Many events, many changes, many destinies were absorbed by the history of Orsha! To preserve the memory of the past for contemporaries and future generations, the Museum of History and Culture of the City of Orsha was created.

The decree of the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR "On the creation of the Museum of History and Culture of the City of Orsha" was issued back in 1984. However, the museum's creation process stretched over a long period – no one could answer the main question: where would its exhibition be placed? Only in 1987 was this problem solved. Thus, by the city council's decision for the local history museum, the building of the former civil defense headquarters was allocated. Symbolically, this building is a piece of our city's history – a monument of civil construction from the late 19th – early 20th centuries. In the first half of the 20th century the building housed a residential house and a small haberdashery. In 1949 another building was added, which housed the city's radio station. In 1987 an initiative group was created, headed at that time by the Orsha local historian and history teacher Igor Ershov.

The Museum of History and Culture of the City of Orsha – a branch of the Cultural Institution "Museum Complex of History and Culture of Orshany Land" was founded on March 1, 1989, and opened to visitors in December 1992. The museum's exhibition presented a sequential overview of the historical past with an emphasis on key regional events, from the primitive communal system to the second half of the 1980s, allowing to lift the veil of time and immerse in the most interesting pages of our small homeland's history.

Today the museum is preparing to welcome visitors in a new exhibition, which will delight not only with the richness of authentic objects but also with a series of interactive complexes, where the visitor can become both a spectator and a direct participant in the historical process.

To better get to know Orshany Land, enjoy its wonderful nature, you must definitely visit Levki, where in a magnificent corner on the bank of the Dnieper operates a branch of the State Literary Museum of Yanka Kupala.

Having been in these places on a business trip, Yanka Kupala was enchanted by the beauty of the Orsha region and decided to build a dacha for himself on the picturesque riverbank not far from the village of Levki.

Yanka Kupala loved his dacha in Levki very much. He came here every year early spring and stayed until late autumn.

Kupala's house was restored after the war, nearby in the garage stands the poet's car, in which in June 1941 he first arrived from burning Minsk to Levki, and a few days later already left for evacuation deep into Russia.

Poetry festivals are held at the "Levki" branch with the participation of the creative intelligentsia "Zvini, sing, Kupala's lyre!".

For the 100th anniversary of Yanka Kupala's birth, a memorial exposition was opened in Levki and a monument‑sculpture "Autumn of the poet" (author A. Anikeichik) was erected.

In 2008 Orsha became the center of the Republican festival of the village workers' fair "Dozhinki – 2008". The most important and bright moment of the celebration program and the whole holiday was the creation and opening of the Orsha City Art Gallery V.A. Gromyko, a painter, People's Artist of Belarus, honored cultural figure of Poland, honorary academic of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, professor of painting, active participant of the partisan movement, knight of the orders of the Patriotic War I degree, Red Star, medals "For Bravery", "Partisan of the Patriotic War" I degree.

The main goal of the gallery's exhibition is to showcase the rich artistic heritage of Orshany Land, to understand the traditions and patterns of development of the artistic culture of the region and Belarus, the skill and talent of Belarusian artists, which will contribute to the spiritual enrichment of citizens, their attachment to national and universal values.

In the Orsha City Art Gallery V.A. Gromyko works the Victor Gromyko Hall, a permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of the building and the activities of the Jesuit order in Orsha, a permanent exhibition dedicated to the artistic culture of Orshany Land, as well as regularly organized rotating art exhibitions. In the Gallery Lounge cultural and educational museum events are regularly held, as well as city‑wide and regional celebrations.
The modern building of the former Jesuit collegium became not just a business card, but also the main cultural centre of public life in the city of Orsha. Cultural‑entertainment projects, rotating exhibitions and the permanent exhibition of the art gallery, educational activities of the children's library, creative work of the city house of crafts allow to organise leisure for the population and guests of the city, as well as contribute to the cultural enrichment of citizens, their attachment to national and universal values. An indicator of the attractiveness of the administrative‑exhibition centre for residents is a constant flow of visitors, as well as the fact that the city's newlyweds on the birthday of a new family gladly visit the centre, striving to capture themselves in one of the main days of life in the interiors of the old building.

"Orsha - my beloved city, my eternal mother..." — wrote about his native city the famous Belarusian writer Vladimir Korotkevich.

And it is mutual. Orsha not only remembers and loves, but also prides itself on its talented fellow‑citizen. In 1994 a museum "Our famous fellow‑citizens" was created in Orsha, one of the sections of its exposition was planned to be devoted to Vladimir Korotkevich. In 1995 a proposal came from the Union of Writers of Belarus to create in Orsha precisely the museum of V.S. Korotkevich. In September 1997 the museum of famous fellow‑citizens was given the name "Orsha Museum of V.S. Korotkevich". In 2000, on the 70th anniversary of the writer's birth, the museum building was opened with a small exposition in a single hall. Since February 2002 the museum has warmly opened its doors to visitors.

The tour begins already on the museum's porch, because in this building – a monument of civil architecture of the late XIX – early XX centuries – since 1925 a maternity house was located, where on 26 November 1930 the future writer was born.

In two spacious rooms on the first floor of the building the museum exposition under the common title "Portrait of the writer and the person" is placed.

The central part of the first hall's exposition is occupied by the writer's creative workshop – a fragment of his Minsk apartment office. In 2005, on the 75th anniversary of Korotkevich, a second hall was opened, devoted to the literary heritage of our fellow‑citizen. Here reigns a lofty and romantic atmosphere, because Vladimir Korotkevich was a romantic writer. Inside the exposition there is a scientific‑research centre. It includes a scientific library, methodological materials, a researcher’s workplace. Here you can also hear unique recordings of the writer’s voice, musical works of Belarusian performers on his poems, watch artistic films based on Korotkevich’s scripts. On the second floor of the museum there is an art gallery.

By early 2012 the museum was visited by more than 100 000 people.

Today the exposition presents about 640 items. The most valuable among them are the writer’s personal belongings, manuscripts of his works, drawings by Korotkevich the artist.

The museum archive holds interesting thematic excursions, museum classes, a video library of films about Korotkevich and films made from his scripts.

The museum actively participates in international exhibition projects, cooperates with Japan, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Sweden. Two International scientific conferences dedicated to the work of Vladimir Korotkevich were held at the museum.

The name Semyon Stepanovich Shavrov, a Belarusian woodcarver, is known in our city to everyone who is even slightly interested in art and folk creativity. The famous Orsha amateur woodcarver Semyon Shavrov is a man of great talent. This definition has become a habitual assessment of the creativity of a very interesting, bright, multifaceted master…

But the works for mass familiarisation can be accessed only in the museum, as each of them is unique in the literal sense of the word.
And then Semyon Shavrov, to organise exhibitions, gives the city of Orsha his house on Krasina Street, 26. Thus, the Museum of Wooden Sculpture of carver S.S. Shavrov – a branch of the Cultural Institution "Museum Complex of History and Culture of Orshany Land" was founded during the master’s lifetime in his private house by the decision of the Orsha City Council of People's Deputies and the culture department of the Orsha City Executive Committee. A short time later, on 25 June 1992 the museum welcomed its first visitors. A workshop was built on the museum’s territory. It was here that Shavrov continued to create images and pass on his mastery to his students.

S.S. Shavrov’s life path ended on 10 February 2000, however he is notable for this outstanding woodcarver, folk master of Belarus, primarily not for the few years lived, but for the great deeds he managed to accomplish.

Initially the museum counted 19 sculptures, transferred as a gift by the author. From these works an exposition was created, which allowed to judge the diversity of the genre themes of the works, the innovative character of his creativity. Organically complemented the exposition structure a second building – the workshop building with a woodcarving studio.

Today on the territory of the museum S.S. Shavrov, in a beautiful apple orchard, the "Fairy clearing" has been placed under the open sky. Here, among fairy characters, in a cozy gazebo the museum staff organise magical celebrations: be it a wedding or a birthday, or the brightest New Year in the lives of visitors... If you come in the "right" season – you can taste sweet juicy apples from the master Shavrov’s orchard. Here, far from dusty roads and city hustle, followers of the famous woodcarver still teach this delicate craft to pupils, passing on the priceless experience of the folk master of Belarus S.S. Shavrov.

The Orsha Ethnographic Museum “Melnitsa” is located in the building of an old water mill, which was built in 1902 at the expense of the city administration on an artificially created canal that connects the Orshitsa and Dnieper rivers. The Orsha mill is a monument of industrial architecture. It should be noted that the city mill was one of the largest not only in the Orsha district but also in the whole Mogilev Governorate, which in the early 20th century included Orsha.

In 1991, under the program “Revival”, the reconstruction of the building began. Restoration of the architectural monument was successfully completed by the end of 1994, and on 23 June 1995 the Orsha Ethnographic Museum “Melnitsa” opened in it. By the decree of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated 14 May 2007 No. 578, the museum building “Melnitsa” was granted the status of a historical‑cultural value of category “2”, which is entered in the State list of historical‑cultural heritage of the Republic of Belarus. To this day the mill has retained the features of industrial architecture of the early 20th century.

The museum is spread over three floors, having two halls of the main exposition. In the first part of the exposition, titled “Our daily bread”, exhibits are presented that were previously used by peasants during sowing and harvesting. In addition, the exposition presents household items that can tell about the simple everyday life of Belarusian peasants: barrels, samples of goods that peasants took to the market. Here you can also become acquainted with a model of a peasant house, accompanied by a description of the internal layout of the building.

The second part of the exposition – “Light of the soul and talent” – is located on the second floor. Here visitors will meet items of craft creativity of the 19th – early 20th centuries, as well as items representing spiritual culture. The exposition includes a huge number of embroidered towels, striking with their patterns and colors. Of great historical value is the collection of traditional national women’s costumes, which Belarusian peasants wore on weekdays and holidays. Among works of modern masters, special attention should be paid to hand‑made icons created by the Orsha artist V. Yankovskaya.
In the lower part of the building there is a separate room for temporary exhibitions.