The chalk quarries of Belarus are exotic places that do not fit into the usual classical Belarus with their beauty. The lakes filled with turquoise water will not leave you indifferent, and the white chalk coast will make you feel like a tourist somewhere in a European resort. Many lakes are surrounded by trees, the surrounding fields are covered with green grass. The water in the reservoirs is clear, azure. Everyone who visited the chalk lakes at least once in their life was fascinated by the beauties formed by the hands of man and nature.
Education of quarries
Belarusian chalk quarries are natural objects formed as a result of chalk mining. They reach 50 meters in depth. The quarries are filled with groundwater and rainwater. Each such artificial lake has its own color: bright blue or green-blue. This color scheme appeared due to the minerals and chemical compounds contained in the water.
The shores of suchlakes are steep, covered with dense vegetation, but tend to collapse, so swimming is prohibited there, but some daredevils sometimes allow themselves to swim in such a lake, referring to the fact that the density of water here is higher than in ordinary reservoirs, and the risk of drowning is minimal. But there is an opportunity to find a more or less suitable beach for swimming. Although you should not forget that if the water is ankle-deep to you, this does not mean that after 1-2 meters you will not stumble upon a cliff, besides, there is a lot of silicon at the bottom that you can get hurt on.
Cultural Events
By mid-July, the water already has time to warm up to 18-20 degrees, and on hot days even up to + 25, it is during this period that it can be overcrowded here, people go with their whole families.
The most ancient flint mines of Belarus are located nearby, but it is not advised to go there - it is absolutely not safe. Belarusian artists come here to shoot a video, and photographers come here to enjoy the local landscape and take unique pictures, because the nature in these places is no worse than expensive resorts, and it will be many times cheaper.
Volkovysk
The chalk quarries of Belarus near Volkovysk are one of the most popular places for recreation. Although today there are prohibition signs along the way to the quarry, since it is still a technical, and not a tourist site, many tourists go here, despite the complexity of the route. It would seem that with such a flow of vacationers it would already be possible to ennoble the territory,but this does not happen, since the rocks here are unstable and can fail. In addition, chalk is still being mined here.
Chalk quarries in Belarus, photos of which are presented in the article, fascinate with their beauty. It is this feature that attracts such a huge number of tourists.
The area of these quarries is about 300 football fields. At the bottom of some of them, you can see pits and caves from the Neolithic, according to locals, and in one of the reservoirs even a MAZ rests, which failed during the extraction of chalk. The water in these lakes is drinkable, some even have fish, so you can also meet fishermen here. According to numerous reviews, there are always a lot of people who take pictures and relax.
According to the latest data, the Volkovysk quarries were nevertheless closed, the road was dug up, and a post was set up. They began to recultivate, so now you can’t get there without a special pass.
Where are the chalk quarries in Belarus?
Many people who go to chalk pits will be interested in the answer to the question of where they are.
The total number of them is about a hundred, or even more. However, only three chalk quarries in Belarus were widely known (precisely for the color of the water):
- Volkovysk;
- Krasnoselsky settlement;
- Grodno near the village of Pyshki.
Finding them isn't too hard, as large trucks carrying chalk are constantly driving along the roads. Highways and cars, respectively, are white with chalk dust,so you won't get lost.
Recently Grodno reservoirs have become very popular, although they are technical objects. Chalk quarries in Belarus attract many tourists. who hope that over time organized places for recreation will be made here. But according to the latest data, it became known that these quarries would rather be closed than turned into a resort area. This is due to the fact that the locals are afraid for their children, as there has already been an accident involving a child.
How to get there?
To get to the quarries from the city of Minsk, you should take a train or an electric train, go to the village of Baranovichi. Next you need to get to Volkovysk. You will have to use suburban buses, which should take you to Krasnoselsky. Ask the driver for the village of Novoselki, you need to get off, a little before reaching it. Then you have to go on foot, resorting to the help of maps.
By car: we need the M1 highway, we go to Brest along it (we leave Baranovichi by), we go to the P99 road, which leads to Slonim (we also pass this settlement), we leave Zelva, we go to Volkovysk.
A little before reaching it, we see a crossroads, turn right at the crossroads, highway number P44. We are moving towards Grodno, heading towards the Krasnoselsky settlement. We need to move along the highway, look to the left, there should be factory-type buildings.
These buildings belong to a building materials factory. And in this place we see the exit, along which we go to Novoselki.
The road strewn with white chalk will serve as a reference point, BelAZ trucks often drive under it.
Careers Blue and Birch
And 10 kilometers from the district center of Klimovichi in the Mogilev region there is a blue quarry, its banks are overgrown with trees, there is fish that is caught by local fishermen.
The blue quarry was formed 30 years ago only thanks to the springs that clogged here after the completion of the chalk mining.
Birch is another man-made, chalk quarry. As tourists say, rest there is even better than in the Krasnoselsky village. The coast is flat, which makes it more like a natural formation. Spring water, incredibly beautiful shade.
Recreation in the chalk quarries of Belarus is in principle prohibited, as steep banks are dangerous, every year about 30 percent of swimmers die in these quarries, mostly diving enthusiasts. But ordinary tourists do not miss the opportunity to smear themselves with useful mud, sunbathe on the slopes and swim in emerald-colored water.
For the year these places are visited by 100-130 thousand tourists from abroad. They are not even stopped by the fact that they have to get there on their own. They take tents, things, food with them and just go to look at these wonderful white cliffs and emerald water. Although Belarus is famous for its cleanliness and order, this does not apply to the chalk lakes, since they do not belong to the tourist destination. Accordingly, no one ever brought cleaning and cleanliness there.
Rubbish everywhere, plastic bottles, bags, wrappers, in general, everything that visitors leave behind. Therefore, in order to get well and relax, you will have to work hard to find a cleaner place.
The government has long been planning to eliminate the quarries, since they are all considered a danger zone, to cover them with sand or even garbage, but there are also supporters of the development of tourism in the chalk quarries of Belarus, and who knows, we may soon visit the Belarusian Maldives.
