| Belarus Places - Extraordinary Excursions - Secret Student Societies |
| Tourism in Belarus - Sightseeing Belarus |
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The Place of the Personality Describing any interesting place in any country, we quite often refer to the outstanding personalities who have lived, worked, travelled, or even written a few lines about it. I guess, you've heard about the Los Angeles of Chaplin, San-Francisco of Jack London, Paris of Duma, London of Conan Doyle. This is exactly the thing that has inspired some enthusiasts to work out a new type of excursions across Belarus places known as a tour with an expert. In fact, tourists have a possibility to pick this expert from a list of Belarusian writers, artists, historians, journalists, and photographers. The format of the excursion can vary depending on the guiding personality: a writer can start your tour with a cup of tea and lines of poetry in a quiet but comfortable place, while a devoted photographer will bring you to the most picturesque places s/he has ever taken a shot of. Let me tell you about one of such excursions that gets us back to the 19th century. [belarus_travel_PhilomathesPhilarethes] History Tastes Like...Milk At the beginning of the 19th century, some secret student groups started to shape in the University of Vilnius. They called themselves Philomaths (those who favoured sciences) and Philarets (those who favoured moral virtues). The leaders of these groups included such outstanding Belarusians, as Adam Mickiewich, Tomasz Zan, Ignacy Domejko, Jan Czeczot. During the excursion dedicated to the secret student societies of Belarus you will be able to learn things that cannot be found in textbooks. The focal point of the excursion is a visit to the stone of Philarets near Tuganavichi mansion that is located between Baranovichi and Novogrudok. It was the place where students of Vilnya university spent their summer holidays. The members of the secret society gathered around the huge stone, reciting poems, debating about politics, and singing songs. In the same way, tourists can take on the role of the famous students and listen to the songs and poems by Czeczot, Mickiewicz, and Zan written in Polish and translated into Belarusian. During the breaks, the tourists enjoy drinking fresh milk. Drinking milk was one of the special features of the secret student societies, since milk was considered the symbol of purity. During the tour, the tourists will visit Stolovichi, Zaosye, Svityaz Lake, Valevka, Novogrudok, Schorsy, Korelichi, Voroncha, and some other places. |