Minsk
Minsk is the capital of Belarus. What else can be added? If you travel to Belarus, then this city must become one of your travel destinations!Minsk isn't the most adveanced, wealthy or famous city but it's safer than Warsaw, cheaper than Kiev, less crowded than Moscow and cleaner than most European capitals. Moreover it has its own spirit and interesting history.Almost completely rebuilt after destructive WWII, nowadays it has wide streets, large parks, beautiful architecture nice bars and restaurants. Minsk offers almost everything you need from a modern city, whether you came on business or enjoy weekend.
The city of Minsk is located in the middle of Belarus and is the Capital of the Republic of Belarus. For the first time Minsk was mentioned in 1067 (referred to as Mensk, Menesk in chronicles).
Braslav Lakes
Braslav lakes are known as one of the best recreation areas in Belarus; however they are popular not only with the Belarusians, but also foreign tourists.“Braslav Lakes” National Park is situated in the north-west of the country, 250 km from Minsk and near to the border with Lithuania and Latvia. Its territory occupies more than 69 000 hectares, of which 2 581 have been designated as a reserve. The national park is based on the series of connected, large and small Braslav Lakes, 61 in total with an area of 12 701 hectares. The biggest lakes are Drivuaty, Snudy, Strusto, Voiso, Volos Severny (Volos Northern), Nedrovo, Berezha, Daubli, Potekh. The second largest island in Belarus – Chaichin (1,6 sq km) – is situated in the middle of Lake Strusto. The island itself also has a reservoir, a very small lake, in the centre. Volos Yuzhny (Volos Southern) Lake is the deepest in the park with a maximum depth of 40.4 metres. The lake is famous for its amazingly clear water (transparent down to 7 m).There are many archaeological, historical and cultural monuments in “Braslav Lakes” National Park. In the centre of the park stands one of the oldest Belarusian towns, Braslav, first mentioned in the chronicles of the 11th century. The town is situated on a green hill of the northern bank of Drivyaty Lake.
The regional flora numbers more than 800 species of plants, about 20 of them listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus (as a species close to extinction). More than 30 species of fish including eel populate Braslav Lakes. Up to 35% percent of all the nesting birds in Belarus stay on the territory of the park. There are more than 217 species of game birds, which is 15% of the game reserve in Poozerye region. On the territory of the Braslav district live 52 species of mammals (badgers, lynxes, brown bears, squirrels, elks, wild boars, roes), 10 amphibious species and 5 species of reptiles.
Belovezhskaya Puscha
Belovezhskaya Puscha (Reserve) – the only place, where mighty zubrs (bizons) can be observed.Belovezh’e… This is one of the most popular symbols of our country. Belovezhskaya puscha is a part of UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage list. What can you imagine when you hear Belovezhskaya Puscha? Ancient forests, great oaks, slim pines, fairytale firs, graceful birches, and millions of flowers. The puscha will conquer you, you will be impressed by its beauty and by pure air. Only here lives the tsar of puscha – bison. You also will be able to visit The residence of Jack Frost, which was created not so long time ago. The residence is situated deep in the Belovezhskaya puscha. Moreover, there are a lot of sculptures of Belarusian fairytale characters. Here you will see two young elks and you will be able to feed them. These elks help Jack Frost during Christmas and New Year holidays!
Mir Castle
Mir Castle unique monument of Belarusian architecture. It was included into the UNESCO List of World Heritage. It was erected at the end of 15th - early 16th centureby duke llinch. The castle was built in the Gothic style. Approximately in the middle of th 16th centure Mir Castle became the property of duke, Radziwill who finished the construction of the castle.
The Castle is a square building with the towers at its corners. One of Mir's towers was a go-through and had a drawbridge and iron lattice that could stop a sudden attack easily. The castle represented an unassailable fortification - its walls were protected by two rows of loop-holes and towers were adjusted to shooting from heavy guns. All towers of Mir Castle have the same shape, yet they are decorated differently, which add to the beauty of the castle. Later the Radzivilles built a three-storey palace in the Renaissance style along eastern and northern walls of the castle. Then the Italian garden was laid out to the north of the castle and on the southern side an artificial lake appeared.
There is a legend that somewhere in the Radzivilles' castle innumerable treasures are hidden and until now people have been trying to find them. The Mir's underground system of communication is so large that some of its parts have not been investigated yet. According to one of the legends, a faithful servant of the lord hid the treasures in one of the numerous underpasses of the castle and exploded the entrance. And now people believe that there is a ghost in the castle that guards the treasures and frighten the visitors of Mir Castle. Another legend reads that in the 17th century Radziville made a big underpass between Mir and Nesvizh Castles, in which two coaches were able to pass one another. Probably, this is where the treasures are. Thus every visitor has a chance to find them.
Brest Fortress
The Brest Fortress was the first place to be attacked by the Nazi invaders.Brest Fortress was built in 1833 - 1838, a mile west of the town of Brest. The citadel, which was the nucleusof the fortress, was situated on the island formed by the Western Bug River and branches of the Muhavets River. The 6.5 - foot thick brick wall of the cutadel served as a two-floored barrackes with five hundred casemates. Under the barrack were storehouses and a network of tunnels.Two gates, Holmskie and Brestskie, connected the citadel to a bridge over the Muhavets. The third gate, Terespolskie, opened onto a bridge over the Western Bug. The bridges lead to the artificial islands, where the outer fortifications, Kobrinskoye on the north, Terespolskoye on the west and Volynskoye on the south, were situated. The fortress was fenced by with a 32-foot high earth wall with casemates.
In 1864 – 1888 a circle of forts, 20 miles in diameter, was built around the fortress.
Pripyat Reserve
Situated in the south of Belarus, Pripyat Reserve offers wide opportunities for green and ecology tourism, with a great number of rivers and damps.Srednyaya Pripyat Republican Landscape Reserve (total area of 90,447 ha) is located in the territory of three districts of Brest Region (Luninets, Stolin, Pinsk) and Zhitkovichi District, Gomel Region. It was established to preserve the unique flood-plain ecosystem of the Pripyat river. Since 2001 the reserve has been included to the international Ramsar list of wetlands of international significance.
This is the largest European area of the river flood plain preserved unchanged. The reserve territory is represented by insignificantly changed lowland marshes, flood-plain lakes, temporary drybed reservoirs, cut-offs, sand dunes, marshy flood-plain meadows, various flood-plain forests, bushes. Flood-plain oak woods the age of trees in which is at least 100 years are of special interest.
In the reserve territory 725 species of plants grow. Such exotic plants as floating water-moss, swampy nettle, European white water-lily, Siberian iris, fen violet can be found in numbers.
The reserve fauna is diverse. The flood plain of the Pripyat is especially significant for sustaining populations of the semi-aquatic animals such as mink, otter gear, beaver. Marshy woods and bushes are a place of regional concentration of the elk, European wild hog, roe. Birds of the water-and-shore and wetland complexes are mostly represented here. Within the limits of the reserve one of the largest European villages of ciconiiformes and other birds on the Red List of the Republic of Belarus: the aigrette, black-crowned night heron, kioriki, eagle owl, azure tit.
Of fish, here live the pike, carp, crucian carp, bream, pike perch, perch. The Pripyat plays an important part in preservation of the fresh-water catfish.
Tourist routes of Srednyaya Pripyat reserve enable to get acquainted with the diversity of the flora and fauna of Pripyat Polesye as well as travel by water along the Pripyat and its tributaries.
Minsk Sea
You can’t find any sea on the map of Belarus? Look again! Just 25 km from Minsk there is a huge Zaslavl water storage, however it received the nickname – Minsk Sea and became one of the attractions for divers and surfers.Zaslavskoe reservoir - the second largest artificial lake in Belarus. Another name - Minsk Sea. Located 10 km north-west of Minsk, in the north-eastern slopes of a hill at an altitude of Minsk 212 m.Obrazovano in 1956 the dam on the river Svisloch for flood control in Minsk and to regulate the flow of the river. Included in the Vileika-Minsk water system.
Hydrological observations are from 1959.
Nesvizh
The real masterpiece of architectural art is located in Nesvizh.
Nesvizh is one of the oldest and most mysterious cities in Belarus. It is located 100 kilometers south of Minsk. At the end of the end of the 15th - early 16th century the Radzivilles began the construction of a new castle on the place of the previous one made of wood. A famous Italian architecture Giovanni Bernadone was invited for this project (he was also the one who built the Radzivilles burial-vault). The beauty and splendor of decoration of the new residence could have left far behind many royal courts: parquet flooring made of the most valuable sorts of wood, stucco ceiling and gold-plated or painted walls. Nesvizh Castle also has its ghost - the Black Dame strolling along dark corridors of the palace during moonless nights.
Kossovo
Kossovo – sounds not much Belarusian? Still it is a small Belarusian town, where you can feel the spirit of history after visiting the ancient castle.
Construction of the palace and the breakdown of the park involved architects F. Yaschold and V. Marconi. Palace, having a well-developed composition, typical of classicism, is endowed with towers and turrets in the spirit of the old Gothic, romantic presents for the architecture of the mid XIX century.
Imitation of the artistic style of past centuries clearly seen on the facades. Jagged end multifaceted towers, windows and doors of lancet shape, scheleobraznye like slits, slots in the walls, eaves, like serfs machicolations, and other details were artificial return to the architectural forms of the Middle Ages.
During the last war the palace burned down, but until now it impresses with its size and exotic decorative items.
During World War II suffered Kossovo park - a monument of landscape architecture. Its area is about 40 hectares, planning mixed: the regular part, implicit in the first third of the XVIII century., Combined with landscape dating back to the XVIII century. Park is divided into a hillside in three terraces up to 60 m wide with a drop of 4 m of relief from the terraces a wide panorama of the beautiful landscape with the water at the foot of the hill and far away from the perspectives of forest.
Church of St Anna
The unique piece of architecture, dating back to 1792 can be found near Vitebsk. St Anna Cathedral was designed by Robert and Anna Bzhestowski. Today it is also famous for the arboretum with beautiful statues all over the place.Church of St. Anne was founded in Dzerzhinske1439 city, so is one of the oldest churches in Belarus, remain at the present day, despite the fact that the temple has suffered from fires and as often rebuilt. St. Anne's Church - a monument of classical architecture, built in 1792, is located in the village of Mosar Vitebsk region. The main shrine of the church - the remains of St. Justin, brought in 1838 from Mjadel.
Tradition has it that the remains were taken into every church, but Mosar horse refused a move on, and the faithful have understood: St. Justin expressed himself, so his will.