The story of this article began with a single photo. I wanted to tell you about wild horses freely roaming the Nalibotskaya Pushcha (but then I decided that it would be too wasteful to devote an entire text to them alone).
So I started remembering other places that I had rarely talked about before. And some time later, I got this article with 20 very unusual (and even niche) ideas on what to do in Belarus.
There will be…
- Half-forgotten palaces, where chamber concerts are held today;
- Protected islands and lakes covered with legends about prehistoric monsters.
There is also a psychiatric hospital turned into a museum, candlelit concerts in the middle of a real forest and places where you can experience the history of Belarusian whiskey.
Photo from Lumenem Orchestra’s social media.
In general, today I will try to show you Belarus as you did not know it. Are you ready to be surprised? Then go ahead – let’s not waste time.
Idea No. 1. Enjoy the magic of unspoiled nature (and walk with wild horses)
I am writing this article in the summer, when such routes become especially popular. Some agencies arrange kayaking trips along the quiet rivers of Belovezhskaya Pushcha…
Others take tourists to The Osveisky nature reserve and the protected island of Du, which is the largest in Belarus. People once lived here, but today only the remains of village huts, abandoned farms and a cemetery where roe deer roam freely remind of those times. You can only get here by boat, so such a trip would be almost an ideal destination for those who are looking for peace. There are practically no people here – only the remains of abandoned houses, the wind that shakes the heather, and dozens of representatives of wild fauna (from wild boars to white-tailed eagles).
Photo from the website 34travel.me . The author of the pictures is Tanya Kapitonova.
I think such a trip would be a great idea for anyone who loves protected areas. But to be honest, it’s quite difficult to get to the island without a guide.
An easier option for unity with nature is to rent a house in one of the unusual places in Belarus. For example, it could be the Malinovka farm, where guests are offered to spend the night among the Narochan forests in historical huts of the 19th century
Or the “Hunter’s House” in the “closed” village of Kadysh (a few kilometers from the border with Poland). You can only get here with special passes, so there are very few people here. But right next to the house there is the Black Gancha River (one of the cleanest in Belarus) and a large field where wild animals walk peacefully. You can view all the details on the website of the Grodno forestry (grodnoleshoz.by ).
In the meantime, I’ll go ahead and tell you about the wild horses that roam freely in the Nalibok Forest. The easiest way to meet them is near the Syabrinsky Crossroads eco-trail, as well as near the villages of Gonchary, Belokorets and the Tyakovo tract (about an hour from Minsk).
Conics are very curious and they calmly go to people. But (!) you need to communicate with them very carefully, since horses are (still) wild and can bite. Get ready that they will beg for food with the whole herd and at the same time in the most brazen way. This summer they have become one of the informal attractions of Nalibokskaya Pushcha. And videos of them going out to the highways and calmly climbing to cars literally flooded all social networks.
Idea #2. Feel the atmosphere of mysticism and mystery
There are dozens of places on the map of Belarus that are somehow connected with stories about the supernatural. In Minsk, this is the Monastyrsky Hotel, where during the reconstruction they found secret passages and the remains of a monk immured in one of the walls of the former monastery.
And in Nesvizh remains such a place the famous castle, where legends about the Black Panda have been told for many years in a row. Recently, night tours have been held here, during which the actors tell the story of the palace, transforming into that mysterious ghost. You can read more about them on this page.
Photo from the official website of Nesvizh Castle
However, my personal favorite in the world of Belarusian mysticism is still “Blue Lakes is an ancient wildlife sanctuary that is featured in the media almost every year in connection with various mysterious stories. Here, for example, is an online report about a prehistoric monster that was (allegedly) seen in the depths of the local Lake Bolduc. And here is an article by the Vitebsk Courier, telling about UFOs and mysterious lights over Dead Lake.
Photo source — golubyeozerabelarus.by .
I didn’t know myself, but it turns out that the Blue Lakes Nature Reserve remains a true Mecca for all Belarusian connoisseurs of mysticism. If you like something like this, you should definitely visit these parts.
I wrote more about the local legends in this article. Read it if you have time.
In the meantime, I’ll tell you about the Grodno project.”Secrets of the City”, which is a cross between a city tour and a theatrical production.
For everyone who comes to Grodno, this is a great way to get acquainted with the history of the city and at the same time plunge into the atmosphere of mysticism and mystery. There will be the “ghost” of a nun outside the walls of the Brigitte Monastery, and the “Plague Doctor” floating in clouds of smoke, and dark stories about medieval knights…
You can read all the details on this page. Along with night tours of Nesvizh Castle, this is one of the most unusual tourist projects in the Republic of Belarus.
Idea No. 3. Discover something new
Belarus has its own “Necromancer’s Pyramid“, standing in an old cemetery in the small town of Uzda…
And the Polesskaya village of Pare, whose name is inextricably linked with the legends of vampires and boneheads. The peculiarity of these places is a strange burial ritual, during which the graves are covered with massive aspen decks so that the dead cannot rise from the ground. At some point, these places became very popular. At least, among those tourists who went to the neighboring Pinsk.
However, even without the vampire village, the capital of the Belarusian Polesie is a great option for a short trip.
The towers of the Franciscan monastery rise here right by the shore of the Pina, and paintings by Aivazovsky and Yudel Pan are kept in the building of the former Jesuit collegium. The Polessky Theatre is known for the best productions of Pinsk Gentry in Belarus, and the local pedestrian street is considered one of the most beautiful in the country.
When I first came to Pinsk, this city was a real discovery for me. And the fact that the capital of Polesie is not even included in the top 10 (!!!) The most popular cities of the Republic of Belarus still seem to me to be a universal injustice.
If you have never been here, be sure to correct this misunderstanding. And in the continuation of the text, I will tell you about several more interesting places that, if not forgotten by tourists, are definitely worthy of more attention from them.
These include, for example…
- The Holy Palace near Grodno, where in July, after restoration, a new building and halls with rare (“tempera”) paintings of the XVIII century were opened;
- There are also noble palaces in Zhilichi and Krasny Bereg. They are located next to each other, and therefore perfectly fit into a single route. Inside, coffered ceilings, golden columns, and even tiled stoves from the mid-19th century have been preserved.
But despite this, there are very few tourists here. Even in the summer, even on weekends, only 12 people gathered for our own tour in two weeks! On the one hand, this is strange and unfair. But this has its own advantage. Imagine how great it is to walk through the gilded halls without the crazy crowds of tourists.
Excursions to Zhilichi and Krasny Bereg from Minsk can be found here.
Idea No. 4. Concerts in the forest and musical evenings in an abandoned manor
In continuation of the palace theme, I will also write a couple of lines about the Umyastovsky estate in the village of Zhemyslavl. Today, the complex is in an abandoned state. The roof partially collapsed there. The plaster on the walls was cracked. But the complex itself still retains the stamp of its former greatness.
Photos from social networks — @darya.voyager and @gmah_hunter.
In addition, a team of volunteers has been working with him since recently, who constantly fill the palace with interesting events. There are theatrical tours and colorful reconstructions of ancient rituals. Guests are taken boating on the manor lake, and the palace itself is rented out for photo shoots. (For example, the summer clothing collection LC Waikiki was recently presented there).
Photo from the social networks of the musical group @zvonku_band.
But personally, I especially remember the Baroque concerts that are held by candlelight in the deserted halls of the Umyastovsky Palace. At such momentsThe manor is filled with a special magic. And even the desolation of the old walls only adds to the charm of such evenings.
All proceeds go to the preservation of the palace. You can view all the details on social media at @gmah.hunter.
Other parts of Belarus also have their own cool music projects. For example, in Brest, the Euphoria orchestra has become a real star, performing symphonic hits in old cathedrals…
And the musical project Lumenem has gained popularity in Minsk, which regularly organizes concerts in the forest, in shooting hangars and other creative venues. Performances are held by candlelight. And the basis of the repertoire (as well as the orchestra Euphoria) consists of neoclassical hits by John Williams, Ludovico Einaudi, Hans Zimmer and music from famous films.
If you manage to get to a concert of one of these bands, do not give up this opportunity.
You can view the poster on social media @lumenem_ and @euphoria_musicproject.
At the end of the topic of informal art, we can also recall the former psychiatric hospital in the agro-town of Zhodishki, which was bought out by local enthusiasts and turned into a free gallery called Vobraz.
Photo from social media — @daynaredfox.
This place is VERY atmospheric. For fans of empty corridors (and “Islands of the Damned”), this is just the thing.
Idea No.5. Dugouts of the partisans and the history of Belarusian whiskey
I have already written once that Belarus has recently become an excellent destination for industrial tourism.
- Kommunarka tells children about the history of Belarusian sweets;
- BelAZ shows how legendary cars from the Guinness Book of Records are assembled;
- And Lida Beer and Alivaria are putting historical buildings in order, turning their productions into a real world of beer.
But I have already written about these places many times. Therefore, today a couple of lines about the “industrial capacities” of Belarusfilm. There are also guided tours of the film sets here (but to be honest, they are not particularly interesting). Another thing is the so–called “Smolewood“. A huge film set is about half an hour from Minsk (near the town of Smolevichi). For the ridiculous price of 5 BYN, you can climb through partisan dugouts, German dugouts, fake mills, and even walk through a 17th-century village (though not a real one).
Photo from social media @bike_travel_belarus. The author is Alexander Tarasevich.
At various times, such films as “The Dnieper Frontier”, “Anastasia Slutskaya”, “1612” and a number of other films were shot here. From time to time, locations are rebuilt, and the site itself is closed. But usually it’s not difficult to get there.
Continuing the theme of industrial tourism, we can recall a couple more iconic places. For example, about…
- Granite quarries in Mikashevichi, famous for their waterfalls and cold alien landscapes;
- And the Minsk Tractor Plant, which looks like a real city within a city.
Many good reviews can be found about the oldest distillery in Belarus, which is called “Naroch“. Recently, it has also been actively attracting tourists. Some people come here to look at the old rubble stone buildings (1845). Others – for the sake of branded tastings and lectures on the history of Belarusian whiskey.
Today, Naroch distillery produces more than a dozen spirits, including gin, tequila and calvados. But she is known primarily for her two products.:
- Narochansky “folk” moonshine;
- And the only single malt whiskey in Belarus (NARACH Single Barrel).
Photo from the distillery’s social media.
Recently, the company has become very popular among tourists, bloggers and professional photographers who have come to love this place for its mysterious twilight and cinematic halls with endless rows of wooden barrels. If you also like unusual sights, you can take a closer look at this place. You can read all the details about the excursions here.
And now I just have to say goodbye. The article turned out to be unusual (after all, not every tourist will decide to travel to abandoned islands and abandoned psychiatric hospitals). But I am pleased to think that she shows our country in a slightly new light. Anyway, thanks for reading my text to the end. I hope you were able to get ideas from him on what to do in Belarus.
