Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in the Vitebsk Region

“Zdravnevo” Ilya Repin Museum-Estate

The museum is located in an incredibly beautiful wooden tower house, in the place of the former estate of the artist Ilya Yefimovich Repin, created in 1988 as a branch of the Vitebsk Regional Museum of Local Lore. The complex of the museum-estate includes the main manor house, which accommodates a memorial exposition consisting of 6 halls, the manager’s house, a cellar, a pond, and part of a linden alley.

The museum-estate often hosts meet-the-artist events, exhibitions and plein airs of contemporary painters. Also, you can buy here souvenirs and works by Vitebsk artists. And a magnificent view of the Western Dvina greets you from the observation deck.

Address: the museum is located near the Ruba settlement, 16 kilometres to the north of Vitebsk and 2 kilometres from the Minsk-St. Petersburg highway.

The ruins of the Bely Kovel Smolyany Castle

Bely Kovel Castle in Smolyany is the residence of the Volyn Sanguszko princes, built in 1626 in the Renaissance style on the border of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia.

In the 17th century Bely Kovel became the cultural centre of the country. Due to its location at a large road on the way from Moscow to Europe, it was visited by many eminent guests and greeted by hospitable hosts. One five-tiered central tower and the touching history of the castle have only been preserved till present after the destruction during the northern war.

Do not forget to see the ruins of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Smolyany.

Address: Smolyany settlement, Orsha district, Vitebsk region.

City of Polotsk

Polotsk, founded by the Krivichs in 862 at the confluence of the Western Dvina and Polota rivers, is the oldest city in Belarus. And there are so many attractions here that you can’t visit them all in a week.

Tourist attractions in this city include the majestic St. Sophia Cathedral with one of the best concert halls in Europe and a magnificent organ, and the Savior and St. Euphrosyne Convent, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Cathedral of the Epiphany, and the Red Bridge. The National Polotsk Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, the house of Peter I and the monument to the letter “ў” in F. Skorina Avenue are worth visiting. The monument was erected to do honour to the pronunciation of this letter, since it is believed that only Belarusians can pronounce this sound correctly.

Kozyansky Reserve

Do you want to see space landscapes in Belarus? Then this is the right place for you! The Kozyansky Reserve is located on the border of the Shumilino and Polotsk regions, the region is notable not only for its special natural landscapes, but also for its unique ecosystem. You can see here red-listed species of plants, animals and birds.

Address: Vishnya settlement, Shumilino district, Vitebsk region

Miory region

The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Miory is too beautiful for words. Take a peep into its courtyard and make a walk along the picturesque beach promenade.

A new blogging trend must not escape our attention. The eco-trails of the Yelnya swamp guarantee the most beautiful views that make the heart soar.

Miory also hosts the annual Zhuravli & Zhuraviny festival.  

Vitebsk

The city of Vitebsk arose on the way “from the Varangians to the Greeks” at the confluence of the Vitba and Zapadnaya Dvina rivers. The city is very attractive for tourists. Be sure to go up to the observation deck near the City Hall, from here you can enjoy an amazing view of the city centre, take a walk along the Suvorov pedestrian street – “Vitebsky Arbat” and feel the atmosphere of the Chagall city. It is here that you will find many souvenirs with reproductions of his paintings, you can buy arts-focused literature in an art centre and bookstores, and also experience an undulating topography of Vitebsk, which was the main inspiration for the artist who created flying people and animals hovering in mid-air.

Vitebsk hosts numerous international festivals and holidays. Visitors to Belarus begin their acquaintance with the land of lakes and incredible nature from Vitebsk and its most beautiful cathedrals.

There are so many tourist attractions in the Vitebsk region, that are the landmarks of Belarus that it is impossible to describe them all in one article. Braslav lakes, Berezinsky biosphere reserve, cities and towns soaked in authentic history and preserving unique architecture - go get acquainted with the most cultural region of Belarus.