The Republic of Belarus is a country with ancient and rich history and original culture. It has a significant number of historical cities and towns located in its territory. Among them are such cities and towns as Novogrudok – the first capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russia and Zhemoit; Polotsk, Turov, Grodno – the centres of Slavonic principalities  of the 9 and 12 centuries; Mstislavl – the centre of a large voivodeship of the 16 century. Many towns has managed to preserve ancient temples and monkeries, castles and manor-houses that belonged to magnates of the Rezcpospolita and Russian Empire; architectural, historical and cultural monuments of a great value. Kamenets, Minsk, Zaslavl, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Krevo, Krichev, Gomel, Pinsk, Slutsk, Nesvizh, Slonim are the towns with a rich history.

 

 

· monuments of history and culture: historical centre Grodno, monuments of Polotsk, Nesvizh, the Mir Castle, defencive churches of Synovichi and Murovanka, the Brest Fortress, the Lida Castle, the Bobruisk Fortress, monuments of Pinsk, Slonim, Mogilev, Gomel, Mstislavl and Vitebsk;

 

· places connected with historical events of great importance: Novogrudok (foundation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania), Grodno (the second and third partitions of the Rezcpospolita), Polotsk (the centre of one of the most ancient Slavonic Duchies), Zhirovichi (place of a miracle-working icon location), Brest (the church union of 1596, the peace treaty between the Soviet Russia and Germany in 1918, a heroic defence of the Brest Fortress in 1941), Khatyn (a village burnt by fascists with its residents in 1943);

 

· places connected with outstanding names of history: A. Mitskevich (Zaosie, Novogrudok, the Svitiaz lake, Schorsy, Baltseniki, Tuganovichi), M. Oginski (Slonim, Grodno, Zaselie), E. Ozheshko (Milkovschina, Grodno, Ludvinovo, Zakozel), I.I. Domeyko (Medvedka, Schuhin), F. Skorina (Polotsk), Simeon of Polotsk (Polotsk), Thaddeus Kosciusko (Kosovo, Siakhnovichi, Grodno), M. Chagall (Liozno, Vitebsk), the headquarters of Nicholas II of Russia in Mogilev;

 

· museums: located in Minsk, Grodno, Vitebsk, Polotsk, Gomel, Mogilev, Brest, Slonim, Novogrudok, Baranovichi; museums of folk arts in Raubichi; museums of folk crafts in Vetka village, the Mir Castle; reserve of Yanka Kupala, Yakub Kolas’s museum of material culture in Dudutki village;

 

· centres of folk crafts and trade: glass making plants in Borisov and Berezovka, pottery and ceramics making plants in Ivatsevichi, Bobruisk, Motol village, wood painting and engraving in Ivenets, Budslava; wood incrustations in Zhlobin; flax braiding in Molodechno; weaving in Motol village; straw products manufacturing factories in Mogilev, souvenir manufacturing factories in Minsk, Brest, Pinsk and Gomel.

 

In order to preserve unique natural areas, preserve and multiply the number of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna, monitor environmental changes Belarus has created National parks, nature preserves, sanctuaries and natural monuments.

 

The National Parks include “Belovezhskaya Puscha”, “the Braslav lakes”, the Pripyat National Park and the Naroch National Park. Nature preserves are as follows: Berezino Biosphere Reserve and Polessie State Radiation-Ecological Reserve.

 

The national parks and nature preserves have been actively participating in the development of ecological tourism for the recent years, experimental forest hunting ranges existing at the reserves and national parks arrange hunting tours.