Slavic tribes came to the territory of modern Belarus in the 8th century AD, and a couple of centuries later these lands were fully populated. Throughout its ancient history, this country was part of Lithuania first, then Poland, the Russian Empire and the USSR, but the culture of Belarus has remained incredibly unique and distinctive, despite the influence of the customs of so many countries. This region has absorbed the best of the states it once belonged to, so almost every city in Belarus has priceless monuments of culture and history.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha
While looking at the sights of Belarus, it is impossible to ignore this unique miracle of nature. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is one of the most famous nature reserves in Europe. Songs are written about him, he is guarded like the apple of an eye, and, of course, tourists adore him. Pushcha became the first object onterritory of the USSR, which, by the decision of UNESCO, was included in the list of the World Heritage of Humanity.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha is located on the territories of 2 regions: Brest and Grodno. Due to the diversity of vegetation, many animals live in the reserve, most of which are rare and unique, and therefore were listed in the Red Book. The bison is considered the most famous inhabitant of Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Tourists from all over the world come here to admire this curiosity.
Bolshoi Theater
The focus of the 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 20th century in the constructivist style and is of great interest both architecturally and artistically.
During World War II, the building was damaged: the theater was plundered by the Nazis, but after the war it was restored and restored, and an alley with figures of dancing ballerinas and ladies in beautiful dresses was built nearby. Figures of resting dancers were erected at the service entrance to the theater, with whom tourists like to be photographed.
Sights of Vitebsk
The city where most of the religious monuments that Belarus can boast of is located - Vitebsk. The sights of the city include ancient churches, cathedrals, palaces, parks and much more. Consider the mostfamous sights of Vitebsk:
- The Church of the Annunciation 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, the local history museum is located here.
- Kazan Church is the only temple of the monastery that could survive after the Soviet era. The famous miraculous icon of the Mother of God, dated 1656, is kept here.
- The Holy Intercession Cathedral was built in 1821 and restored several times, the last repair took place in 1992. The cathedral is famous for its magnificent frescoes, as well as the many shrines that are stored there.
Memorable places of Brest
Many historical events are connected with this city, so one more place that Belarus is known to the whole world is Brest. The sights of the city are headed by the famous Brest Fortress, the defenders of which detained the German invaders for several months. 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 fortress was awarded the title of Hero Fortress and the Golden Star award.
The memorial consists of a whole architectural and artistic ensemble, it includes monumental sculptures, battle sites and the old fortress itself. Also, a museum was equipped in the part of the defensive barracks. Main entrance of BrestskayaThe fortress is crowned with a five-pointed star, and on both sides of it you can see the casemates of the main rampart. In the east, some stone fragments of the buildings of Brest-Litovsk have been preserved, which are one with the defensive barracks, the White Palace and Ceremonial Square. In the very center of the ensemble there is a huge burial, 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, of which there are many in the country. If we consider the main sights of Belarus, first of all it is worth mentioning the Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace in Gomel. Peter Rumyantsev was a famous military man, and the best architects of that time worked on his castle: Mostsepanov, Blank and others. The building offers a magnificent view, as it is located on the banks of the Sozh River.
The castle is famous for the rarest collections of art collected by the general. Therefore, after his death, the castle gradually became a museum. During the Second World War, all valuables were removed from the building. Initially, there were about 8 thousand of them, but only 200 units returned home. The collections contain the most incredible things, from ancient coins and things of the Rumyantsev family to marine organisms and old books.
Mir Castle
The name of the castle comes from the village of Mir, where this majestic building is located. Not all sights of Belarus can boast of such an achievement as being included in the UNESCO heritage list, but the Mir Castle was honored with such an honor. The castle-fortress had several owners: the Ilinichi, then the Radziwills, the Wittgensteins, and finally the Svyatopolk-Mirskys, the last owners.
However, after 1940, the castle passed into state ownership, so it was made the National Art Museum of Belarus. To date, the building is being reconstructed, but some parts of it are still available to the public.
Lida Castle
The castle was built by special order of Prince Gediminas in the city of Lida. Construction began in 1323 on a hill between the rivers Kamenka and Lideya. The ancient history, which almost all the sights of Belarus are famous for, has also affected the Lida Castle. It was besieged many times, but the fortress survived. But in the 18th century, the castle lost its former strategic importance and began to gradually collapse.
Lida Castle is built of brick and rubble stone, and in shape it is an irregular quadrangle topped with towers. There was a whole infrastructure on the territory of the fortress: churches, a court, an archive and various outbuildings were built here. Living rooms were located in towers on the upper floors.
Since 1384, the castle has been repeatedly attacked: first by the crusaders, then by the Crimean Tatars, and in 1659 the fortress was captured by Russian soldiers. After 50 years, the Northern War began, and the castle was again subjected todestruction, but already from the side of the Swedes, who blew up the towers.
Grodno Castle
The well-known sights of the cities of Belarus do not leave any visitor indifferent, and castles are especially successful in this. One of the most powerful, Grodno, was built during the time of the Crusades, but it reached its peak during the time of Stefan Batory, when it was completed and restored many times. Like the Lida castle, the Grodno castle was subjected to numerous attacks by the crusaders, however, despite the numerical superiority and the efforts of the invaders, they failed to take the fortress.
At that time, the castle was considered an incredibly durable building that could withstand any siege. The fortress was erected along the perimeter of the mountain, and the walls formed an irregular triangle. 5 towers were built in the castle: 3 square, 1 round, and also "vezha-brama".
As a result, after all the attacks and reconstructions, only fragments of the monumental structure have survived to our time: the ruins of the Upper and Lower Churches, the palace itself, parts of the defensive walls, the prince's chambers, and also the bridge.
Nesvizh Castle
If you are going to visit the Minsk region, be sure to pay attention to the majestic and mysterious sights of Belarus - Nesvizh Castle. This building is a palace and castle complex and is located in the city of Nesvizh, as you might guess from the name.
The architect of the castle was the Italian Giovanni Bernardoni. Moreover, the owner of the castle trusted his experience and talent so much that he calmly went on a pilgrimage to Palestine,completely 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 the fortress could only be reached by a wooden bridge, which could be easily disassembled in case of any danger.
At one time, Nesvizh Castle was a real cultural center, and now it is one of the favorite attractions of tourists, because the fortress still looks impregnable and majestic.
