The center of the region is Vitebsk, an ancient Belarusian city. The Town Hall is its architectural symbol. The Vitebsk Town Hall is surrounded by the unique architectural ensemble of the old city. There is a special feel about this place: you can see narrow streets, period houses, lanterns, golden domes of churches, the promenade and still waters of the Dvina. Guests of the city, tourists and travelers can enjoy a fine panorama of the city from a bird’s eye view (40 m), feel astonishing and breathtaking emotions.
There are unique land marks in Vitebsk. The Dormition Cathedral, Pokrovsky Cathedral, Mark Chagall’s house-museum, the Belarusian theatre «Lyalka» and many other sites draw tourists attention. The ancient cities of the region are Orsha, Braslav, Postavy, Glubokoye. They are well-known among the tourists as fortresses and shopping centers.
Vitebsk region has significant capacities for development of tourism. Cultural and historical heritage, stored up over the centuries, is of international concern. The ecological systems and natural landscapes, located on the territory of the region, are really unique.
On the territory of this region there are more than 3 thousand monuments of archeology, architecture, history, art and culture; about 1000 of them are included into the list of cultural and historical values of the Republic of Belarus. These are sites of ancient settlements, burial mounds, period country estates, magnificent churches, architectural buildings of the ancient cities of Vitebsk, Polotsk, Postavy, Glubokoye.
By the number of historical and cultural values, the region ranks second in the republic: 3 architectural monuments have «zero» (category «0»), the highest category of value (the Church of John the Baptist in the village of Kamai in Postavy district, Sofia Cathedral and the Transfiguration Church in Polotsk).
Vitebsk region is a special spiritual and cultural region, which geographically and historically is located on the confluence of cultures of Western and Eastern Europe. Here you can see amazingly beautiful temples, catholic and orthodox churches. There are almost 400 of them, 100 of which are monuments of historical and cultural heritage. The most famous of them are the Polotsk Spaso-Euphrosynievsky Monastery, Sofia Cathedral, the Catholic Church of St. Anne, the Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary, etc. The Transfiguration Church is included in the preliminary UNESCO World Heritage List.
It is also worth noting the unique catholic church of John the Baptist in the village of Kamai in Posavy district, which is a real small castle-fortress, the so-called defense-type temple. Its architecture implements the forms and techniques of defensive architecture, Gothic and Renaissance. The church is unique as it was built in 1603-1606 and has not been closed since its foundation even in the Soviet period. There are 118 items of historical value and it is also included in the preliminary UNESCO World Heritage List.
With its spectacular beauty and diversity, the nature of Vitebsk region has favorable conditions not only for memorable rest, but also for effective treatment. Vitebsk region is famous for both the Braslav Lakes National Park and the Berezensky Biosphere Reserve, as well as health care centers, which provide the widest range of services for the treatment and rehabilitation of respiratory organs, digestion, diseases of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system, gynecology and urology.
Today in Vitebsk region there are 109 health-resort and health-improving organizations for 5,317 year-round places (9 health resorts, including a children's one, a rehabilitation and health-improving center for children, 2 health-improving complexes, 31 recreation centers, 69 units of other types of health-improving organizations).
If you want to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of rest and complete internal relaxation, you should definitely visit the health resort complex «Plissa». This spa complex provides its visitors with services at the highest level, combining a professional approach with the latest methods of recovery and treatment with the help of highly qualified medical personnel and unique natural medical sources.
One of the best places for rural recreation is the Farm House «Khutor Yodishki», where guests can enjoy absolutely clean and natural products of the farm and try homemade pancakes, sour cream, milk, veal, etc. The visitors can not only taste but also buy the purest meat, dairy and vegetable products. The owners of the farm «Khutor Yodishki» will take you to an unforgettable tour around the farm, and a professional guide will conduct an excursion to the iconic places of the Braslav Lakes.