Belarus is a country located in the eastern part of Europe. The famous Belovezhskaya Pushcha is located here, the glorious Pesnyary is from here, and only here you can buy products made in accordance with GOST of the USSR. This power is famous for its beautiful nature, magnificent castles and unsurpassed architectural objects. It is best to view by car, because only in this way you can enjoy their splendor to the fullest. All excursions in the state start from its capital - Minsk. The hero city, like a Phoenix, was reborn after the almost complete devastation that overtook it during the Second World War. Today there is something to pay attention to and where to go.
Dabro inquire or Welcome
Inspection of Minsk begins with its airport or railway station. It all depends on how you got here. If you are going to go around the sights of Belarus by car, then start from here anyway.
National airport "Minsk 2" is located 42 kilometers from the city. On its territory there is an open-air museum, which presents aircraft from the times of the Soviet Union. Models of such aircraft as Tu-134A, Yak-40 and An-2 are exhibited here.
The main cultural and architectural object of Minsk is the railway station and the Minsk Gates, located on the Railway Station Square. The railway station building is incredibly functional and beautiful. Here you can exchange money, buy medicines and souvenirs, and have a snack.
The Minsk Gates are two towers, each eleven meters high. They are built in the manner of Stalinist classicism. The towers are included in the list of the most recognizable city sights and are considered to be the visiting card. The object was built during 1947-1953. The left tower is decorated with a clock, the diameter of which reaches four meters, and the right tower is decorated with the coat of arms of the Byelorussian SSR.
Conquer Belarus
Let's go further to see the sights of Belarus by car. The memorial complex "Khatyn", located in the village of the same name, causes both sadness and delight. The village itself was burned to the ground along with all its inhabitants in March 1943. Only three people from the village could survive - an elderly man and two boys.
The authorities of the Soviet Union considered it their duty to perpetuate the memory of the victims of that terrible event and similar horrors of the war period. Therefore, in 1969 they opened the Khatyn memorial complex. It includes a sculpture of a rescued old man from the village, who carries a dying child in his arms. Sculpting conveys tremendous emotional power. The prototype of the artifact was Joseph Kaminsky, a blacksmith who found his dying offspring under a pile of corpses. Every half a minute in "Khatyn" the ringing of bells is heard, enhancing the effect of what he saw.
castle country
The sights of Belarus, the photos of which are shown in our review, are a huge number of palaces. Each of them is awarded a separate praise and description. For example, it is a monument of defensive architecture of the 16th-17th centuries. It is located in the village of Golshany and was built by order of Pavel Stefan Sapieha in 1610. Once it was a majestic rectangular building with an area of 89 meters * 69 meters. And today it has turned into ruins, which are overgrown with shrubs. Dungeons, where in the old days the history of the country was created, are covered with earth and are not of particular interest. The east wing and a couple of towers are in slightly better condition.
The sights of Belarus, especially castles, are of great interest to tourists. Another fortress the state can be proud of. This is Borisov Castle. It was built for quite a long time: from the end of the XII century until the beginning of the XIV century. The object played a significant strategic role, because under its control was the shipping route that passed from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. Little has survived to the present, but Belarus can truly admire such a “hero”.
Lida
This is the name of a city in Belarus. It is located 160 kilometers from the capital. Here you can also see some of the sights of Belarus. It is best to travel by car. The settlement is located on the Lydia River and was founded in 1323. At one time it was the largest center in the country. True, it was a long time ago, but still ... In the XIV century, the great Lithuanian prince Gediminas laid a castle near Lydia. A settlement began to form around it, which soon became a large and powerful city. The owners of Lida changed several times, which left an imprint on its culture, architecture and history.
What to see here
Lida (Belarus), whose sights are the monument to Adam Mickiewicz, the Mound of Immortality and other objects, is an ancient city, and therefore there are many interesting things here. For example, the Lida Castle of Gediminas, which is built of gravel and sand on a piece of the island. Or the Church of the Immaculate Conception, created at the turn of the past and present centuries. And here you can visit the monument to the sundial and other amazing objects.
And finally
After admiring the beauties of the country and already leaving it, pay a little more attention to the museum of ancient folk crafts "Dudutki", the path to which will be shown by a map of Belarus with sights. It used to be a farm type. And now it has turned into a huge tourist complex, on the territory of which there is a forge, a bakery, a menagerie and a mill.
Dear Belarusians, hello! There is an idea to visit Belarus in August. Initial data: adult and adolescent 15 years old. What I would like to see: Brest, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Khatyn, Mir, Nesvizh, Minsk. Maybe something to exclude from the list or vice versa to add? How to plan a route, where to start a trip around Belarus, where to end? Let's go from Moscow. How much to budget for travel? I don't even know how to start planning. I would be grateful to everyone for advice.
Sections: Belarus
1. Start your trip from Minsk, where you can visit many museums and just walk around the city.
2. Mir and Nesvizh, for these castles you need to lay at least two days for each castle.
3. Khatyn also needs at least half a day.
4. But Brest and Belovezhskaya Pushcha, I think you need at least 4 days to see Brest and the Brest Fortress, and you need to allocate one full day to Belovezhskaya Pushcha to visit the Museum of Nature, the estate with Belarusian Father Frost and enclosures with animals.
Travel should be planned at least 7 to 10 days in advance.
How will you travel by train, plane or car?
About castles. These castles are considered the highlight of the Republic of Belarus, they must be seen. They are very beautiful, inside and out. I went to them, I really liked them. Although I'm from Moscow, I've seen a lot...
The distance between Minsk and Mir is 100 km, Mir-Nesvizh is 30 km.
In Minsk, you can see the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus, the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and, accordingly, in the central part of the city of Minsk, there are many museums in Minsk. If you are not interested in shopping, then you can devote 2 to 3 days to the city.
Where will you stay for the night?
We forgot about Grodno, one of the most beautiful cities.
But Minsk does not need much time, it was completely destroyed during the war, there is practically nothing historical there.
If you go to the castles by buses, there is an ambush with them, they go very badly between Mir and Nesvizh, it is impossible to cover 2 castles in one day.
Mir and Nesvizh, for these castles you need to lay at least two days for each castle.
And tell me, please, what to do there for two days each? We went on a tour, walked around, well, you can spend the night in each of them, if you really want to, and then what? Of course, you can easily spend a whole day on Nesvizh - the church, the town hall, and the park are huge, but the World is quite tiny ...
It’s really possible to see Minsk in one day, or maybe even a week is not enough for everything. Depends on weather and interests. The historical center is small, on weekends at the town hall in the summer there are various concerts, performances, historical reconstructions, holidays of national cultures, evenings of classical, jazz music in the open air. Last year, the events were sold out, we were at some of them - we liked both the atmosphere and the program. The announcement of the planned events is available on the website of the Minsk City Executive Committee in the "Upper City Invites" section (http://minsk.gov.by/ru/freepage/other/verxnii_gorod/). The main sights are located along the two main avenues of Independence and Pobediteley - if you drive along bus routes 1 (from the station to Minsk Arena) and 100 (from Independence Square to the National Library), you will see them all. There are special sightseeing flights, when audio tours are broadcast in Russian, English, the schedule is on the website of the Minsktrans enterprise. A little aside there is a beautiful temple-monument of All Saints (you need to drive a few stops from the National Library. If time permits, it’s worth visiting there), the Loshitsky manor and park complex, a zoo with a dolphinarium and a dino park - this is more for families with small children. A teenager may be interested in the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, riding along the bike path in Victory Park and further to the Drozdy recreation area (there are bicycle rentals on the embankment), the water park (the place is popular, and therefore queues are likely. Last year in August we were about 300 people who wanted to swim. If it were not for the child (with children under 3 years old, there is a separate queue), we would have to wait a few hours to enter the aqua zone).
What is interesting outside the city? Mir and Nesvizh (they have already been mentioned, I support the opinion that it is most convenient to book an excursion and see both castles in a day), the Dudutki museum complex (there is a public transport schedule on the site of the complex), the historical and cultural complex "Stalin Line" (to reach you can take a minibus that goes towards Molodechno from the control station "Druzhnaya" with an interval of 20 minutes), Khatyn, the Strochitsy Museum of Folk Architecture and Life, the Aviation Museum, the Minsk Sea ...
As for the route, it seems to me that it is better to start from Minsk, then go to Brest. Trains run frequently. From there - to Belovezhskaya Pushcha. I would advise you to stay there for a few days, and see Brest and the Brest Fortress on the days of arrival and departure. If there is a desire to add Grodno to the route, then buses run from the Brest bus station, here is the schedule: http://av.brest.by/mezgorod.htm. One day is enough in Grodno.
I entrusted the choice of unused places to a professional: a guide and co-founder of the service for finding excursions in Belarus Guides.by - Natalia Palchuk. The task was this: no Mir and Nesvizh! These places, of course, are iconic, but we want to go along little-known routes.
So, we present five non-trivial options for traveling in Belarus
For art historians: the Repin estate "Zdravnevo" near Vitebsk
Love art? Take tickets to Vitebsk. Not far from this city is the estate of the artist Ilya Repin, where he lived for 8 years. The wooden house was built according to the sketches of Repin himself and the building looks more like a fairy-tale tower.
During the Second World War, the estate was completely destroyed, but in the 80s the architects restored it according to old sketches. The main house now houses the Repin Museum, and the area around it is a downright charming park.
Get on your own: There are enough options to get to Vitebsk from Minsk. The estate itself is located 16 km from the city. You can get to it by public transport: bus number 26 to the village. Ruby, or bus 26A to the bridge of the Dvina River, from where follow the sign for 1 km.
For tourists: church in Gervyaty
For those who love sightseeing trips and are ready to go on a bus tour even around the whole Earth without hesitation, we recommend going to see the church in Gervyaty.
Have you heard of this? If the answer is no, then get ready to see the highest and most beautiful church in Belarus. Surprisingly, for some reason this place is not very well known among Belarusians. But it is better not to go purposefully to the church, but to go as part of the Ostrovets Round the World tour.
Its essence lies in the fact that in one trip you can visit all the best Catholic churches in the Grodno region and see the churches in Soly, Mikhalishki, Vornyany and Ostrovets.
Get on your own: From Minsk by train Minsk-Gudogai (you need a receipt for payment for visiting the border zone, you can pay at Belarusbank). From Gudogai by bus to Ostrovets, from Ostrovets by bus to Giri.
For historians: Museum of the Old Believers in Vetka
Natalya Palchuk, our tour assistant, put the Museum of the Old Believers in Vetka in first place in her personal rating of museums in Belarus. There is no other museum in our country with such a number of rare exhibits and immersion in the topic.
Even the best option would be to first go to Gomel, see the Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace, and then take the train and get to Vetka, which is very close to the city. Our guide guarantees that there will be no limit to the delight of the museum.
Photo vetka.by
Get on your own: From Minsk to Gomel, from the Gomel bus station by bus to Vetka
For gourmets: Korobchitsy complex near Grodno
How tasty they serve real Belarusian dishes in Korobchitsy! Mmmm... But this agro-tourist complex is interesting not only for its restaurant. This is a real open-air museum.
The complex is located near Grodno (the most beautiful city in Belarus, by the way). It is worth starting from the city itself, and then making a trip to the nature in Korobchitsy. The territory of the complex is huge and stylized as an old manor of the 19th century. There is a restaurant with Belarusian cuisine, a knight's playground, craftsmen's workshops and a zoo. In general, there will be enough impressions for everyone!
Get on your own: From Minsk to Grodno by bus, train or minibus. From the Grodno bus station there are buses from Grodno - Korobchitsy estate, as well as a fixed-route taxi.
For mystics: Turov and Turov crosses
Stone Turov crosses grow directly from the ground. Moreover, they grow - this is in the literal sense of the word. They are considered a miracle of Belarus, which scientists still cannot explain. Many articles have been written about crosses, thousands of pilgrims come to them every month, scientists study them. But there are more and more questions. So for the search for miracles only here.
In addition, it is worth stopping by the oldest Belarusian city of Turov and seeing the ancient castle, where the remains of wooden residential buildings and the foundation of the church of the 11-12th century have been preserved, as well as the former Uniate church, where the largest stone crosses are kept.
Get on your own: From Minsk to Stolin / David-Gorodok / Zhitkovichi, and from these cities you can take suburban buses to Turov. Or by train from Minsk to Kalinkovichi, and then by suburban bus.
Have a great and meaningful weekend!
Text: Tatyana Tarakanova
To get from Moscow to Belarus, you need to take a plane and spend a little less than an hour and a half of your time. Many people prefer to travel by their car – you will have to travel more, but you will see a lot of interesting things along the way. This article is intended for all categories of tourists.
Belarus is a country of lakes, dense forests and beautiful medieval castles. Most of the sights are located outside of Minsk - these places will be discussed. We will compile a list of the most popular corners of "Blue-eyed Belarus", visit its natural and cultural monuments, drive around this country by car in autumn and winter.
Where to go and what to see in Belarus
Belarus is a compact country, so you won’t spend much time exploring interesting places. In a time pressure situation, one can limit oneself to the Minsk region. Leave for Logoisk, ride on the slopes there. Visit old estates near Minsk. Go to Dudutki - there are a lot of interesting things.
And here is the situation in other regions of the country:
- Vitebsk region. Lake District, where you can have a good rest by renting a campsite or living in a sanatorium. The region is dotted with small towns, there is a very favorable environment.
- Brest region. There you will find two obligatory points of the cultural program - the Brest Fortress and Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
- Gomel region. The most interesting places are concentrated in Gomel and Mozyr. It also does not interfere with visiting Vetka - the original museum of local lore is localized there.
- The Grodno region. This is the western region of Belarus, and therefore the most significant historical monuments are concentrated here - churches, medieval castles, ancient estates and pre-revolutionary houses. Be sure to visit Lida during the knight tournament there.
- Mogilev region. There is practically nothing to see here. There are several ancient buildings, temples and monasteries in Mogilev. Be sure to visit Bobruisk - the legendary city of "padonkaff", to which all individuals who did not speak the "Albanian language" were "reported".
In a time pressure situation, limit yourself to the Minsk region.
Top 5 most interesting places in Belarus
From a superficial overview of the areas, let's move on to particular examples. We have gone through the most popular Belarusian sights, removed some of the "mainstream" and left the corners that really deserve your attention. Do not be surprised if there are little-known sights of Belarus here:
To Belarus by car - where to go
If you are going to Belarus in the summer, you may well drive your own car. The roads in Belarus are good, and there are no problems with roadside hotels.
Nothing prevents you from visiting the Belarusian lakes and relaxing at the campsite, and then going to the legendary Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
Three-day trip around Belarus - minimum program
If you are inspired by the idea of a summer trip, but do not have extra time, it is worth planning an express trip to key places in the country. A detailed acquaintance with the sights of the Republic of Belarus will force you to limit yourself to the Minsk and Vitebsk regions. However, a lot can be done in three days. So, what to see in Belarus in three days or over a weekend by car in the summer:
From Grodno go to Lida (you should visit the brewery and the Lida Castle there), then to Smorgon and finally to Polotsk. Perhaps you won’t have time to see anything else, since it’s better to set aside a whole day for Polotsk.
The arrival of cold weather and Belarusian sights
With the onset of autumn, many things change. Lakes, biosphere reserves and ethno-cultural villages fall out of the list. In the fall in Belarus, you can see this:
- Chagall House Museum. To see this memorable place, you need to go to Vitebsk, to Pokrovskaya street, 11. It was here that the famous artist lived, whom all Belarusians are proud of. Visiting the art center, you can admire the graphic works of the master. The ticket price ranges from 20-90 thousand "squirrels".
- Boris stone. This unique artifact is located in Polotsk. In autumn, the stone looks especially harsh, reminding tourists of the frailty of life. A mysterious text and an image of a cross are carved on the boulder. You can find this "Belarusian Stonehenge" on Zamkovaya street, house 1.
- Golshany Castle. The majestic ruins of the castle are located in the Grodno region (near the town of Golshany). After leaving this settlement, move in the direction of Yuratik. To the right of the road you will see the ruins.
It is better to allocate a whole day to Polotsk.
On the eve of the New Year holidays, it is worth thinking about visiting some specific corners of Belarus. Here's what we recommend for New Year's Eve:
