Visit the beautiful country of Belarus while taking your Europe Tour. The country is surrounded by many countries like Russia in the north and east, Poland in the west, in the south is Ukraine and towards the north is Latvia and Lithuania. Minsk is the capital of Belarus. The country has a rich cultural heritage and history. Discover Belarus while you are in Europe.
The history of Belarus is very ancient and has been ruled by many kingdoms, principalities, duchies and dictatorships. All these have left a mark on its culture, food, customs and traditions. Some of the important Tourist Destinations in Belarus are Vitebsk, Grodno, Brest, Mogilev, Gomel and Bobruisk.
History of Belarus
In the 6th century the East Slavs settled in Belarus. These people formed the state of Kievan Rus' with the Varangians which was founded in 862 AD. Later when the Prince of Kievan Rus', Prince Yaroslav the Wise died, this state was divided into numerous independent principalities. All these principalities were incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1410, the Duchy along with Poland fought and won against the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Grunwald.
The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were joined in union through a marriage of their rulers on February 2, 1386. Later in 1569 this union transformed into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This union ended in 1795 and the commonwealth was divided between Prussia, Austria and Imperial Russia. Imperial Russia took over the Belarusian territories and kept it till the World War I.
On March 25, 1918, Belarus formed the Belarusian People's Republic and declared its independence. It became the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1919. The country became the founding member of the United Nations in 1945. The country declared itself a sovereign nation on July 27, 1990 and adopted its Constitution on March 1994.
Geography of Belarus
Belarus is located at an elevation of 162 meters above sea level. This country is in East Europe and one third of the country is forested. The country has a flat terrain and the highest point is the 364 meters Mount Dzyarzhynskaya and the lowest point is at 90 meters on the Neman River. One third of Belarus's south is covered by a swampy plain which is known as the Belarusian Woodland or Palyessye. Also one third of the country is covered by unpopulated forests called pushchy.
Climate of Belarus
Belarus's climate is temperate continental. Winters range from 105 and 145 days while summer extends to 150 days. The average temperature is -6 degrees Celsius in winter while in July the temperature is around 18 degrees Celsius.
Culture of Belarus
The culture of Belarus is rich and features a number of World Heritage Sites. Some of these are the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Mir Castle Complex, Struve Geodetic Arc and the Niasvizh Castle. While talking the Belarus Tours you can take part in a number of events and festivals. Some popular Festivals and Events in Belarus are Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk, Arts for Children and Youth, Competition of Youth Variety Show Arts, Muses of Niesvizh, Minsk Spring, Slavonic Theatrical Meetings, International Jazz Festival, National Harvesting Festival, and the National Festival of the Belarusian Song and Poetry.
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