Cretaceous quarries in Belarus rest. Belarusian "Maldives. The locals in the quarries never swam
Chalk quarries near Volkovysk have become the most popular “wild” attraction of Belarus in a very short time. “Wild”, since in fact quarries today are a technical object, and not a tourist one. But lovers of "tent" rest have long expressed their opinion and refuse to see "Belarusian Maldives" because of the presence of a prohibition sign, they categorically refuse.
As soon as they don't call chalkpit near Volkovysk: tourist mecca Belarusians, the Belarusian Maldives, the most popular attraction of the Volkovysk region, a paradise for photographers... The unique landscape and bright turquoise water have made the quarries popular and loved by tourists.
Today, the chalk quarries near Volkovysk occupy an area of 300 football fields.
What do tourists do in chalk quarries, besides admiring the stunning landscapes, swimming, eating barbecue and singing songs with a guitar by the fire? First, chalk quarries - paradise for fishermen(many careers are dammed with fish), secondly, paradise for divers(finally they do not need to fly to the Red Sea or the Maldives to practice their hobby), thirdly, paradise for adventure lovers(steep slopes and great depth quarries provide this). IN Lately and domestic pop stars have chosen chalk quarries to shoot videos for their songs (and why not? You don’t need to spend money on the Maldives, and the landscapes are no worse!).
As you might guess from the name, chalk was once mined in the quarries near Volkovysk. Over time, the used quarries are filled with water. At the same time, some amount of chalk still remains at the bottom of the quarries, therefore water and acquires such a beautiful color - from azure to bright turquoise, even emerald. The landscape is complemented by high steep banks overgrown with young trees, and huge boulders and pieces of silicon, more like meteorites. In general, there is a feeling of fantasy, unreality, even somewhere surrealistic of the picture called "Cretaceous quarries near Volkovysk."
Chalk quarries are actually located near the urban village of Krasnoselskoye (hence the second name - Chalk quarries in Krasnoselsky). By the way, few places in Belarus have such great tourism potential as Krasnoselskoye. After all, only in 2012 it was visited by about 100,000 unorganized tourists! But the chalk quarries are not the only attraction of Krasnoselsky. From the lessons of history, everyone knows the name of the village of Krasnoselskoe. After all, it is here that the oldest silicon mines in Belarus are located, where primitive people mined valuable rock for the production of tools about five thousand years ago. True, today the unique shafts-wells are mothballed. And the project to open the museum has been collecting dust on the shelves for more than a year. In the same way, the idea of building a campsite around the chalk pits, opening food outlets, creating equipped parking lots and beaches, organizing tent rentals, including chalk pits in tourist routes. After all, it is precisely such sights as the chalk quarries in Krasnoselsky that can bring a decent income.
the site visited the chalk quarries near Volkovysk in 2014. Watch our colorful reports "Right off the bat" and look for answers to your questions:
Is it necessary to spend half of the annual income and fly by plane to wonderful paradise islands when there are such amazing places in the Republic of Belarus? Really fabulous landscapes, looking at which, you understand that all the colorful pictures from the Internet simply fade, and all this is a creation of human hands. Yes, it is, the chalk quarries, now abandoned, have become popular resort for a huge number of tourists. Many locals we are sure that you can have a good rest in Belarus. No, about the fact that there are many beautiful rivers and lakes, many people know, but such places, as if from the Bounty advertisement, are definitely impossible. No, perhaps this is exactly how chalk quarries appear to admiring glances today.
Location
More recently, almost no one has heard about rest in these places. Then inquisitive travelers making hiking, stumbled upon amazing blue Lakes, surrounded by snow-white shores, which are overgrown with fluffy Christmas trees. So chalk quarries began to gain popularity. It grows every year, now only lazy people have not heard about careers near Volkovysk, it’s painfully beautiful here, real paradise. We will try to tell you in detail where they are located so that the road is easy and pleasant.
Probably, you need to start with the fact that the Krasnoselsky chalk quarries are a huge territory. That is, it is not one or two lakes, but a huge number of them. There are hundreds of them here, but only those that have been dug recently are of particular interest to tourists. Their main charm is the stunning azure color of the water. This phenomenon is observed if the quarry has only recently been filled clean water. Literally next season, it will become completely normal, so you need to seize the moment.
Impression
It is strongest in those who see chalk quarries for the first time. Everyone wants to take a photo here, and people try to guess the moment so that the sun's rays fall on the water surface, so it's best to capture a stunning blue color against the backdrop of white shores. Reviews usually converge with each other, people see photos that other tourists put up, but do not believe that this can be very close, in Belarus. When tourists come here for the first time, they understand that this is heaven on earth, and it does not exist at all on earth. exotic islands Moreover, it was created by man.
How to get there
Let's talk a little more about where the chalk pits are. First of all, you need to find Volkovysk on the map and move in the direction of it. The very first quarry is located just along the way, before reaching the building materials plant. However, don't be discouraged if you don't have your own car. You can take an exciting adventure. Gather a friendly company and hit the road. Chalk pits are waiting for you. How to get there by public transport, we will now consider. From Minsk to Baranavichy you can get by train or by train. Then you need to make the way to Volkovysk on a diesel engine. Finally, get a ticket for shuttle bus to the village of Krasnoselsky. Before reaching it, you will need to get off in front of the Novoselki village. A charming journey on foot awaits you.
The history of these places
We have already said that this miracle appeared thanks to the efforts of man. It is here that large deposits of chalk are located, the production of which is carried out by the industrial giant - OJSC Krasnoselskstroymaterialy. It produces various building mixtures, so that chalk is still being mined, thanks to which new quarries regularly appear. In general, it is very difficult to get lost here, the gigantic production can be seen from afar, the entire road to Krasnovelsk follows this landmark. And further, to the very quarries, you will see huge trucks that take out chalk, and the whole road, signs and trees around are covered with chalk dust.
Danger
When tourists hit the chalk quarries, a souvenir photo becomes just an obsession. Everyone is trying to capture not only fantastic nature, but also themselves against its background, and therefore put themselves at risk. Every year, several people die here, which the authorities are concerned about. Apparent mountain scenery- this is nothing but sands that can easily collapse and bury under them. Steep banks sometimes reach 40 meters, and this whole wall can collapse overnight. And the depth here is up to 50 meters. In addition, the water warms up by no more than 2 meters, so diving, you can experience the consequences of a sharp temperature drop. A large number of bacteria in the water also poses a certain danger to humans. Therefore, do not forget why the chalk quarries were dug. The area of tourism and the sphere of industrial extraction of chalk are very different from each other, and the engineers hardly thought about the safety of bathers.
Pros and cons of local recreation
Here is a very interesting unusual nature. Stunning azure water surface, snow-white shores - all this creates an interesting landscape. However, tourism is not provided here, so vacationers are forced to sunbathe where they have to, on steep banks overgrown with moss and mixed forest. You will need to go down to the water along a steep slope without steps. No beach infrastructure, lifeguards and doctors. At the height of the season, a lot of tourists rest here, which means a pleasant company, as well as occupied places on convenient sections of the coast, a lot of abandoned garbage, muddy water, because a large number of bathers raises from the bottom of the admixture of chalk.
Live a century - be surprised for a century. Such parting words can be given to tourists arriving in Belarus. Here they will find such an exotic, which, perhaps, is not found anywhere else. And indelible impressions, positive emotions - this is what is required.
Maldives near Minsk
Many people are amazed by the trip to the chalk quarries (Belarus). The photos selected for the article confirm that this is, in fact, a miracle.
Five or six years ago, no one knew about them. And there was no pilgrimage on personal cars or public transport to the area of the city of Volkovysk. But in a very short time they started talking about it loudly - it became fashionable. And this is the mystery. For chalk quarries (Belarus) are an industrial object, and not a tourist one at all. Will you go to sunbathe and swim, for example, in the territory controlled by a brick or tractor factory? And here there are more than enough people.
magical fossil
A very long time ago, a chalk deposit was found near Volkovysk. Almost a hundred years ago they began to mine it, and they do not stop today. The Krasnoselskstroymaterialy enterprise, which produces lime, cement, building mixtures, is engaged in this. It seems that things are going very well, because the white fossil is transported on BelAZ trucks at night.
Pits that have already been worked out are not used - they are abandoned. Gradually they are filled with water - a whole lake is formed. However, some chalk remains at the bottom. It paints the artificial reservoir in a fantastic beautiful color from pale azure to rich turquoise, sometimes emerald. By the way, the water in the quarries is drinkable, and in some places there are a lot of fish. So those who like to sit with a fishing rod come here too.
The quarries are in the lowlands. The shores surrounding artificial lakes are high and steep, sometimes just like a vertical descent! Because of this, it is not only difficult to approach the water, but to find a place to lie down. And, in general, here you need to be careful. Falling down is a couple of trifles. When you enter a pond from the shore, you immediately fall into a great depth.
Young trees grow on the steep banks, the grass turns green. Huge boulders and blocks of silicon underfoot. And the lake, enclosed in a ring, is transparent, gentle, like blue glass. Fantastic picture! All this attracts tourists. More than a hundred thousand people visit here every year.
Singers also frequented here. They have chosen chalk quarries (Belarus). Artists shoot clips for their songs here, because the beauty is around and the water itself is like in the Maldives. Therefore, there is no need to travel so far and spend a lot of money when there is a stunning landscape under your nose.
Pilgrimage in half with paradise
No matter how they call this place: the Mecca of Belarusians, and our Maldives, and the miracle of the Volkovysk region, an Eden for amateur photographers, and a visiting card of the country.
Imagine an area the size of 300 football fields. This is the area occupied by chalk quarries (Belarus). The length of each is from 1 to 4 km, the depth is 10-15 meters, and in some places all 30. Diving fans are really happy! And daredevils jumping into the water from the cliffs. However, the quarries are recognized as a zone of extreme danger. More than a third of all deaths in the country's rivers and lakes fall on such popular local Maldives.
"Blue" plus "Zelenka"
Of the many former quarries that turned into reservoirs, people chose two main ones for recreation and named them according to the predominant shade of water - green and blue. Not only Belarusians, but also residents of Ukraine and Russia come here. Together with people from local villages, they make up a dense population of steep banks. They lie, sunbathing, clinging to the slopes so that sometimes there is nowhere to put your foot. One word - Maldives! And it's amazing. Beauty is beauty, but there is no infrastructure here: no shops or kiosks where you can buy something to eat, no changing rooms, or even the simplest toilets.
And the beach itself is a more or less flat surface where grass and bushes have sprouted, plus impressive mountains of stones. This is not the golden sand of the Mediterranean. And there are more and more tourists every year.
Beautiful but dangerous
Beautiful scenery is good. But trouble awaits anyone. Especially where rest on individual quarries is prohibited. First of all, this is "Blue", then "Pillars" and also "Grand Canyon". But this is where most of the people are. Maybe many do not know where swimming is allowed? The entire land line near the lake, as well as its bottom, are littered with sharp flint, which can be easily hurt. The depth of the lakes is 15 m, which is a risk for beginner swimmers. There may also be a sudden collapse of a section of the coast, which happened more than once. Finally, this beautiful sky-blue water is harmful to humans. According to microbiological indicators, it is ten times higher than safe standards.
There are forbidden quarries on the territory of OJSC Krasnoselskstroy. Its management puts up announcements to prevent accidents, of which there have been many, and asks tourists not to visit the quarries and not to swim in them. This technological zone belongs to high-risk production facilities. Outsiders are generally forbidden to stay on them. Those who violate the taboo are fined. However, for some reason people do not take it into account. And boldly climb into the water.
Where can you swim, you ask? These are chalk quarries (Belarus) called "Blue", as well as "Mars".
By private car or by train
The Belarusian miracle is located 270 kilometers from Minsk. So, you need to somehow overcome this distance if you want to get to the local Maldives. Your goal is chalk quarries (Belarus). How to get there? Let's face it, the road is long and far from fun. The first way is for those who have their own car. From the capital you move straight to Brest. As soon as you reach Baranovichi, make a right turn towards the ancient Slonim. We passed it, then pass Zelva. The next one on the way is Volkovysk. Go around it from the east side and then head north. The village of Krasnoselsky will be your guide. Before reaching Novoselok a little, you should turn right. And further, we go to the road for dump trucks, then again the right turn.
Now let's talk about the road to the chalk quarries (Belarus). How can I get to public transport. Here in Minsk you boarded: an electric train or a train. And calmly drive all the way to the city of Baranovichi. Then change to diesel. It will take you to Volkovysk. Then you rush to the suburban bus, go to the village of Krasnoselsky. True, it is better to get off a little earlier (in front of the Novoselki village). And then on foot, looking at the cards mentioned above.
So, your goal is Belarus, chalk quarries. How to get there? The task is not easy. Moreover, there are no exact signs nearby. But it is difficult for a beginner to make a mistake in these places. The landmark is perfectly visible from the highway: a plant releasing a column of smoke into the sky, surrounded by peaceful agricultural fields. And a little further, pay attention to unusual way: it is not gray, but all whitish. Loaded BelAZ and MAZ, one after another, in just a few minutes, rush to the enterprise and back. A plume of chalk trails behind each truck and sprinkles a white layer on both dark asphalt and dusty roadside vegetation.
The last stage is a country road, and after it you are at the goal. The long-awaited chalk quarries (Belarus) open up to your eyes. The photos that you will see in this article will show all their unusual beauty. If you are not afraid of such a difficult path and you are not afraid of fatigue, random troubles, then you will be rewarded with indelible impressions from meeting such unique place on the ground.
The route marked green on the map, we partially peeped at globus.tut.by, partially developed it ourselves:
A significant part of our journey passed along the M1 (E30) highway. Judging by the morning weather, the day should have been warm, clear and sunny.
However, when we drove 160 kilometers from Minsk, the sky was densely overcast, the weather changed, the thermometer on the dashboard slowly crept to +13 C. The rest of our trip was spent waiting for rain. After Ivatsevichi, we turned off the M1 (E30) onto the P44 and drove into Kossovo. Here is the Church of the Holy Trinity, where Tadeusz Kosciuszko was baptized in 1746. Actually, one of the goals of our trip was an attempt to acquaint the sons with the history of the "sapraudnag revaluutsyyaner", who was undeservedly bypassed by the course of the corresponding school subject:
* the next picture and some others in the upper right corner are marked with . This means that under such a picture there is another one hidden - similar or from a different angle. To display the second snapshot, click on the first snapshot, to return the first, click on the second.
On the outskirts of Kossovo, in the historic Merechevshchina estate, one of the two most probable birthplaces of Tadeusz Kosciuszko is located. There, thanks to the help of the United States (Kosciuszko is an honorary citizen of the United States and France), the former appearance of the estate was restored. Did it look like this before - the question, we were struck by the emotional similarity of the estate with the Californian Fort Ross.
Inside the estate there is a very nice, well-groomed exposition that does not pretend to historical justice:
And next to it is beauty with a picturesque pond against the backdrop of expanses:
The swan family gave us half an hour of delight. Who said they were ugly ducklings?
Near the estate there is all the infrastructure: a cafe (they say it’s delicious, we were there long before dinner), and a small guest house where you can spend the night.
And very close, within walking distance of five minutes magnificent palace industrial magnates Puslovsky (1838). I think we were among the first to see the palace from this angle in full. A couple of months ago, it was almost completely covered with forest and the same globus offered completely different photos. Remember the story of the sleeping beauty? I don’t know about you, but for me she slept in just such a palace behind a dense forest. Burnt down by partisans (how sadly) in 1943. Maybe someday we will see it in all its splendor.
The palace is under restoration, though no active work was observed, perhaps because it was Saturday. According to the plan, the palace was supposed to resemble old English castles.:
Ruzhany is very close from Kossovo. There are no larger ruins in Belarus. Dimensions palace complex Sapieha amaze the imagination - it's more than a full-fledged stadium. The palace was built in the first half of the 18th century. In the center there was a front yard with a regular park, which could be reached through triumphal arch main gate:
This is how he used to be:
This is how it has survived to this day. An interesting solution was invented by the restorers. The original view of the entrance wing has been restored, where a small museum has been set up. The ceremonial view of the wing allows the traveler to think out (imagine) how everything was under Sapieha. Nevertheless, the palace itself breathes history, not to let it continue to collapse further.
Let's wander through the palace "apartments"
Admire the old fireplace:
Let's take a look at the wine cellar:
View from the palace complex to the village of Ruzhany:
GPS coordinates of Ruzhany village:: N52°51"53"" E 24°53"26"" .
The next point of our journey should be the lakes on the site of chalk quarries near the village of Krasnoselsky.
Cretaceous quarries near Krasnoselsky and quarry lakes
In the village of Krasnoselsky, the main attraction is a building materials plant of republican significance. The raw material for this plant is chalk, which is mined in chalk quarries. Quarries are divided into active and abandoned. Some abandoned quarries have been flooded over time groundwater, as a result, we have several lakes with an azure water surface. "Belarusian Maldives..." :))
We went, like many, purely intuitively. We leave Ruzhany and drive further along the P44 towards Volkovysk, go around it on the right, and still move along the P44 towards the village of Krasnoselsky. How long have we been going short, maybe we have already passed these quarries with lakes? They are not on our map at all (these lakes are too small for the map of the region), in the navigator there is no such object as these lakes either.
Update May 23, 2014:
But BELAZ mining dump trucks began to come across - we are on the right track! :)
BelAZ of this model is not very large - it occupies exactly half of this road, 3.5-4 meters wide, there are no problems with it. We did not see larger models of dump trucks. And for some reason there are no state numbers on BelAZs - neither in front nor behind :). BelAZ trucks from the quarries being developed carry chalk dug out by huge excavators to the nearby Krasnoselskstroymaterialy plant. The road surface and roadside bushes with trees are covered with a thin layer of chalk dust:
Here is the first quarry lake:
The banks are steep and steep. The water in the lake is warm and exactly the same color as on the screen - bluish-azure, even despite the obvious bad weather:
And another lake, next to the first, where in 10 minutes you can catch two tiny crucians: 
It's already time for dinner, and we still have a lot of plans. We turn around and go to reverse side. We had lunch in Vaukavysk, photographed the children at the monument to the wolf and headed for Slonim along the P99 road. The next point is a defensive church in Synkovichi - a village in the Zelvensky district. The most probable time of its construction can be considered the end of the 15th - the beginning of the 16th century. Massive walls, towers and rooms above the vaults with loopholes bring it closer to a small castle. In the right front tower, one of the loopholes was adapted by wild bees as a dwelling.
Slonim. Whatever the house, the historical value. Unfortunately, the day was coming to an end and we did not manage to really see the city.
On this day, graduation parties were held in schools, the city center was blocked for the parade of graduates.
The atmosphere of the holiday filled the whole city, beautiful tradition, it's time for Minsk to adopt.
Practical Information
Where are the Krasnoselsky chalk quarries located? How to find chalk quarries? detailed map
Chalk Quarry GPS Coordinates- N 53.289539° , E 24.50346° .
And now without GPS (find by GPS - you don’t need a lot of mind here :)). I’ll make a reservation right away - it will be convenient to get to the chalk quarries and quarry lakes only on your own transport. Not necessarily a car or a motorcycle, but at least a bicycle is a must. But the option with a bicycle is suitable only for ardent lovers of cycling. As for public urban transport and how to get there, I don’t know, I haven’t tried it.
So, we are moving forward to the chalk quarries in our transport. If you start from Minsk, then you will have to drive 270-280 km, spend 3-3.5 hours one way. Map: 
Landmark for the search for chalk quarries - the city of Volkovysk. We leave Minsk in the direction of Brest, get on the M1 (E30), drive past Baranovichi and soon turn onto the P99 road to Slonim. We drive past Slonim, through Zelva and approach Volkovysk. Before Volkovysk, there will be an intersection where you will have to turn right onto the P44 road and move along it towards Grodno and the village of Krasnoselsky. Drive along P44 until you see factory buildings on the left side - this is a building materials plant in the village of Krasnoselsky. And approximately here there will be a congress (or overpass): to the left - to the village of Krasnoselsky, to the right - towards the village of Novoselki. This exit is marked on the map with the number 1: 
We turn right towards the village of Novoselki, drive, reach this village and drive through it. It has an almost non-residential appearance, rickety houses and fences, all this is generously powdered with chalk. In general, chalk is everywhere there - on the roads, along the roads all the trees and bushes are in chalk. Your car and clothes will also be soaked and sprinkled with chalk dust by the end of the trip. After Novoselki you will drive another 2 kilometers and see abandoned chalk quarries on the right side, and quarry lakes in them. The very ones for which you went :). Yes, all the roads we traveled on were asphalt, there were no primers on the way.
In general, almost arrived. If you have an SUV or a motorcycle or a bicycle, then you can turn off the road and try to drive over rough terrain closer to the coast. And if the car is low-slung, then you have to walk further, you just need to remove the car from the road - BelAZ trucks drive nearby and mercilessly dust with chalk. You can remove a car from the road by moving onto any secondary primer - there will be two or three of them, something like a pocket or a branch from an asphalt road. Then we move over rough terrain, 100-200 meters must be overcome. And you will find yourself at the nearest quarry lake (on the map above it is marked "Lake 1"). Other lakes are also nearby, see the map above.
Many people ask - is there any infrastructure near the lakes - a hotel, guesthouse, at least a shop? There is none of the above, nothing at all. Because there is a Belarusian hinterland without embellishment. Wilderness is terrible and ebony is wild. And also because these quarry lakes are not a recreation area, do not confuse. All quarries belong to the Krasnoselskstroymaterialy plant, and the fact that in some abandoned chalk quarries on the lakes that have formed, tourists have got into the habit of relaxing, swimming and fishing is at their own peril and risk for vacationers and fishermen. In general, there is absolutely wild places, only BelAZ trucks passing by bring a touch of civilization.
The day we arrived was cloudy. rainy weather and a working day, so we did not see crowds of tourists. But on fine weekends, there are a lot of people there.
The lakes have a depth of tens of meters, a viscous bottom and steep banks. Swimming in these lakes is somewhat dangerous, keep that in mind. Breathing in chalk dust is also not healthy. Think about it. But seeing these lakes once is worth it!
Those who are sure that they are white sandy beaches, washed by blue waves, are only in distant countries, I must see the chalk quarries near Volkovysk. No wonder this natural object was named " Belarusian Maldives».
The total area of the quarries is 300 football fields. As the name implies, chalk is mined here, and over time, the worked-out quarries are filled with water. A bright turquoise color is given to it by the remains of Cretaceous rocks. Tree-covered cliffs and large flint fragments complete the unique landscape.
People come here to relax, fry kebabs and swim. There are many fishermen and even divers here. Silence and mild climate attract lovers of "wild" recreation.
Despite the proximity and beautiful views, it is forbidden to be in the quarries. There are several reasons for this:
- steep slopes. Since the quarry is an industrial facility, the descent to the water is a high, almost vertical slope. Getting to the water is quite difficult and traumatic, comfortable slopes and gentle areas are few;
- industrial work. Many sites are still under active development;
- deep bottom and loose edges of embankments. Therefore, it is dangerous not only to swim here, but also simply to admire the beauty of nature too close to the shore.
A large number of accidents forces law enforcement agencies to conduct regular raids and fine violators. Also, many tourists are frightened off by the lack of infrastructure - even in abandoned quarries, where work is no longer being carried out, there are no signs of improvement. There is enough space to put up a tent, but there are no tables, no booths, no garbage cans.
Some worked out quarries are undergoing the process of reclamation. In some places, the height of the banks decreases, formidable signs are removed. However, a full-fledged project to turn abandoned quarries into tourist area still no.
Photo
Where are the chalk quarries located?
Quarries can be found near the village of Krasnoselsky. You will have to get there by car, there is no transport here. The reason for this is simple: despite the huge popularity among tourists, quarries are an industrial facility. Many of them still produce chalk. Therefore, at the entrance, those who want to relax are greeted with warning signs.
