The main sights of Belarus

Slavic tribes came to the territory of modern Belarus in the 8th century AD, and a couple of centuries later these lands were completely populated. Throughout its ancient history, this country was part of the first Lithuania, then Poland, the Russian Empire and the USSR, but the culture of Belarus remained incredibly unique and original, despite the influence of the customs of so many countries. This region has absorbed the best from the states, which were once part of, therefore practically in every city of Belorussia there are invaluable monuments of culture and history.

Bialowieza Forest

Considering the sights of Belarus, it is impossible to ignore this unique miracle of nature. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is one of the most famous reserves in Europe. Songs are written about him, he is guarded as the apple of his eye, and, of course, he is adored by tourists. Pushcha became the first object on the territory of the USSR, which was included in the list of the World Heritage of Humanity by the decision of UNESCO.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha is located in the territories of two regions: Brest and Grodno. Due to the diversity of vegetation in the reserve, many animals live, most of which are rare and unique, and therefore were listed in the Red Book. The most famous inhabitant of Belovezhskaya Pushcha is considered to be a bison, tourists from all over the world come here to admire this curiosity.

The Bolshoi Theatre

The center of places that Belarus is famous for is Minsk. The sights of the capital include many museums, castles and cultural monuments, one of which is the Bolshoi Theater. The building was built in the middle of the twentieth century in the style of constructivism and is of great interest both in architectural and artistic terms.

During the Second World War the building suffered: the theater was plundered by the fascists, but after the war it was restored and restored, and alongside they built an avenue with figures of dancing ballerinas and ladies in beautiful dresses. At the service entrance to the theater, figures of resting dancers were erected, with whom tourists are photographed.

Sights of Vitebsk

The city where most of the religious monuments are located, which Belarus can boast of is Vitebsk. The sights of the city include ancient churches, cathedrals, palaces, parks and much more. Consider the most famous sights of Vitebsk :

• The Annunciation Church was built in 1130 and is the only monument of Byzantine architecture in Eastern Europe.
• The old town hall was founded in 1597, and the last building was built in 1911. Nowadays there is a museum of local lore.
• The Kazan Church is the only temple of the monastery that could survive after the Soviet era. It houses the famous miraculous icon of the Mother of God, dated 1656 year.
• St. Pokrovsky Cathedral was built in 1821 and several times restored, the last renovation took place in 1992. The cathedral is famous for its magnificent frescoes, as well as for the many shrines that are kept there.

Memorable places in Brest

A lot of historical events are connected with this city, so one more place that Belarus is known to the whole world is Brest. The city's sights are headed by the famous Brest Fortress, whose defenders were detained for several months by German invaders. During the war, the fortress was almost destroyed, but now there is a grandiose memorial in memory of the defenders of the Motherland. In 1965, the fortresses were awarded the title Hero Fortress and the Golden Star award.

The memorial consists of a whole architectural and artistic ensemble, it includes monumental sculptures, battles and the old fortress itself. Also in the part of the defensive barracks a museum was equipped. The main entrance of the Brest Fortress is crowned by a five-pointed star, and on either side of it you can see the casemates of the main shaft. In the east, there are some stone fragments of the Brest-Litovsk buildings that are one with the defensive barracks, the White Palace and the Ceremonial Square. In the center of the ensemble is a huge burial place, where the remains of more than 800 soldiers are buried, the grave was erected in the form of 3 tiers of memorial plates.

Ancient sights of Belarus: castles

It is impossible to ignore the incredibly beautiful and majestic castles, which are numerous in the country. If you consider the main attractions of Belarus, first of all it is worth mentioning the Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace in Gomel. Pyotr Rumyantsev was a well-known military man, and the best architects of that time worked on his castle: Moszepanov, Blank and others. The building has a magnificent view, as it is located on the banks of the Sozh River.

The castle is famous for the rare collections of works of art collected by the general. Therefore, after his death, the castle gradually became a museum. During the Great Patriotic War all values were taken out of the building. Initially, there were about 8 thousand, but only 200 returned home. Collections contain the most incredible things, from old coins and things of the Rumiantsev family to marine organisms and old books.

Mir castle

The name of the castle came from the village of Mir, where this magnificent structure is located. Not all the sights of Belarus can boast of such an achievement as the inclusion in the UNESCO heritage list, however, Mir Castle has received such an honor. The fortress castle had several owners: Ilinichi, then the Radziwills, Wittgensteins, and finally Svyatopolk-Mirsky, the last owners.

However, after 1940 the castle became state property, so it was made the National Art Museum of Belarus. To date, the building is being reconstructed, but some of its parts are still available for visiting.

Lida Castle

The castle was built by a special order of Prince Gedimin in the city of Lida. Construction began in 1323 on a hill between the rivers Kamenka and Lida. Ancient history, which is famous for almost all the sights of Belarus, affected and the Lida Castle. He was besieged many times, but the fortress survived. But in the 18th century the castle lost its former strategic importance and gradually began to crumble.

Lida Castle is built of brick and rubble, and in form is an irregular quadrangle, crowned with towers. On the territory of the fortress there was a whole infrastructure: churches, a court, an archive and various outbuildings were built here. The living rooms were located in the towers on the upper floors.

Since 1384 the castle was repeatedly attacked: first from the side of the Crusaders, then from the Crimean Tatars, and in 1659 the Russian soldiers captured the fortress. After 50 years, the Northern War began, and the castle was again destroyed, but by the Swedes, who blew up the towers.

Grodno Castle

Famous sights of the cities of Belarus do not leave any visitor indifferent, and locks have especially succeeded in it. One of the most powerful, Grodno, was built during the time of the Crusades, but flourished in the time of Stefan Batory, when it was repeatedly built and restored. Like the Lida Castle, Grodno was subjected to numerous attacks by the crusaders, however, despite the numerical superiority and efforts of the invaders, they could not take the fortress.

At that time the castle was considered an incredibly solid structure capable of withstanding any siege. The fortress was erected along the perimeter of the mountain, and the walls formed an irregular triangle. The castle was built 5 towers: 3 square, 1 round, as well as "Vezha-Brama."

As a result, after all the attacks and reorganizations to our time, only fragments of the monumental structure have reached: the ruins of the Upper and Lower Church, the palace itself, parts of defensive walls, princely chambers, and a bridge.

Nesvizh Castle

If you are going to visit the Minsk region, be sure to pay attention to the majestic and mysterious landmarks of Belarus - Nesvizh Castle. This building is a palace and castle complex and is located in the town of Nesvizh, as you can guess from the name.

The architect of the castle was the Italian Giovanni Bernardoni. Moreover, the owner of the castle so trusted his experience and talent that he quietly went on a pilgrimage to Palestine, fully entrusting the construction of Giovanni.

The castle was erected on a peninsula near the river Ushi. Also, the castle was protected by two ponds and a moat, so that you could only enter the fortress on a wooden bridge, which could be easily disassembled at any risk.

At one time Nesvizh Castle was a real cultural center, and now it is one of the favorite tourist attractions, because the fortress still looks unassailable and majestic.