Duration: | 2 Day(s) - 1 Night(s) |
Tour Category: | Heritage Tours |
An absolutely interesting tour of the history of Belarus. You will see the capital of Belarus Minsk and the first capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Novogrudok, the medieval giant Mir Castle with its luxurious interiors and fabulous Dudutki - the place where folk masters cherish the ancient traditions of Belarus.
Day 1: Minsk City Tour
During the tour, you will see the face of the city, what makes the Belarusian capital “identical” to other European towns – it's wide avenues and cozy streets, a variety of architectural ensembles and parks, modern sports centers, and many many others. For its long history of existence, the city was repeatedly destroyed and burned, but every time it was reborn and rebuilt. Nowadays Minsk is a modern European metropolis with a multimillion population. It is rapidly developing and becoming more beautiful, combining the grandeur of the heritage of antiquity and the innovative thought of the present.
You will see: Privokzalnaya Square (visual inspection), Independence Square, Nezavisimosti Avenue, Svobody Square, Ruins of Minsk ancient castle (visual inspection), Trinity Suburb, National Library of Belarus, Island of Courage and Sorrow, A sports complex Minsk-Arena (visual inspection)
Tour to Dudutki
Dudutki's ethnographic complex is located 40 km far from Minsk.
In this place, you will feel the life of the ancient gentry manor of the XIX century and the convenience of a modern tourist center that offers to the visitors: Ethnographic gallery featuring the items of the 18th-20th centuries, a Handicraft yard (straw and willow weaving), Pottery (museum of ceramics), Woodworker’s shop, Blacksmiths shop of the 19th century, Creamery, Bakery, Brewery (a vodka brewing shop), Shed with vintage cars (Zim, Chaika, Horch, Willis, Volkswagen Beetle, Ganomak, Fiat Topolino, Chrysler), Windmill in the Dutch style (built-in 1903-1905 by brothers Mikhail and Ivan Polyakov's), Wooden church of John the Prophet, Stable with pedigree horses, a pony, and a donkey, Zoological gardens (with cows, goats, pigs, rabbits, poultry), Ostrich farm.
All the exhibits can be touched, tried, and felt!
Day 2: Mir Castle
Visiting Mir Castle
Tourists come to see the idle grandeur of the medieval giant from different corners of the planet. Mir Castle is one of the most important tourist attractions in Belarus.
The Mir Castle Complex built at the beginning of the 16th century was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000. The successful blend of Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance architecture makes Mir Castle one of Europe’s most impressive castles. However, it is worth paying attention to the very place - it is at least a century older than the castle and has no less interesting history discovered by archaeologists.
Only in a few years of excavation there were found treasures, the remains of the town hall, the gate, the potter's horn, and the potter's house of the 17th century. The secrets of ancient times will be open to you at this fascinating place! You will see: Holy Trinity Church in Mir (visual inspection), St. Nicholas church in Mir (visual inspection), Mir Castle Complex, Chapel-burial vault of the Svyatopolk-Mirsky family
Lunch. Going to Novogrudok (50 km)
Novogrudok is a town with an old and rich history located in the Grodno district, The town is considered to be one of the most ancient cities in Belarus. Time of its basis historians carry to Х century when Novogrudok was the residence of princes of Grand Duchy Lithuanian and the large trading-craft center.
Novogrudok was within Poland-Lithuania until the third partition of Poland (1795), when it passed to Russia, from 1842, and a county capital in the province of Minsk. It reverted to Poland in 1921 but passed to the Soviet Union in 1939. The town occupies a favorable geographical position attractive to tourists from Belarus and other countries it is located 150 km from Minsk, Vilnius, and Grodno, and 160 km from the city there passes a border with Poland.
There you will see:
St.Michael the Archangel Church, an architectural monument built in the Baroque style. Originally the temple was a part of the Dominican monastery.
St. Nicholas Cathedral or, as it is called St. Nicholas Church, was built in Novogrudok as St. Anthony”s Catholic Church in the Franciscan monastery in 1780.
Adam Mickiewicz”s house is a museum located in Novogrudok in the place where the parents of the famous Polish-Belarusian poet, publicist, and public figure were living.
The ruins of the ancient castle are one of the main attractions of Novogrudok - the first fortification, which history comes from the middle of the XII and the place where numerous historical festivals are held nowadays.
Parish Church of the Holy Transfiguration of Lord Jesus Christ in Novogrudok - the architectural monument of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Returning to Minsk (150 km). Transfer the railway's station in Minsk or to the National Airport