Chalky quarries of Belarus are exotic places that do not fit their usual classic Belarus into its usual beauty. The lakes filled with turquoise water will not leave you indifferent, and the white chalky shore 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.
Career education
The chalky quarries of Belarus are natural objects formed as a result of the extraction of chalk. They reach 50 meters in depth. Quarries are filled with groundwater and rainwater. Each such artificial lake has its own color: bright blue or green-blue. This color scheme appeared thanks to the minerals and chemical compounds contained in the water.
The shores of such lakes are steep, covered with dense vegetation, but with a tendency to collapse, therefore it is forbidden to swim 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 shore more or less suitable for swimming. Although you should not forget that if water is ankle-deep for you, this does not mean that after 1-2 meters you will not stumble on a cliff, in addition, there is a lot of silicon at the bottom that can be injured.
Cultural activities
By mid-July, the water already has time to warm up to 18-20 degrees, and on hot days and up to + 25, it is during this period that it doesn’t get crowded here, people go with their families.
The oldest flint mines in Belarus are located nearby, but they are not advised to go there - it is absolutely not safe. Belarusian artists come here to shoot a clip, and photographers 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 several times cheaper.
Volkovysk
Chalky quarries of Belarus near Volkovysk is one of the most popular holiday destinations. Although today there are prohibitory signs on the way to the career, since it is still a technical and not a tourist attraction, many tourists go here, despite the complexity of the route. It would seem that with such a flow of holidaymakers 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 produced here.
Chalk quarries in Belarus, photos of which are presented in the article, are fascinating 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 the pits and caves of the Neolithic, according to the locals, and in one of the reservoirs MAZ, which failed during the extraction of chalk, rests. The water in these lakes is suitable for drinking, some even have fish, so you can meet fishermen here. According to numerous reviews, there are always full of people who take pictures and relax.
According to the latest data, the Volkovyskiy quarries were still closed, they dug the road, put down a post. They began to be rehabilitated, so now without a special permit they can’t get there now.
Where are the chalk quarries in Belarus?
Many people who want to go on chalk quarries will be interested in answering the question of where they are.
Their total number is about a hundred, or even more. However, only three chalky quarries of Belarus received wide fame (precisely for the color of the water):
- Volkovysk;
- Krasnoselsky village;
- Grodno at the village of Pyshki.
Finding them is not too difficult, as large trucks carrying chalk are constantly driving along the roads. Highways and cars, respectively, are white from chalk dust, so you won’t get lost.
Recently, the reservoirs of Grodno have become very popular, although they are technical facilities. Chalky quarries in Belarus attract many tourists. who hope that over time they will nevertheless make organized places for recreation here. But according to the latest data, it became known that these careers would rather be closed than turned into a resort area. This is due to the fact that local residents are afraid for their children, since 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 the train or by train, go to the village of Baranovichi. Next you need to get to Volkovysk. You will have to use suburban buses that should take you to Krasnoselsky. Ask the driver of the village of Novoselki, you need to get off, not reaching it a bit. Next, you have to go on foot, resorting to maps.
By car: we need the M1 highway, along it we head to Brest (we leave Baranavichy), we go off onto the P99 road, which leads to Slonim (we also pass this settlement), we leave Zelva, and go to Volkovysk.
Before reaching it a little, we see a crossroads, at the crossroads turn right, highway number P44. We are moving to Grodno, heading to the Krasnoselsky village. You need to move along the highway, look to the left, there should be factory-type buildings.
These buildings belong to the plant for the production of building materials. And in this place we see a congress, along which we leave for Novoselki.
The road sprinkled with white chalk will serve as a guideline; BelAZ trucks often travel under it.
Careers Blue and Birch
And 10 kilometers from the regional center of Klimovichi in the Mogilev region there is a blue quarry, its banks are overgrown with trees, there is a fish that is caught by local fishermen.
The blue quarry was formed about 30 years ago only thanks to the springs that scored here after the completion of the chalk mining.
Birch is another man-made, chalky quarry. According to tourists, the rest there is even better than in the Krasnoselsky village. The shore is flat, which is why it is more like a natural formation. Spring water, an incredibly beautiful shade.
Holidays in the chalky quarries of Belarus are in principle prohibited, since steep banks are dangerous, every year about 30 percent of swimmers die in these careers, mostly diving enthusiasts. But ordinary tourists do not miss the opportunity to smear themselves with useful mud, sunbathe on the slopes and swim in the emerald green water.
Over 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 go on their own. They take tents, things, food 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, nobody cleaned up and cleanliness there.
Everywhere trash, plastic bottles, bags, wrappers, in general, are all 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 liquidate quarries, since all of them are considered a danger zone, fill 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, maybe we will soon visit the Belarusian Maldives.