Polotsk – Miory – “Yelnya” swamp

20:29 Departure

10:25 Arrival in Polotsk.  Moving to Miory.
In Miory we will walk along the embankment and the peninsula, we will see:
The Church of the Ascension of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in 1907 with icons of the XIX century. The temple was built in the Neo-Gothic style of red unpainted brick.
The Square of Fallen Fighters, where partisans and soldiers who died during the Second World War are buried.

Dinner. (Dry ration or complex).
Transfer to the waterfall on the Vyata River.
Yes, yes! In Belarus, there is also an opportunity to “drive to the waterfall”. Of course, this is the brainchild of human hands, not nature. In the middle of the last century, an artificial two-meter waterfall was built here, which increased the capacity of the local hydroelectric power station. The power plant did not last long, the structure quickly fell into disrepair, and the waterfall was soon chosen for recreation by locals and tourists. After all, it’s so great to listen to the sonorous ripples of water! It helps to relax and really relax in nature.

Transfer to the Yelnya swamp EXCURSION ALONG THE ECOLOGICAL TRAIL “Ozeravki-Yelnya”
The Yelnya Nature Reserve is 25,301 hectares of nature! This is the largest riding swamp in Belarus and the fifth largest in Europe! A wild, ancient place created for legends and fairy tales to be written about it.
Yelnya looks right into the tourist’s heart with 118 lakes and provides shelter for 130 species of birds, including such rare ones as the black-throated loon, white-tailed eagle and black stork. And the Yelnya are flocks of gray cranes that feed here before each migration season.
We will go deep into Yelnya! But do not rush to get the swamp traps, for tourists in the reserve there is an ecotrope — a wooden flooring that runs through the swamp. The length of the ecotrope is 1.5 km, it is the longest and widest in Europe! It passes through a transitional swamp, a riding swamp, a disturbed swamp and ridge-and-drainage complexes. There is a place to rest near the trail.
We will have a local guide with us who knows every hummock and blade of grass of the reserve.
We recommend wearing comfortable shoes, since the ecotrope is a four—layer wooden flooring (two layers of aspen boards from the bottom, and a transverse beam and another oak flooring from above). Be sure to bring a change of shoes and socks, most likely you will get your feet wet.

Return to Polotsk. Check-in at a hotel, estate, recreation center city or suburb.

Free time.

Overnight.

07:30-08:30 Breakfast.

Tour of Polotsk.

On the bank of the Western Dvina lies the city-patriarch of our Belarusian land. The excursion to Polotsk will begin with an acquaintance with the city itself and its numerous monuments. Polotsk has a centuries-old history, in which Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Prince Vseslav the Magician, thanks to whom the Polotsk Principality achieved unprecedented prosperity, and the first printer of Belarus, Francis Skaryna, played a role.

St. Sophia Cathedral and Organ Concert

Tour of St. Sophia Cathedral in Polotsk, which was destroyed to the ground, and later restored. Only the foundation remained of the original building, and in the 18th century it was rebuilt, but the architectural appearance of the cathedral has changed a lot. Now the temple is built in the style of the Vilna Baroque and is inactive today. There is a museum exposition here, and the unique acoustics of the interior space allows organ concerts to be held.

After visiting the entire museum exposition, there is an opportunity to enjoy organ music under the arches of the cathedral, with its rich gilding and beautiful stucco.

Set lunch in Polotsk.

Museum of Printing

The next point of the excursion program to Polotsk will be acquaintance with the history of books of Belarus. Leading a story about writing, one cannot help but recall the first printer Skorina, who brought a cultural breakthrough to our lands. The museum has an interesting exposition dedicated to book printing, writing and printing houses of different times and epochs. You will be able to learn medieval book production technologies.

Spaso-Euphrosyne Monastery

We will learn about the history of the great enlightener, Euphrosyne of Polotsk, in the monastery that preserves the relics of the revered saint. The Spaso-Euphrosyne Monastery is an active women’s monastery, consists of several temples and outbuildings. We will also touch on the topic of the Euphrosyne Cross, created by a jeweler, a genius of that time, Lazar Bogsha. Unfortunately, this artifact was lost during the World War.

18:16 Departure home Polotsk railway station

07:41 Arrival