Monuments of culture and tourism
Kamenetzkaya Tower,
Kamenetz town
Photo by Vladimir Bazan
The history of man's influence on Belovezhskaya Pushcha is found primarily in Kamenetz, a town situated twenty kilometers from the forest. The town was founded in the XIIIth century by a Russian prince named Vladimir Volynsky. The town is renowned for the watch tower called "Belaya Vezha" or White Tower. This object is the major historical monument of the district which dates back to the thirteenth century as well. The Svisloch Forestry-administration, situated in the northern part of the Pushcha, owns the country estate of Count Tyschkevich, who participated in the Polish insurrection of 1830 - 1831 against the Czar from Russia. The Russian Czar used to travel to the village of Belovezha (the village of Bialowieza, which is nowadays situated within the Polish part of the forest) on the so-called "Czar Road". The path was situated from east outskirt of the Pushcha to west and up to date the original bridges from Czarist-time have been kept intact. However, the double headed eagles, the National Emblem of the former Russian Empire, that were present in the iron railings have been destroyed. Close to the center of the Pushcha a small village called Viskuly is located. In 1957 an attractive palace was built in this village, which was a summer home for the leaders of the USSR and later for those of the Republic of Belarus. In 1991 the village of Viskuly got the attention of the world thanks to the "Belovezhskoe Accords", which declared the official disintegration van the former Soviet Union. The independent republics were proclaimed here and the officials signed for the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
A complete list of objects included in the State Code of Historical and Cultural Values of the Republic of Belarus and located within the boundaries of the National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" and its buffer zone is given on the website of the National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha".
Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park is the important tourist center within the Republic of Belarus, while it has an exceptional potential on the reception of much greater numbers of tourists. Tourists are attracted by the exceptional natural and cultural values of the area as well as specific services set up for education and leisure. Tourists may visit a Nature Museum, fenced enclosures within the forest where they meet the large ungulates and well-appointed tourist routes (hiking, cycling, horseback riding, automobile) have been set up to explore the forest by foot, bicycle, horse or by car. The residence of Santa Claus is a popular tourist facility of the National Park. Staying overnight may be done by camping in tents on regulated sites as well as in comfortable guesthouses in picturesque locations or in one of several hotels. A restaurant is serving the national cuisine. Besides this there are tennis courts and other sites for sports, bathhouses with saunas, billiards and other facilities. The Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park is popular for conducting various kinds of conferences and symposiums, which includes very specific international meetings. The National Park offers conference halls for this purpose. Any visitor may return with original souvenirs.
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| Viskuly (Governmental Residence) Photo by Valentin Ezhelov |
Feeding house for bison Photo by Alexei Bunevich |
The estate of the Count Tyschkevich Photo from the Internet |
Tourism focused on hunting is a big activity within Pushcha. Scientific tourists meet a growing number of specific natural attractions within the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, as these experts of the park feed the international promotion and fame of the Pushcha. For decades many objects and large areas of the forest remained inaccessible for visitor, but Belovezhskaya Pushcha has grown out to an important center of ecological and cognitive tourism, as well as an excellent place for rest within the region of Brest. Under service of professional guides it is possible these days to visit and to see any "corner" of the forest.
In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of December 26, 2017, No. 462 “On the Establishment of a Visa-free Procedure for Entry and Exit of Foreign Citizens”, a visa-free procedure for entry and exit of foreign tourists to the National Park through the simplified border crossing "Grudki - Pererov" was open. Detailed information about this procedure is given on the website of the National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha".
* Based on information from the article by Heorhi Kazulka & Vasiliy Zhukov "The State National Park "Belovezhskaya Pushcha" is the oldest Natural Reserve in Europe”, published in the book "Belovezhskaya Pushcha at the Turn of the Third Millennium. Materials of the Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the Formation of the State Reserve "Belovezhskaya Pushcha". - Minsk, 1999. - pp. 16 - 33. (In Russian)
(With some modern data added.)
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