Top 5 tourist places to visit in Belarus
Text and photos by Ksenia Dmitrieva
5 August 2024, 13:20
Belarus is good for tourism. It has ancient cities and castles, waterfalls and cosmic landscapes, museums and delicious food, traditions. Most importantly, it has kind people who are ready to share a piece of their love. Here is a small list of places to see in Belarus.
Novogrudok is one of the oldest places in Belarus. It was first mentioned in chronicles in the middle of the 11th century, and in the middle of the 13th century, under the leadership of Duke Mindouh, it became the core and capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russia and Samogitia.
By the beginning of the 16th century, the construction of a castle-fortress was completed in Novogrudok. For a long time it had a well-deserved reputation as one of the most impregnable fortresses in the land. The town hosted state Sejm sessions, meetings of kings and ambassadors.
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King Jahajla married the young Princess Sophia of Golshany in the Transfiguration Church (Farny Church) in Novogrudok in 1422 and thus started the famous Jagiellonian dynasty. Its representatives were the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, the kings of Poland, Hungary, Croatia, and Czechia.
The history of the city is long and rich, enough for a textbook. What can you see in Novogrudok? Let's see.
They say, all roads lead... no, not to Rome, but to Castle Hill. The castle-fortress has seen many battles, but time did not spare it. Only two towers have survived - Church Tower and Shield Tower. However, the castle is being restored, and soon it will be able to receive tourists.
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The Castle Hill offers a magnificent view of the town and its key attractions, including the Transfiguration Church (Farny Church) where Jahajla got married. The church was founded by Prince Vitaut at the end of the 14th century. It was here where poet Adam Mickiewicz was baptized in the late 18th century. You might also be interested in seeing the 18th century Church of St. Michael the Archangel, the 16th century Boris and Gleb Church, and the 18th century Church of St. Nicholas.
The Adam Mickiewicz House Museum is another popular attraction of Novogrudok.
You will certainly enjoy strolling along the streets of the town lined with old buildings; you can also climb Immortality Mound created in honor of Adam Mickiewicz, and Mindouh Mount.
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To see Martian landscapes, you don't have to fly to the red planet. You can simply come to Belarus, to the Yelnya National Landscape Reserve located in Miory District and Sharkovshchina District in Vitebsk Oblast.
The reserve is home to Belarus’ largest high-moor bog and the fifth largest bog in Europe. It is more than 9,000 years old - older than the Egyptian pyramids - and has an area of 25,000 hectares, which is more than two Parises. The vastness of this bog is one of the reasons why Yelnya is called the lungs of Europe.
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It is noteworthy that the center of the bog is 7m higher than its edges.
Local landscapes are fascinating and extremely diverse. Endless expanses of sphagnum moss with bonsai pines, winding rivers and hundreds of lakes, islands with relict forests, a myriad of flora and fauna species! Yelnya is worth visiting at any time of the year. You will enjoy flowering plants and singing birds in spring, greenery and warmth of lakes in summer, leaves of all shades of yellow and red, berries and flocks of cranes in autumn and white silence, quiet and loneliness in winter.
There are two ecological wooden trails in the swamp. The most popular is Ozeravki, which offers the best way to explore Yelnya. There are also one-day, two-day trips along the trails in the swamp.
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Pinsk is an ancient cultural, spiritual and historical center of Polesie. More than 160 historical sites create a unique architectural ensemble of the city.
A walk along the pedestrian street is a good start to get familiar with the city. The former Jesuit collegium, built in the 17th century, stands at its very beginning. It was once one of the three best educational institutions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Today it houses the Museum of Belarusian Polesie that goes back to the early 20thcentury. The art gallery features works by Viktor Vasnetsov, Ivan Aivazovsky, Yehuda Pen and other famous artists.
Here you will also find the Franciscan monastery complex and its gem - the Church of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, which has the title of the Small Basilica. Magnificent wood carvings, the Pinsk Madonna and the oldest functioning organ will leave no one indifferent.
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Butrimovich Palace and the building of the noble school, which Israel’s first president Haim Weizman went to, are also worth visiting.
Other interesting places include St. Barbara’s Cathedral Church, where Yakub Kolos got married, the Church of Charles Borromeo, and the river station where you can take a boat tour along the Pina and the Pripyat. The memorial in honor of the liberators of Pinsk is another site deserving a visit.
The city’s numerous cafes and restaurants offer the best of the national cuisine.
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Since 1973 granite has been mined near Mikashevichi, Luninets District, Brest Oblast.
Nowadays, the quarry is the largest open-pit mine in Central Europe. From west to east it covers more than 2.7km, from north to south - more than 1.7km. It is more than 150m deep, which is 20 meters below the level of the Baltic Sea.
You can look at the scale of the mining activities, excavators and mountain-high dump trucks on a guided tour around the quarry. you will be taken to the observation deck and also on a trip along serpentine roads to the quarry. Here you can not only see the process of granite mining but also waterfalls! Their number and flow keep changing, because of the constant technological and natural processes.
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On the bank of the Yaselda River lies the agro-town of Motol (in Ivanovo District of Brest Oblast). It is one of the oldest, largest and most peculiar towns in the region. It is also one of the best places where you can feel the spirit of Polesie.
You can learn about traditions at the Motol Folk Art Museum and the Bread Museum. The first one has large exhibitions of weaving, embroidery, plaiting, pottery, cooperage and other crafts. The second is about bread and its use in various rituals. By the way, you can not only enjoy the exhibitions in the museums, but also take part in the rituals.
If you want to fully experience the spirit of Polesie, visit the international food festival ‘Motolskiya Prismaki’. Or just buy delicious a piece of smoked meat made in Motol according to ancient recipes.
Certainly, visit the house-museum of Chaim Weizmann (the first president of Israel, who studied in Pinsk) and the Transfiguration Church, built at the end of the 19th century.
5 August 2024, 13:20
The capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Novogrudok is one of the oldest places in Belarus. It was first mentioned in chronicles in the middle of the 11th century, and in the middle of the 13th century, under the leadership of Duke Mindouh, it became the core and capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russia and Samogitia.
By the beginning of the 16th century, the construction of a castle-fortress was completed in Novogrudok. For a long time it had a well-deserved reputation as one of the most impregnable fortresses in the land. The town hosted state Sejm sessions, meetings of kings and ambassadors.
King Jahajla married the young Princess Sophia of Golshany in the Transfiguration Church (Farny Church) in Novogrudok in 1422 and thus started the famous Jagiellonian dynasty. Its representatives were the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, the kings of Poland, Hungary, Croatia, and Czechia.
The history of the city is long and rich, enough for a textbook. What can you see in Novogrudok? Let's see.
They say, all roads lead... no, not to Rome, but to Castle Hill. The castle-fortress has seen many battles, but time did not spare it. Only two towers have survived - Church Tower and Shield Tower. However, the castle is being restored, and soon it will be able to receive tourists.
The Castle Hill offers a magnificent view of the town and its key attractions, including the Transfiguration Church (Farny Church) where Jahajla got married. The church was founded by Prince Vitaut at the end of the 14th century. It was here where poet Adam Mickiewicz was baptized in the late 18th century. You might also be interested in seeing the 18th century Church of St. Michael the Archangel, the 16th century Boris and Gleb Church, and the 18th century Church of St. Nicholas.
The Adam Mickiewicz House Museum is another popular attraction of Novogrudok.
You will certainly enjoy strolling along the streets of the town lined with old buildings; you can also climb Immortality Mound created in honor of Adam Mickiewicz, and Mindouh Mount.
Cosmic landscapes of Yelnya
To see Martian landscapes, you don't have to fly to the red planet. You can simply come to Belarus, to the Yelnya National Landscape Reserve located in Miory District and Sharkovshchina District in Vitebsk Oblast.
The reserve is home to Belarus’ largest high-moor bog and the fifth largest bog in Europe. It is more than 9,000 years old - older than the Egyptian pyramids - and has an area of 25,000 hectares, which is more than two Parises. The vastness of this bog is one of the reasons why Yelnya is called the lungs of Europe.
It is noteworthy that the center of the bog is 7m higher than its edges.
Local landscapes are fascinating and extremely diverse. Endless expanses of sphagnum moss with bonsai pines, winding rivers and hundreds of lakes, islands with relict forests, a myriad of flora and fauna species! Yelnya is worth visiting at any time of the year. You will enjoy flowering plants and singing birds in spring, greenery and warmth of lakes in summer, leaves of all shades of yellow and red, berries and flocks of cranes in autumn and white silence, quiet and loneliness in winter.
There are two ecological wooden trails in the swamp. The most popular is Ozeravki, which offers the best way to explore Yelnya. There are also one-day, two-day trips along the trails in the swamp.
Pinsk, the gem of Polesie
Pinsk is an ancient cultural, spiritual and historical center of Polesie. More than 160 historical sites create a unique architectural ensemble of the city.
A walk along the pedestrian street is a good start to get familiar with the city. The former Jesuit collegium, built in the 17th century, stands at its very beginning. It was once one of the three best educational institutions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Today it houses the Museum of Belarusian Polesie that goes back to the early 20thcentury. The art gallery features works by Viktor Vasnetsov, Ivan Aivazovsky, Yehuda Pen and other famous artists.
Here you will also find the Franciscan monastery complex and its gem - the Church of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, which has the title of the Small Basilica. Magnificent wood carvings, the Pinsk Madonna and the oldest functioning organ will leave no one indifferent.
Butrimovich Palace and the building of the noble school, which Israel’s first president Haim Weizman went to, are also worth visiting.
Other interesting places include St. Barbara’s Cathedral Church, where Yakub Kolos got married, the Church of Charles Borromeo, and the river station where you can take a boat tour along the Pina and the Pripyat. The memorial in honor of the liberators of Pinsk is another site deserving a visit.
The city’s numerous cafes and restaurants offer the best of the national cuisine.
Lunar crater and waterfalls in Mikashevichi
Since 1973 granite has been mined near Mikashevichi, Luninets District, Brest Oblast.
Nowadays, the quarry is the largest open-pit mine in Central Europe. From west to east it covers more than 2.7km, from north to south - more than 1.7km. It is more than 150m deep, which is 20 meters below the level of the Baltic Sea.
You can look at the scale of the mining activities, excavators and mountain-high dump trucks on a guided tour around the quarry. you will be taken to the observation deck and also on a trip along serpentine roads to the quarry. Here you can not only see the process of granite mining but also waterfalls! Their number and flow keep changing, because of the constant technological and natural processes.
Flavor of traditions
On the bank of the Yaselda River lies the agro-town of Motol (in Ivanovo District of Brest Oblast). It is one of the oldest, largest and most peculiar towns in the region. It is also one of the best places where you can feel the spirit of Polesie.
You can learn about traditions at the Motol Folk Art Museum and the Bread Museum. The first one has large exhibitions of weaving, embroidery, plaiting, pottery, cooperage and other crafts. The second is about bread and its use in various rituals. By the way, you can not only enjoy the exhibitions in the museums, but also take part in the rituals.
If you want to fully experience the spirit of Polesie, visit the international food festival ‘Motolskiya Prismaki’. Or just buy delicious a piece of smoked meat made in Motol according to ancient recipes.
Certainly, visit the house-museum of Chaim Weizmann (the first president of Israel, who studied in Pinsk) and the Transfiguration Church, built at the end of the 19th century.
