A Tourist's Dream: Why You Should Visit the Horadok District

Local authorities have identified this area as one of the promising directions for the district's development, as more than half of its territory is covered by forests, lakes, and rivers, and it also boasts numerous historical monuments. Therefore, the region is attractive to hunters and fishermen, adventure seekers who can take unusual photos as souvenirs and emulate Indiana Jones's feats, or try to find rare and endangered plants such as the Northern Lily or Water Chestnut.

In Gorodok region, 14 tourist routes have been developed, including those within the "Korytinsky Moss" state environmental institution, which encompasses several nature reserves. A visitor center has been opened there for nature and active recreation enthusiasts. Recently, a rental point for tourist equipment and boats was established on Lake Lugovoye. Water and hiking trips are organized.

It is about 45 km from the Belarusian-Russian border to the district center. The road has a good asphalt concrete surface, though not very wide, but you won't experience significant problems as traffic is not too heavy. Speed cameras are installed, so it's best to adhere to the speed limit. This will give you time to look around. Magnificent views of well-maintained fields and forests open up on the sides, and villages are encountered along the way from time to time. However, there are also quite a few empty houses. The problem of dilapidated housing is relevant for the district, and local authorities are actively working to reduce their number.

In autumn, along the highway, which is used by many potential Russian buyers, there is brisk trade in harvested crops – from fruits, vegetables, and berries to pickles.

On this section of the highway, you can see the building of the former post station, a historical and cultural value of the first half of the 19th century. You can also taste a real delicacy – a grape snail dish – at the "Grape Snail" agro-ecotourism estate, have a snack at the Yezeryshcha cafe, and drink spring water. You can visit military burial sites from the Great Patriotic War.

If you want to spend your weekend or vacation in the Gorodok region, there will be no problems with accommodation: there are hotels in the district center and Yezeryshche, travelers are offered log cabins, a bathhouse, barbecue facilities, hunting, and fishing. You can also relax comfortably in a wild camping style: there are several spacious, well-maintained gazebos at the edge of the forest. Refueling will also not be a problem: there are gas stations.

In addition, I am sure that many tourists visiting the Gorodok region would be interested in seeing with their own eyes the burial mounds of the 9th-13th centuries, ancient human settlements of the 3rd-2nd millennia BC, stone crosses, huge boulders, a giant oak tree, and lake-ichthyological and hydrological reserves. Of course, many attractions can be found in the settlements themselves. For example, in Gorodok, there is a local history museum, a center for crafts and culture, a beautiful central square, the "Immortality" memorial complex, original monuments and religious buildings, and a ski-roller track in the picturesque Vorobyovy Gory. Near the border with Russia, on the peninsula of a local lake, there are traces of an ancient castle.

It is regrettable that most of these magnificent natural and historical riches are not so easy to find. On the website of the district executive committee, where travelers are most likely to seek information, you can find the "Tourism and Recreation" tab and familiarize yourself with the available infrastructure. However, the information is presented dryly and without an interactive map, on which one could examine the object and plot a route to the village. There is a web resource "Tourism of the Gorodok District," but it also does not greatly stimulate the desire to visit this region.

Another tourist destination is the export of medical services. Russians are frequent visitors to the central district hospital, where they can undergo a wide range of procedures, thanks to the sufficient number of qualified doctors and modern equipment. Also, in the village of Kholmer'ye, there is a rural district hospital famous far beyond Belarus. Experienced manual therapists work there, whose hands patients from different countries suffering from hernias or back and joint pain dream of getting into. However, again, you will not find any signs of the institution on the highway.

"Vitebskiye Vesti". Photos from the newspaper's archive and open sources.