Despite being the 84th largest country in the world, Belarus is not a popular tourist destination. While it’s well known among the Europeans, not many tourists from other parts of the world heard about it. However, thanks to new visa regulations and beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belarus that you absolutely must visit, this situation is about to turn around. And though the country has many other impressive landmarks, four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belarus are our main focus at this time.
HERE ARE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN BELARUS YOU MUST VISIT:
Cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belarus
1. Mir Castle Complex
Mir Castle Complex is the first monument in Belarus that attracted global attention. It was inscribed on UNESCO’S World Heritage List in 2000. The castle represents a mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles. Its construction started at the end of 15th century. Initially, the Mir Castle included only element of the Gothic style. However, later other architectural styles paved their ways to the complete look of one of the greatest UNESCO Heritage Sites in Belarus.
2. Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh
The Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh is simply known as the Nesvizh Castle. One of the most popular UNESCO Heritage Sites in Belarus, the complex was built in the 16th century. From the time of its completion, the castle influenced the architecture of Central Europe and Russia. It also got its name as one of the centers of science, art and architecture of Eastern and Central Europe. The Nesvizh Castle consists of residential castle and the mausoleum Church of Corpus Christi and encompasses ten interconnected building surrounding six-sided courtyard.
3. Struve Geodetic Arc
Next to the Nesvizh Caste, the Struve Geodetic Arc ended up on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. One thing though differentiates this landmark from other World Heritage Sites in Belarus. The Struve Geodetic Arc is a separate element in a chain of survey triangulations spread over ten countries. The Struve Arc played a significant role in the astronomy. It represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian, which later helped to establish the exact size and shape of Earth.
Natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Belarus
4. Białowieża Forest
The Białowieża Forest or Belovezhskaya Pushcha is a large primeval forest located on the border between Poland and Belarus. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992 as an extension of the Białowieża National Park in Poland. The only natural World Heritage Sites in Belarus, the Białowieża Forest encompasses 141,885 hectares of land. It’s home to vulnerable species of the European bison along with other protected mammal species, birds, amphibians and reptiles.
