Slavic tribes came to the territory of modern Belarus in the 8th century AD, and a couple of centuries later these lands were completely inhabited. Throughout its ancient history, this country was part of 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 incorporated the best of the states that it was once a part of, therefore, almost every city in Belarus has priceless cultural and historical monuments.
Bialowieza Forest
Looking at the sights of Belarus, it is impossible to ignore this unique natural wonder. Belovezhskaya Pushcha is one of the most famous nature reserves in Europe. Songs are written about him, he is guarded like the apple of his eye, and, of course, tourists adore him. Pushcha became the first object on the territory of the USSR, which by UNESCO decision was included in the list of World Heritage of Humanity.
Belovezhskaya Pushcha is located in 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, which is why they were listed in the Red Book. The bison is considered to be the most famous inhabitant of the Bialowieza Forest, tourists from all over the world come here to enjoy this wonder.
The Bolshoi Theatre
The focus of places 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 architecturally and artistically.
During the Second World War, the building was damaged: the Nazis looted the theater, but after the war it was restored and restored, and an avenue with figures of dancing ballerinas and ladies in beautiful dresses was built nearby. At the service entrance to the theater were erected figures of resting dancers with whom tourists like to be photographed.
Sights of Vitebsk
The city where most of the religious monuments are located, which Belarus - Vitebsk boasts. 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 Byzantine architecture monument in Eastern Europe.
- The old town hall was founded in 1597, and the last building was built in 1911. Nowadays, the museum of local lore is located here.
- The Kazan Church is the only temple in the monastery that could survive after the Soviet era. Here is stored the famous miraculous icon of the Mother of God, dated 1656.
- St. Pokrovsky 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.
Memorial places of Brest
There are many historical events associated with this city, so another place that Belarus is known to the whole world is Brest. The sights of the city are headed by the famous Brest Fortress, whose defenders detained the German invaders for several months. During the war, the fortress was almost destroyed, but now there is a grand memorial in memory of the defenders of the motherland. In 1965, the fortress was awarded the title Hero Fortress and the Golden Star Award.
The memorial consists of a whole architectural and artistic ensemble, it includes monumental sculptures, battlefields 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 with a five-pointed star, and on both sides of it you can see the casemates of the main shaft. In the east, some stone fragments of the buildings of Brest-Litovsk are preserved, which are one with the defensive barracks, the White Palace and the Ceremonial Square. In the very center of the ensemble there 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 magnificent castles, which are numerous in the country. If we consider the main attractions of Belarus, the first thing worth mentioning is the Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace in Gomel. Peter Rumyantsev was a famous military man, and the best architects of that time worked on his castle: Moscepanov, 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 taken out of the building. Initially, there were about 8 thousand, but only 200 units returned home. The collections contain the most incredible things, from ancient coins and things of the Rumyantsev family itself to marine organisms and ancient books.
Mir Castle
The name of the castle comes from the village of Mir, where this magnificent building is located. Not all the sights of Belarus can boast such an achievement as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but Mir Castle has received such an honor. The castle-fortress had several owners: Ilyinichi, then Radziwills, Wittgenstein and, finally, Svyatopolk-Mirsky, the last owners.
However, after 1940 the castle passed into state ownership, so it was made the National Art Museum of Belarus. Today the building is being reconstructed, however, some of its parts are still available for visiting.
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 Kamenka and Lidea rivers. The ancient history, which is famous for almost all the sights of Belarus, also affected 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 stone, and in shape is an irregular quadrangle crowned with towers. A whole infrastructure existed 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 was repeatedly attacked: first by the crusaders, then by 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 indifferent any visitor, and castles have especially succeeded in this. One of the most powerful, Grodno, was built during the time of the Crusades, but reached its peak during the time of Stefan Batory, when it was rebuilt and restored many times. Like Lida Castle, Grodno was subjected to numerous attacks by the crusaders, however, despite the numerical superiority and efforts of the invaders, they failed to take the fortress.
At that time, the castle was considered an incredibly strong building, able to withstand any siege. The fortress was erected around the perimeter of the mountain, and the walls formed an irregular triangle. 5 towers were built in the castle: 3 square, 1 round, as well as a vezha-brahma.
As a result, after all the attacks and perestroika, only fragments of a monumental structure survived to our time: the ruins of the Upper and Lower Church, the palace itself, parts of the defensive walls, princely 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, 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 it was possible to get to the fortress only through a wooden bridge, which in any danger could be easily dismantled.
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.