Summer seems to be a great time to travel around Belarus. It’s also a great and unique opportunity to fill the gaps in knowledge about the national culture, history, and everyday life of the Belarusians.

If you are tired of your routine city visits and bored of having fun playing blackjack game online in famous Belarusian casinos, we have prepared great material especially for you.

We have selected seven Belarusian ethnographic complexes in the open air, where you can go for a weekend.

Nanosy-Novoselie Ethno-cultural Complex

The Nanosy ethnocultural complex is located in the heart of the Narochansky National Park on the shore of Naroch Lake. The village of the XIX century is located on the only natural peninsula, which goes deep into the lake for 2 km, surrounded by the richest pine forest.

Nanosy is a unique ethnocultural complex on the shore of the Naroch Lake, where the time flows more slowly, the food tastes better, the relatives are closer to you and the surrounding colors make you feel like in a fairy tale.

And what an emotionally saturated recreation you can organize: horse riding classes, and riding along the Naroch Lake, attending an equestrian circus performance, riding a yacht or a boat, photo sessions, sauna, visiting the museum of bread and the museum of samovars.

Guests of the Nanosy complex are offered a rich program to get acquainted with the life of the village of the 19th century:

Samovars and Coins Museum

The Nanosy complex probably has the biggest collection of samovars in Belarus: from tiny to huge, from copper to gold ones.

Made at different factories, they had very different prices even in those old days: from cheap ones for peasants to expensive ones for merchants and landlords.

Museum of Bread and Rural Life

In this museum, you can see a functioning water mill, see the millstones that grind grain into flour. You can taste homemade sourdough bread that is made in the oven. 

Museum of Retro Cars, Observation Tower With a Moonshine Museum

At a distance from the main buildings of the complex, there is an observation deck built in the form of a windmill. On the first floor of the windmill, there is a museum of stills, more than fifty of them: from big to miniature, from the simplest to more complex. Most of them were made during the Soviet times in Belarus.

There is also a riding arena and stables in the territory of the complex.

Experienced grooms will teach you how to take care of your horses: learn not to fear or frighten them, feed them, brush their hair. You will be taught to harness your horse, both for horseback riding and for riding in a phaeton.

Prices:

Community House – Accommodation with three meals a day – 560.00 BYN

Rates include:

• Accommodation in a lodge in the chosen category;
• three meals a day (menu to order);
• sauna services.

Meshchansky House – Accommodation with three meals a day – 1 065.00 BYN

Price Includes:

• Accommodation in the cabin in the chosen category;
• three meals a day (made to order menu) ;
• sauna services.

How to Get There

By private transport GPS coordinates 54.8627444, 26.7151029

By public transport – Organization of transfer from the Minsk-Passazhyrsky railway station and Minsk National Airport

Learn how to get from Minsk National Airport to the city center

Sula Park-Museum of Interactive History

If you want to touch the border of time, to learn about the historical past of Belarus and not to be a bystander observer of the events of those years, but to feel yourself a direct participant, then at your service rest in the country Sula Interactive History Park-Museum, which is located 50 km from Minsk.

It is a reconstructed historical stratum: architecture, life, and even leisure in the complex are offered to spend time according to the traditions of a bygone era.

In the complex there are five comfortable houses: BOUTIQUE HOTEL, which has 7 rooms, “House of the Economy” with 8 rooms and one extra room without a bathroom, VIP-house “Outhouse” and “Viking House”, which are fully rented, and also “Lenski House” with 19 rooms.

Each house is a separate story, a separate world with its own architecture and atmosphere. In spite of the fact that the houses preserve the spirit of the past, some of them are the fruit of painstaking restoration, each one is equipped with modern conveniences for a comfortable long-term stay.

Leisure activities at the country complex near Minsk are varied. Guests are offered a ride on one of the beautiful horses kept in the local stables, a helicopter ride, and, moreover, a master class in piloting or even a training course. Agree, a rare opportunity: to combine relaxation in the manor house and learning to drive a helicopter. But here it is possible!

Not far from the farmstead flows the Sula River, where you can not only fish and swim but also feel like a real Viking, riding on the Drakkar – a special ship of these brave warriors. You can also visit the sauna, rent a barbecue, ride a quad bike and order the organization of the holiday. The farmstead near Minsk organizes excursion programs for both adults and children.

In the country complex “Sula Interactive History Park-Museum” a wonderful, full of the most vivid emotions and allowing to plunge into the depths of centuries is waiting for you!

Price per Person per Day:

From 20 USD

Per House per Night

on weekdays – From 39 USD

on weekends – From 39 USD

How to Get There

1. Minsk – Dzerzhinsk (highway M-1, Minsk-Brest) – Rubezhevichi – v. Dzyavgy – Sula (65 km to Sula). From the ring road on the highway M-1, Minsk – Brest you go about 30 km. Go to the right on the highway to Dzerzhinsk. Near the gas station, go to the right in Dzerzhinsk. Go through the park (on the right side), behind the park, turn right. Drive straight ahead until you reach Rubezhevichi. In Rubezhevichi take the 1st left turn and then the main road to the right. Drive straight till Dzyavgy. Then at the 1st turn on the right, behind the forest sign, turn right.

2. Minsk (highway M-6, Minsk-Grodno), turn to Dzerzhinsk until the sign “Pansky Mayontak Sula” – turn right to the v. Verniki – v. Putchino – v. Yurkovichi – v. Lipki – v. Tiskovschina – v. Rudzevichi.

Dudutki Museum of Old Folk Crafts and Technologies

In Dudutki the main emphasis is on ancient occupations. What craft you would have had to learn if you were born a few centuries earlier? Perhaps you would have become a blacksmith, a miller, or a border. How did people live in a world where there were no IT people, how did they make a living, and what did they fill their leisure time with? Which craft brought a large income, and who was a middle-income earner? About this and much more you will learn in Dudutki.

Prices of Visits to the Dudutki Museum

The complex is open from Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. From Monday to Thursday the museum is closed. Entrance to the complex with dogs is prohibited.

The cost for different categories of visitors:

• For adults – 14 Belarusian rubles (BYN).
• For schoolchildren – 7 BYN.
• For preschool children – free of charge.
• Excursion services – from 20 BYN per person in groups of 4 and more.
• There is an opportunity to ride a horse – 5 BYN for one round, or on a carriage – 7 BYN for one round (up to 4 people).

The hotel Ptich works for guests. The cost of a double room starts at 60 BYN per day. On the shore of the river Ptich there is a guest house where up to 10 people can rest in comfort. The cost of the rent is 530 BYN per day. You can use the Russian bathhouse (up to 5 people) separately and it costs 250 BYN for 3-4 hours. You can use the camper parking in the summer period. The cost per day is 26 BYN.

How to Get There

The museum complex Dudutki is located at the address: Ptich village, Puchovichi district, Minsk region. You can get here by public transport by suburban buses, which depart from the bus station Tsentralny, located in Bobrujskaya street, 6-1. There are three daily departures to Dudutki: at 9:45, 13:16, and 17:05. Note that the last bus arrives to the territory of the museum complex after its closure. Back in the direction of Minsk, buses leave at 11:15, 14:41, and at 18:35. The trip time in one direction is about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

You can get to the museum Dudutki by car. From Minsk, you should take highway P23 in the direction of Slutsk. At the 38th kilometer on the left side, there will be a turn in the direction of the museum complex, there is a sign “Dudutki”. You should go through the village of Novopolje, then at the first crossroads turn right. The driver can use the following GPS coordinates: 53.596029, 27.684187.

Strochitsy Museum of Rural Architecture and Life

That is a place where locally tried to recreate the place of life of people in a particular region at a particular time. Moreover, in Belarus, as compared with the rest of the world, such complexes were opened quite late. The Museum of Strochitsy received its first visitors in 1976.

The museum of architecture and everyday life will tell and show you in what conditions lived in different regions of our country in the XIX-XX centuries. For example, you will learn how huts were built in Central Belarus, Poozerie and Podniprovie, what was the street layout, interiors in houses and household utensils.

Prices

The price of the entrance ticket for adults – 7 white rubles, for pupils and students – 4 white rubles, for children of preschool age and privileged categories of citizens – free of charge.

Tour service – from 6 to 125 Belarusian rubles.

The museum exhibition is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm. The ticket office closes half an hour earlier. On Monday, Tuesday, and public holidays the museum is closed.

How to Get There

• By public transportation:

From the bus station “Yugo-Zapadnaya”

Bus № 203 – to the museum territory;

buses 402, 363, 277, 325, 357 go to the bus stop “Turn to the museum”;

by suburban buses from Minsk in the direction of: Gorodishche, Dubentsy, Kalinin’s collective farm, the Western cemetery go to the bus stop “Turn to the Museum”.

• By car:

From the Moscow Ring Road along the Menkovskoe tract behind the “Malinovka” auto market to the village of Ozertso, behind the village of Ozertso turn at the sign “Museum”.

GPS coordinates: 53.829070, 27.375442

Dukorski Maentak Museum Complex

The difference of this ethnographic complex from the previously described is that you can safely come there with children. Adults will be impressed by the museum values and delve into the intricacies of ancient crafts, while kids can climb on the rope town, go to the zoo and spend time in an environmentally friendly playground.

The most recognizable and hyped exhibit at the Dukorski Maentak is the upside-down house. “Ellie’s House,” as conceived by the architects, was dropped upside down by a hurricane, and also at an incline. As a result, walking through its rooms with furniture hanging from the ceiling is a real challenge for many visitors. Not everyone is able to stay inside – many people’s vestibular apparatus begins to malfunction. So, going inside, you need to be prepared for the most unexpected reactions of the body. But, judging by the popularity of this attraction, visitors are not afraid of surprises. The lodge is a real hit in Dukor.

Working Times and Prices

Manor Park complex “Дукорский маёнтак” is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 18:00. Entrance to the territory of the estate stops at 17:00. The day off is Monday. The cost of admission tickets and services:

• The entrance ticket on weekdays – 10 Belarusian rubles, for children 7-18 years – 5 rubles.
• The entrance ticket on weekends – 14 rubles, for children – 7 rubles.
• The cost of tours – from 13 to 40 rubles per person.
• Free entrance for children under 7 years old, disabled groups 1 and 2, the Heroes of Belarus and the Soviet Union and veterans of WWII.
• Horseback riding – 4 rubles.
• Riding in a brisket – from 8 to 25 rubles.

How to Get There

There are several ways to get to “Dukorsky Maentak” from Minsk by public transport. At the stop “Mogilevskaya metro station” take a bus “Minsk-Pravdinsky” or take a route cab “Minsk-Maryina Gorka” or “Minsk-Druzhny”. Get off at the bus stop “Dukora”. Then go along Minskaya street till the crossing with Pervomaiskaya street. Turn left and go along Pervomajskaya Street. In a kilometer and a half, you’ll turn right in the direction of museum complex. You can also get to Dukora farmstead by buses that leave from Avtozavodskaya bus station.

By car, you’ll leave Minsk by the M4 highway in the direction of Gomel. In 11 kilometers you turn right to M5 highway. In 16 kilometers you will reach the village Dukora. On the territory of the agro-farm, you’ll have to drive along the main road. At the exit from the settlement, you will see a sign “Dukorsky maątak” on the right side. Turn right and after about 1 kilometer you will reach the parking lot of the museum complex.

Stalin Line

This historical and cultural complex is one of the most grandiose fortification ensembles in the country. Here you can visit exhibitions of Soviet military equipment and armament, explore trenches and DOTs, not only shoot with de-alerted weapons but even knock out an enemy tank or cannon from a Soviet tank! On its territory, battles with the participation of reenactors regularly take place.

How to Get To the Stalin Line

The most convenient way to get to Stalin’s line is by car.

Take the mini-bus №700-T in Molodechno direction to the stop in the v. Loshany – Stalin Line. The bus runs from 6 am to 8 pm, about once every 20 minutes. But it won’t be easy to get from the Stalin Line to Minsk.

If you come to Minsk not by car and plan to visit the Stalin Line complex, it is more convenient to take an organized excursion.

Stalin Line: Ticket Price

The ticket price to enter the Stalin Line Museum is Br10 (~ $5) for adults and Br5 ($2.50) for pupils and students.

In addition, if desired, you can pay for a guided tour of the museum – 25 Belarusian rubles ($ 12.5) for a group of 1 to 5 people.

On the territory of the complex there is a large paid parking lot – 2 white rubles (1 dollar) per car.

Zaslavl Historical and Cultural Reserve

It was founded by the decree of the BSSR Council of Ministers on December 31, 1986, on the basis of the complexes of immovable monuments of history and culture, interconnected by history, landscape, and presenting a special scientific, architectural, artistic, and cultural value. The additional word “museum” appeared in its name only in 1997 under the Decision of the BSSR Council of Ministers “On Declaring the Historical and Cultural Reserve “Zaslavl” as a Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Zaslavl” (IKMZ “Zaslavl”). Later, in accordance with the decision of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee of 23.07.2001. – It was renamed the State institution Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Zaslavl”. 

Today the Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Zaslavl” is a complex system of objects and protected areas united historically, thematically, and functionally. Under the protection of the reserve, there are 113 hectares of the old part of the town, which includes such historical sites as the ancient settlement “Zamechek” (an archeological monument of the X-XII centuries), settlement “Val” with the former Calvin’s gathering (historical and cultural monument of the XI-XVII centuries), burial mounds of the X-XI centuries, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the second half of the XVIII century). There are about 16 thousand museum items in the funds of the museum-reserve which are formed into 22 collections.

Recently, the list of museum objects of the reserve has been enlarged. In July 2004 in Zaslavl it was the first in the CIS museumification of a permanent firing point (museum-DOT, authors of the exposition – V. Kaminsky, A. Rak) and in September 2005 the first in our country exposition devoted to the Belarusian mythology – Children’s Museum of Mythology and Forest (E. Bondarev, V. Kozlovsky) began to work. As part of long-term projects, the museum-reserve is going to update the issues of museumification of the ancient settlement “Zamecek” and the Castle of Zaslavl.

How to Get There

From Minsk, you can get by train, they go from the central railway station to Zaslavl every 30 minutes.

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