Some Figures

  • In 2000, the reserve was established to preserve the unique natural complex.
  • Forest occupies about 30% of the territory of the reserve, shrubs — about 4%, and meadows — about 6%.
  • There are 4 main routes.
  • 25% of the territory of the reserve is covered with water.
  • You can find more than 480 floral forms in the reserve.
  • The fauna includes 9 species of amphibians, 5 species of reptiles, 164 species of birds, and 30 species of mammals.

The Founder of the Reserve and His History

Igor Romanyuk is the owner of this territory (its area is slightly more than 30 thousand hectares). He used to work as an engineer, but once he realized that it's much better and much more useful to protect forests. So he decided to go in for tourism and forest restoration. Then he was invited to work in Osveisky reserve. Igor Grigoriyevich fell in love with the beauty of its lakes and decided to stay there. More than six years have passed since then.

Reserve and His History

Today five people work in the reserve. All of them actively promote the reserve to increase the number of tourists visiting it.

Du Island: Why Did Its Inhabitants Disappear?

Du Island is the heart of Lake Osveyskoye. And it has not always been uninhabited. Until the 1970s, it was full of life.

The island was divided into four parts: Birulino, Vaskovo, Tsikenevo, Loskovo. They were named after their owners, and before that, tribes roamed there. In order to navigate in this large territory — the area of which, by the way, is five square kilometers — people gave each place a certain name, which was associated with it. For example, bumblebees constantly flew over the Shmelevka field, and you can find honey even under the earth surface.

Du Island: Why Did Its Inhabitants Disappear?

Before the war, there were 72 houses in the village. But all of them were almost destroyed by the Germans. That is why people had to build the houses from scratch.

The infrastructure was pretty simple: there was just one store, an elementary school where children from the first to the fourth grade studied together, and a collective farm.

Surprisingly, the village people rarely needed a doctor; they were very independent and friendly.

The people began to leave the island voluntarily: mainly because of the children who wanted to continue their education in the city — nobody could transport children by boat every day.

Over the years, there was nothing left on the island but trees and an abandoned power station.

Of course, the island began its new life pretty soon: today a natural trail is being built there and new ways of tourism development are being invented.

What Can You do in the Reserve?

There are different types of routes: water (Osveisky and Lisniansky cruises), walking, and car routes.What Can You do in the Reserve?

In the immediate future, saunas, hotels, and a tourist site will be built on the territory.

Moreover, hunting tourism is popular there because, according to the Belarusian legislation, it is allowed to hunt in reserves.

And on the top of that, you can enjoy incredibly beautiful views that definitely deserve to be photographed and remembered for the rest of your life!

If you have been looking for a cozy and modest place, where you can stay alone with your thoughts, or, vice versa, leave and forget all your troubles for an indefinite period, Osveisky reserve is what you need.