions, were destroyed. To this day, the earth mound with a wooden settlement, called the Petrovsky rampart, has survived intact. It reaches a height of 5 meters. In summer and spring the rampart is covered with a green carpet, the spherical crowns of the trees create a special fairy‑tale atmosphere. In winter a white blanket covers the briefly sleeping nature and preserves the beauty of this place until spring.