1. Mir Castle
The Mir Castle Complex is one of the most important tourist attractions in Belarus. The residence of one of the richest and most influential dynasties of Europe, the Radziwills, inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List, is an outstanding example of defensive architecture of the 16th – 17th centuries. The complex is located in the village of Mir in the Grodno region of Belarus. One of the most beautiful in Europe, Mir Castle more than once became a picturesque backdrop for filming. Among the first was the film «Pan Tadeusz», shot in 1928 based on the famous poem by a native of Belarus Adam Mitskevich. Music and knightly festivals as well as arts and crafts festivals are traditionally held at the Mir concert venues.
2. Nesvizh Castle
Nesvizh Palace and Park Complex is a unique monument of architecture and landscape art of the XVI – XVIII centuries. The palace in Nesvizh with diverse architecture and the largest landscape park for centuries was the residence of the famous Radziwill family. Today, the architectural and cultural complex is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve «Nesvizh» is a hallmark of Belarus.
3. National Polotsk Historical
The unique historical territory, the monuments of which are protected, studied, restored and adapted to the museum exposition. The chronicle history of one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe begins with the first mention in 862 in the Tale of Bygone Years. This is the “cradle” of the Belarusian state and culture, the capital of the first princedom, the birthplace of the outstanding Slavic enlighteners Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Francis Skaryna, Simeon of Polotsk. The oldest city of Belarus carefully preserves its cultural heritage — majestic temples and Orthodox shrines, including the restored Euphrosyne of Polotsk Cross.
4. Palace of Rumyantsev and Paskevich
The Gomel palace and park ensemble, towering on the bank of the river, once belonged to one of the favorites of Catherine II — Count Peter Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. In the XIX century, the estate was bought by the famous commander Ivan Paskevich, who gathered here a rich collection of works of art and antiques. The last owner of the residence was Princess Irina Paskevich — the author of the first translation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace into French. Today, the palace museum presents more than 150 thousand original exhibits.
5. Augustowski Channel
The outstanding hydraulic structure of the XIX century, one of the largest canals in Europe, included in the preliminary UNESCO World Heritage List. There are only three such channels in the world: the Caledonian in the UK, the Göta Canal in Sweden and the Augustowski located in Poland and Belarus. In the 19th century, this man-made waterway connected the basins of the Vistula and Neman rivers, providing access to the Baltic Sea in the north and the Black Sea in the south.
6. Brest Fortress
The fortress was built in the XIX century, and during the Second World War it became a symbol of the Soviet resistance to the fascist invaders. On June 22, 1941, the garrison of the fortress received the first strikes of the German fascist invaders and for more than a month kept the defense in full surroundings. In the post-war period, the citadel received the honorary title “Hero-Fortress” for courage and heroism shown by the defenders of the fortress during its defense.
7. Belovezhskaya Pushcha
The National Park Belovezhskaya Pushcha is one of the oldest reserves in the world, the largest of the surviving parts of the huge relict forest of Europe. The unique natural area that unites Belarus and Poland is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition, Belovezhskaya Pushcha located in the Brest region is the largest of the four national parks of Belarus (the area is almost 153 thousand hectares).
8. Braslav Lakes National Park
The ancient glacier left in the Braslavsky Lakes in the Vitebsk region more than 10 types of relief, which became one of the main features of the region. Large and small lakes with bizarre shores, winding rivers, numerous islands (some of which had a fortress and a monastery in ancient times), glacial hills (oz and kams) — all this created conditions for rich flora and fauna.
9. Naroch
Naroch Lake is the biggest lake in Belarus. It’s a part of a system of 9 lakes, being a part of the national park along with pinewood forests and a number of rivers. The length of the park from north to south – 34 km, from west to east – 59 km. But the real treasure of the region are its lakes. The waters are crystal clear, located in the heart of nature, and it’s close to perfection if you want to spend a calm and relaxing weekend with water or hiking activities. Naroch National Park has about 30 routes for tourists, multi-day hiking, cycling and water trips suggested, 16 tourist sites are equipped on the shoreline. If seeing is worth a thousand words (and a couple hundred dollars) for you, in summer you can make a trip by helicopter and see the most beautiful places from a bird’s eye view. Hunting and fishing, spear fishing, diving tours are also organized in the park.
10. Memorial Complex Khatyn
The symbol of the tragedy and incredible courage of the Belarusian people, the memory of every third resident of the country who died during the Great Patriotic War. It is located 54 km from Minsk on the site of the village destroyed by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. Here on March 22, 1943, 149 inhabitants, including old people and 75 children, were martyred. The fascists burned defenseless people alive in a closed shed, and those who tried to get out of the fire were poured over with machine guns.