The Types of Tourism in Belarus

When speaking about tourism potential of Belarus, it’s important to mention that it is mainly based on natural diversity and beauty and unique historic and cultural heritage including thousands of tourism objects of historic, cultural and architectural value, memorable places connected with the names of world’s outstanding historical and cultural figures.

Cultural tourism (or culture tourism) is the subset of tourism concerned with a country or region’s culture, specifically the lifestyle of the people in those geographical areas, the history of those peoples, their art, architecture, religion(s), and other elements that helped shape their way of life. On the territory of Belarus there is a number of ancient towns such as Polotsk, Novogrudok, Turov, Grodno, Nesvizh and many others. In many towns there are numerous temples and monasteries, palaces, castles and other monuments of architectural, historic and cultural value.

Four architectural monuments that situated on the territory of the Republic of Belarus are included in the List of UNESCO World Heritage: Castle complex ”Mir“ situated in the village of Mir (Grodno region), architectural and cultural complex of the Radzivilles at the town of Nesvizh (Minsk region), Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Brest region), the Struve Geodetic Arc (a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through ten countries and over 2,820 km).

Nowadays the most popular excursions are connected with cultural, ethnographic and historic heritage of Belarus, such as “Budslav-Glubokoe-Mosar”, “Dudutki”, “The world of small towns” (Ivenez-Rakov). Rehabilitation tourism (also called medical travel, health tourism or global healthcare) is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of traveling to obtain health care. From the almost forgotten folktales and ancient legends the deep-rooted belief in the healing power of nature is becoming stronger and stronger in us, the children of the hi-tech age.

And this belief isn’t so naive. Belarus actually possesses a variety of resources for the development of therapeutical and rehabilitation tourism. The fund of healing resources including a complex of climatic factors alongside with mineral water springs and medicinal peloids facilitates the treatment of quite a range of diseases. In Belarus the background for developing this type of tourism is rather rich. There are many mineral water resources, therapeutic peloids, speleo, climatic and phytotherapeutic resources.

This potential is used by various sanatorium-and-spa institutions on the territory of Belarus. There are more than 300 sanatorium-and-spa institutions including sanatoria, recreation centers, vacation houses, rehabilitation centers for children. The most popular sanatoria are “Naroch”, “Radon”, “Belaya Rus”, “Ozerny”. Recreation centers of republic importance are “Vileika”(the largest in Belarus), “Berezino”, “Stolbzy”, “Ivenez”. You can try the more active way of restoring your energy and fitness, unless the quiet sanatorium surrouding suits your rhythm of life.

There are several tourist centers that serve the aim of health resumption. They are «Narochanka», «Vysoky bereg», «Braslavskie ozyora», «Lesnoye ozero», «Beloye ozero», «Losvido», «Orta», «Sozh», «Nieman». Belarus has all the facilities for those who is used to the active way of life and is fond of being challenged by hiking, cycling, horse and water travelling so you can choose what suits you more for having a good time and rest. Belarus has a gentle nature, virgin woods and calm, blue eyes of the lakes and endless fields stretching as far as eye can follow.

Water tourism is becoming the most enjoyed one in Belarus, the country with more than 20 thousand rivers and 10 thousand lakes. Lakes Naroch, Svityaz and Braslav Lakes, the rivers Narochanka, Villia, Ysloch, Nieman, Shchara, Prypiats, Berezina are extremely popular waterways among the tourists. There great prospects for the water tourism will become available due to the launching of the project on the water canals of XVIII-XIX cent. restoration. They are Avgustovsky, Ogynsky canals of the Berezina water system.

What is more the Dnieper-and-Bug canal will be facilitated with tourism infrastrucrure. And for this restoration the ancient waterways of polish kings and the legendary way “from Varagian to Greek” will come to life. The abundance of easy waterways will acquaint you with a range of main sights of the country let alone bring you a delight of rafting. There are the east to west and north to south itineraries. Another favourite itinerary that enjoys the popularity is a hike to the special nature reserve “Golubye ozyora” (Blue lakes).

The scenery of the two sapphires of the lakes Gloublya and Gloubelka that unfolds magnificently when you stand on the observation ground makes you stop and stare. Belarusian roads invite everyone to have amusing bike rides. This means of transport makes you feel free and careless, feel the touch with nature not breaking its fragile balance. Besides the bike-routes within the country there are some from Germany and Poland to Russia and the countries of the Baltic Sea.