The article analyzes the signs of the urban environment of Vitebsk (Republic of Belarus) associated with the life and work of M.M. Bakhtin in 1920–1924. At the beginning of the 20^th century, Vitebsk was a provincial city developed in architectural and cultural respects, where various ethnic, religious, urban planning, and cultural traditions were intertwined. In the post-revolutionary years, Vitebsk became one of the recognized centers of the artistic avant-garde. It considers the urban planning axes of the railway station – center, center – south and center – north, which were the main development and communication channels. The key objects of Vitebsk topography are the Vitebsk Art School, Cathedral Square, Suvorov and Lenin Streets. The author specifies the addresses of public and residential buildings associated with M.M. Bakhtin’s stay in Vitebsk. A number of iconic buildings have received the status of cultural heritage sites and have been turned into museums, many have memorial plaques, sculptures have been placed in the urban environment, and wall paintings have been introduced. In recent decades, much has been done to establish in the urban environment historical memory, including the brief and vivid post-revolutionary rise of culture. Today, this era is one of Vitebsk’s brands.