The Republic of Belarus

24. Belarus

1. Let’s talk about the Republic of Belarus. What can you tell me  about our Motherland?

Of course a lot can be said about Belarus, but I’ll limit my story to some facts about its geographical and historical features.

Belarus is situated in the eastern part of Europe. Its area is 207 600 square kilometres. It borders on Latvia and Lithuania, on Russia, on the Ukraine and on Poland. The population of the country is about 10 million people. The territory of Belarus is divided into 6 regions: Brest, Vitebsk, Grodno, Gomel, Minsk and Mogilev. The capital of Belarus is Minsk.

Our native land is very beautiful with its blue lakes and ribbons of rivers edged with thick forests, with its endless fields, meadows and swamps, with its varied and plentiful animal and plant kingdom. There are some 3000 rivers flowing over theterritory of Belarus. The longest rivers are the Dnieper, the Nieman, the Western Bug and the Western Dvina. There are over 10 000 lakes in Belarus. The largest of them is Lake Naroch. That’s why Belarus has often been referred to as the blue eyed country.

More than a quarter of the country is covered with forests. An ancient forest on the border between Belarus and Poland, Belovezhskaya Pushcha is a national reservation. The pride of the reservation is the aurochs (or bison) – a rare animal. Belarus has more than 70 mammal and 280 bird species.

The climate of Belarus is continental with a comparatively mild winters and warm summers.

The nature of Belarus has suffered much from the nuclear catastrophe that took place in Chernobyl in 1986. The radiation has spoiled our soil and air, rivers and lakes, it has poisoned our flora and fauna. Besides it has badly affected the health of people.

The geographical position of Belarus got our country involved in major European events over the centuries. The history of  Belarus goes back to antiquity. The ancestors of the Belarusians were the Krivichi, Radimichi and Dregovichi. By the 9th century they formed local principalities of Pinsk, Turov, Polotsk,  Slutsk and Minsk. There was a need in a united state, and Kievskaya Rus appeared.  In the second half of the 13th century the Grand Principality of Lithuania was formed.

The advantageous geographical position – on the cross-roads from east to west – turned into disadvantage. Belarus was the arena of many wars, invasions and aggressions. All these events slowed down but didn’t stop the development of the nation.

On the 1st of January in 1919 the BSSR was formed. In December 1922 it joined the USSR. Belarus proclaimed its sovereignty on the 27 of July in1990. In 1994 the post of the president was introduced. Nowadays Belarus is a country of developed industry, agriculture, science and culture.

2.       What parts of Belarus have you visited?

Today Belarus is becoming more and more popular as a tourist destination. Different exciting routes have been offered both to foreign and local travelers. Mir and Nesvizh Castles have been visited by thousands of people from Belarus. I am not an exception either.

I’ve been to Mir, Nesvizh, Lida, Novogrudok, Brest and Minsk.  Much can be said about any of these places.

For example a small town Novogrudok is famed in legends and Belarusians believe that once Novogrudok was their capital, the second one after Polotsk. The emergence of this beautiful myth dates back to the times, when the Grand Principality of Lithuania was arising. Novogrudok was the richest and most captivating city of the land. Adam Mickiewicz is probably the most outstanding celebrity of the city. His name seems to train along the streets — from old houses to churches and cathedrals. If you stand in the centre of the marketplace, anywhere you look you will see the places touched by Mickiewicz’s presence: the house, where the would-be classic was raised, the church, where he was later baptised, the mount erected in his honour and the monument to the poet…

3. What questions about Belarus do you expect to hear from a British teenager?

I think the questions will be mostly about our everyday life or places of interest.

- What is your usual school day?

- Have you got enough free time for your hobbies and interests?

- What do you usually do during your holidays?

-  What is the most beautiful city in Belarus?

4.      What Belarusian sights would you advise a foreigner to visit?

Whether you need inspiration for your trip, Belarus has everything you need to plan your perfect holiday. Everything denotes harmony on this land.  Medieval castles, small village churches, remarkable landscape, sheer beauty of cool forests with primeval nature which are a paradise for hunters, and clear like tears silent lakes. Belarusian unique natural environment is host to a fascinating selection of rare plant and animal species, several National Parks and a range of significant conversation projects. Since old times Belarus has been called ‘blue-eyed”. There are more than ten thousand lakes and twenty thousand rivers are considered to be a treasure for fishermen and for lovers of such sport activities as diving and boating. A special offer is rural tourism that became fashionable nowadays!

Belarus is a unique country which is known for its rich and colourful heritage and culture. Places, people, myths and legends all come together to tell us stories that fascinate and inspire. They provide vital clues about our past and are therefore vital to our present and future. The birthplace of Chagall, Tadeush Kostsiushko, and Zhores Alferov, Belarus is full of customs and traditions, many with a very long history.

The best starting point for travelling, I think, is Grodno. Besides, Grodno is the first city on the way from Europe.

Grodno is our ancient and ever young town. It’s an eye-witness of many events that happened in it and its surroundings. The history of Grodno is in its architecture, in the names of its streets and squares, in its monuments. On the right bank of the River Neman you can see an imposing building of the Old Castle, many churches and cathedrals which are the architectural monuments of the past, the relics of the past.

Great past of Grodno is connected with the world famous names —August Ponyatovsky, Stefan Batory, Knight Vitovt, Kastus Kalinovsky, Eliza Ozheshko, Maxim Bogdanovich.

Then I will advise to go along the road of castles to Novogrudok, Mir, Nesvizh. It’s impossible to visit the country and not to visit its capital. That’s why Minsk would also be an interesting point in your route. Such places as Polotsk and Vitebsk are connected with certain events and names. Our famous Belarusian guides will tell a lot of interesting things about the history of our country.

5.      What sights in our country belong to world heritage?

Belarus has four World Heritage Sites, with two of them being shared between Belarus and its neighboring countries. The four are: Mir Castle Complex; Nesvizh Castle; Belovezhskaya Pushcha (shared with Poland); and the Struve Geodetic Arc (shared with Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Moldova, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine).