BELARUS ... DON’T PASS UP THIS OPPORTUNITY

Belarus is the only country not on the Baltic Sea coast that we provide services to. It has strong ties to our Lithuanian heritage, when for over 500 years it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Lithuanian Polish Commonwealth.

This country currently is not among the most popular destinations and one of the reasons is the recent political situation in the country. However the country is safe, reasonably clean and you can expect adequate levels of service and amenities when you travel there. Belarus is easy to reach from Lithuania; Minsk, the capital located in the centre of the country is just 200 km away from Vilnius and gives the appearance of one of the cleanest cities in Europe. It was almost totally destroyed during World War II so the city was entirely rebuilt, not reconstructed after the war in the Stalinist style with wide boulevards, large squares, impressive buildings and includes a small old town that was recreated akin to Warsaw’s Old Town. One shouldn’t miss the Minsk central market, to see how an economy can live without shopping malls, where the variety of goods (mostly food) and the hospitality of the merchants are unforgettable.

When it comes to wars, whether it is WWI or WWII, the Napoleonic War, the Northern War with Sweden or even the Tartars they all happened here in Belarus. There is plenty of history of the Russian Socialist revolution here too. There are numerous World War II monuments in the proximity of Minsk so anyone interested in military history will find many places to explore with countless tanks, artillery and other memorabilia of those turbulent times. Don’t miss the especially impressive WWII Stalin Line fortification just 50 km west from Minsk.

Belarus has a rich Jewish history as well. The World renowned painter Marc Chagall was born and grew up in Belarus and his family home is now a museum in Vitebsk.

There are plenty of XII-XIV centuries Castles left in Belarus. Most of them half destroyed. Some (Mir, Nesvizh, (On the World Heritage List) Zaslauje, Lida, and Kamianec) are reasonably well preserved. Mir Castle is just one of the many former residencies of the famous Lithuanian Radzivill family. Today it is a residence of the college of architectural restoration.

You can still find XII century Orthodox Churches in Hrodna, Mahilyow, Polatsk, Novogrudok, as well as many beautiful and mighty Catholic Churches (XIV-XVI cc.) well preserved in Hrodna, Vitebsk, and Vidzy.

Belarus is the only place in the world where, close to Brest is a national park "Belavezha, you can see Belarusian Zoobr or European Bison in its natural environment. This park, on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is shared between Belarus and Poland and is probably the last piece of primeval European forest. Typical landscapes include pine and mixed woods, and small hills (the highest point of Belarus - Navahrudak is 300m above the sea).

A one or a two night break from Vilnius will give you preview of a completely unknown area and will bring a better understanding of a lifestyle under the former Iron Curtain. Maybe it will even encourage you to make your next trip completely dedicated to Belarus.