Brest is a border town in the southwest of Belarus. Its history dates back to 1019, when passing merchants founded a temple called Berestye at the intersection of ancient trade routes. This settlement was a stronghold of Kievan Rus on the borders of the Polish-Lithuanian possessions. In the following centuries, the city experienced many wars and more than once passed into the possession of neighboring states. Now it is a developed regional center and a major transport hub. Brest has something to show tourists.
Brest Fortress
This building is a visiting card of Brest. The fortress was built in 1842 by the Russian military to strengthen the borders of the empire. During the Second World War, this bastion was one of the first to take the blow of the enemy troops, and the garrison showed courage in frustrating the plans for a lightning invasion of the German army.
Near the fortress there is a museum of railway equipment, where fifty steam locomotives and diesel locomotives of different countries and eras are collected in the open air. All of them have been restored and are in working order. The oldest of them is over a hundred years old.
The heroic past of the defenders of the fortress is immortalized in museum exhibits, monuments, and a lot of military equipment has been collected. In this historical complex, everything is done to preserve the memory of the tragic events of that time.
The archaeological museum "Berestye" is located near the fortress. In its center there is an excavation of an ancient settlement of the 12th century with a fragment of a shopping street, and stands along the perimeter of the museum tell about the life of the ancient townspeople. The building also has shops with souvenirs and literature for tourists.
On city streets
Guests of the city are recommended to take a walk along the most beautiful pedestrian street in Brest - Sovetskaya. There are many shops, cafes, restaurants, monuments, there is also a cinema, there are 19 old lanterns with kerosene lamps, which are lit and extinguished by a lamplighter dressed in an old-fashioned uniform. The time when the lights come on is shown by a special clock. Here, tourists can visit the Winter Garden, which presents the flora of three climatic zones - tropics, subtropics and desert. In this kingdom of greenery, you can order an excursion and video shooting, take interesting photos. In the evening, the garden is beautifully lit.
In the museum of saved historical values, lovers of antiques can look at the exhibits confiscated by Brest customs officers from smugglers: collections of icons, Chinese porcelain items and originals of valuable paintings.
Tourists with children take excursions outside the city to Belovezhskaya Pushcha, to see the estate of the Belarusian Father Frost. Crafted by skilled woodcarvers, this fairytale character's abode is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. There is also a nature museum in Pushcha, which houses many realistic stuffed animals and birds, and there is also a small forest zoo.
