|
Belarus Cities -
Minsk Oblast
|
|
 Modern historians consider 1446 the year of Nesvizh's birth. That year the Duke of the Great Lithuanian Principality Kazimir IV Yagellonchik handed Nesvizh to Mikolai Yan Nemirovich. Almost a century later Nesvizh became the property of the Radzivills - the biggest and most influential family in the Principality. They owned Nesvizh for more than 400 years and made it the capital of their family estate, thus turning the town into one of the most successful and comfortable privately-owned towns in Belarus.
|
|
maps, sights and more info about Nesvizh in Belarus...
|
|
|
Belarus Cities -
Minsk Oblast
|
|
At the beginning of December most people in Belarus wondered whether on New Year's Eve there would be any snow. There was plenty of it and it looks like the tendency of frosty weather (about 15-20 degrees below zero) will please Belarusians till mid February.
(Hm... Looks like a small chocolate house..or the scenery of Dickens' novels. And a fantastic hedgehog!)
What does winter bring beside cold, snow, winter sports and New Year's resolutions? Certainly - easthetic pleasure. How? In the form of strange and beautiful icy monuments, the ones created either by nature or by human beings. The second version of ice monuments and cultures is now exhibited in Gorky Park, in Minsk. We decided to have a look at this wonderful scene and to present some pictures of snowy art.
Some facts. The exhibition (which is actually a competition) has not been popular in Belarus due to mild winters with the temperatures around zero. As soon as the weather conditions changed, the representatives of "Zelenstroi" (an organization, which takes care of trees, flowers, bushes, and grass growing and fostering in cities and towns of Belarus) bravely organized a competition of ice sculptures. There was no certain topic chosen, however, the competition itself implied the spirit of winter wonders, fairy-tales, and symbols of the New Year.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Belarus Cities -
Minsk Oblast
|
Minsk Botanical Garden was founded in 1932, but the substantial reconstruction took place only nowadays. After Alexander Lukashenka, the head of Belarus, visited the Garden in 1999, the reconstruction campaign of the Botanical Garden was introduced.
This campaign is to be finished in 2010, however there is still much to be improved.
One of the main evaluation parameters for any garden is the number and the variety of plants, which can be found there. The Central Botanical Garden in Minsk can boast more than 10 000 taxons, and the collection is constantly enlarged.
The most frequent guests of the Botanical Garden are school children and students, nevertheless, today the visit to the Botanical Garden is often included into the travelling tours around Minsk.
For instance, tourists from Syria and UAE are especially interested in such excursions, as there are many difficulties with planting in their countries.
Today the Botanical Garden offers an excursion to lemon greenhouse. The exhibition of citrus fruit is the only of its kind in Belarus. The collection embraces 25 sorts of lemons, 5 sorts of mandarins, 4 sorts of grapefruit, and 3 sorts of oranges.
In 2007 the new tourist attraction was introduced at the Botanical Garden, flower exhibition, covered by the huge glass dome, where the special temperature and humidity conditions are preserved. There one can enjoy more than 500 species of exotic plants. It feels like you are having a walk along the tropical rainforest, with bananas and agaves hanging over your head. Without leaving the exhibition, one can have some rest at the cozy café, which offers a wide variety of herbal teas. Although in winter most outside exhibitions are not so interesting, the tropical plants are in full blossom during winter time.
The representatives of the Belarusian tourist agencies state, that it could be a nice idea to set up a small shop, offering some small packets with tea, herbs, some fruit, or small jars with honey, as everyone, who visits the Botanical Garden (especially foreign visitors) would be delighted to purchase these small souvenirs. As we have put it, there is still much to be added to Minsk Botanical Garden, nevertheless it is really worth a visit!
|
|
|
|
|
|
