|
Tourism in Belarus -
Sightseeing Belarus
|
If you are planning a visit to a new country, it's very possible you are going to search for the most popular tourist attractions, places worth a visit, simply not to waste your time on something boring and also not to miss really fascinating spots. If you google Belarus attractions, you may come across a sight called 'Dudutki'. This place is often included in tourist routes developed for foreigners. Let's see, what Dudutki really is and why you might want to see the place yourself.
Idea comes first...
 In the early 1990s, Evgeniy Budinas, a writer and a journalist, introduced a concept of a 'living' museum, a museum where everything moves, works, and you can even try something yourself. The writer's idea was to revive the lifestyle of the national Belarusian household instead of putting old stuff on the shelves and telling long stories about it's great historical heritage (which is not bad either). An interesting thing is that the museum had to be financially self-sufficient, which meant not only the creation of a beatiful place for tourists but thoroughly thinking over the whole infrastructure and the people involved.As a result, Dudutki now can boast its own windmill, bakery, pottery, smithy, woodworking manufacture, and a farm.
The History of the Place
Dudutki was first mentioned in the famous Old Russian literary monument "Lay of Igor's Warfare" written in the 12th century. Seven centuries later, the famous Belarusian family, the Elskies, created here a cultural center dedicated to the national music, crafts, and history, which was also known in other European countries. During the Soviet peroid the history of the center was neglected, and only in the early 1990s when the publishing house Polifact gained 162 hectares of land in this area, people arranged new facilities (roads and electricity), bought cattle, built new houses without even thinking about opening a museum. Diligent and enthusiastic work of Polifact was not aimed at tourists, but as it often happens, the enthusiam inspired people to make something more out of the place and turn it into the so-called agro-tourism school of Belarus.
Dudutki Attractions
Now, we reached the main part, the attractions Dudutki museum offers its visitors. Here's a short list of what you can do in Dudutki:
1. visit a windmill and see the surroundings
2. take a tour around the craft workshops (learn about the technology of old woodworking, smithery, pottery, straw-weaving)
3. participate in the production process at the workshops
4. learn the history of Belarus from a guided excursion
5. try Belarusian traditional food (self-made bread, butter, cheese, herbal tea, harelka (bread and sugar vodka))
6. take a walk to the Zoo garden (look at ostriches, wild boars, deer), visit the horse stable, poultry house, farm
7. take a horse ride
8. rent a bike and take a ride over the surroundings
Our Rating: 7/10
Dudutki is a good example of an infotainment place - not only do you get acquinted with the history and culture of Belarus, but you can also relax, enjoy the nature, and communicate directly with the creators of the complex. A bit disappointing thing is a rather high entrance fee (around 8 dollars, excluding excursions) for adults, which stops many young people from visiting the museum. Another thing is that the place is 40 kilometers from Minsk and this implies certain travel expenses. But on the other hand, the place is worth a visit, even if you stay in Belarus for a couple of days only.
|
|
Tourism in Belarus -
Sightseeing Belarus
|
|
Belarus, the country in Eastern Europe, which today lies between Poland and Russia, has its own unique culture, traditions and history. This land has faced a lot of challenging events: the Tatars, Napoleon, Hitler, and many others… However, the Belorussians have survived; they have preserved ancient towers and castles, which are nowadays popular with tourists. Whenever you visit the historic sights, you can't but feel the heartbeat of Belarus.
The numerous dramatic events often made this heart beat faster, and they have also shaped the characteristic feature of Belorussians, who are not afraid of starting from scratch. It may be due to this fact that Belarus gave birth to many poets, artists, and scientists, rather than military leaders, for example, Francisk Skaryna, the printing pioneer of Eastern Europe, Evfrosynya Polotskaya, Tadeush Kostushko, the national hero of USA and Poland, Michael Ogynsky, the famous composer, Mark Chagall, the prominent artist, Heim Veitsman, the first president of Israel, and many others.
Till 1991 Belarus was part of the former USSR. The rule of the communist party made it difficult for many foreigners to travel around Eastern Europe, including Belarus. The long-lasting relations were almost abandoned: Belarus became unknown to the whole world. And again Belorusians felt no fear of starting from scratch.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, many positive reforms have taken place in the country. It could finally open its borders to everyone, willing to discover this unique country. And Belarus IS worth discovering. After exploring Belarus, you will definitely feel the harmony of culture, history, natural beauty and character.
|
|
|
