The first cross-border Belarusian-Russian tourist route is applying for financial support from the Union State

February 18, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. The first cross-border Belarusian-Russian tourist route is vying for financial support from the Union State. The project presentation took place today in Vitebsk at a meeting on cooperation between Belarusian and Russian ministries and departments for the development of tourism, physical culture and sports within the framework of the Union State, a BELTA correspondent reports. The route developers are the Republican Landscape Reserve "Osvyeysky" (Verkhnedvinsk district, Vitebsk region) and the National Park "Sebezhsky" (Pskov region of the Russian Federation). The tourist route runs along rivers and a canal connecting both territories. Once, merchant Novinsky's boats moved along this route to the Baltic Sea. In honor of the pioneer, the route was named "Merchant Novinsky's Trade Route". The length of the tourist route is currently 45 km. Travelers are on the road for 2.5 days, with meals, accommodation, and designated stops organized for them. According to the project developers, this route is already known to active recreation enthusiasts and is gaining popularity. In order to attract a larger number of tourists to the regions and diversify types of recreation, for example, by adding a cycling route, it is necessary to equip additional parking lots and recreation areas. Based on the experience of joint work by Belarusian and European recreation organizers, it can be assumed that the project's cost will be around $100,000. The "Osvyeysky" Reserve is a large complex of lakes, forests, transitional and raised bogs. Its area is over 27.7 thousand hectares. Since 2002, the reserve has been granted the status of a wetland of international importance (Ramsar site). Within the boundaries of the reserve, 164 species of nesting birds have been recorded (36 species are listed in the Red Book of Belarus). The lake and surrounding areas are a place of constant concentration of wetland bird species during the spring-autumn migration period. The reserve is also home to 3 species of mammals (brown bear, badger, lynx) and 16 species of plants listed in the Red Book. Among rare plants, botanists highlight hybrid forms of black alder and grey alder, tall forms of Karelian birch, a large population of small yellow pond lily, and the rare relict carnivorous plant Aldrovanda vesiculosa. The "Sebezhsky" National Park is a specially protected natural area of federal significance, established in 1996. It covers an area of 50 thousand hectares on the watershed of the Western Dvina and Velikaya river basins. It consists of numerous lakes connected by rivers and streams. 700 plant species have been recorded in its flora. Rare and endangered bird species are found there, including the black stork, osprey, short-toed snake eagle, and white-tailed eagle. -0-