The River
Western Dvina was talked about recently as a River that links nations together.
At the moment a Belarusian-Swedish project “Dvina – Daugava Panorama” is being implemented
aiming at recovering the well known route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The project is financed by the
Swedish partner. It is aiming at assisting the inhabitants of the region, local
authorities to find contacts and to establish relations with other countries
and nations, primarily in Europe. The goal of the project has been formulated in a very
elegant way: “through searching for common traditions in culture, art,
lifestyle and relations between the nations that inhabit Dvina region along the
well-known trading route from the Varangians to the Greeks, starting from the Swedish island Gotland and further
on along Riga, Daugavpils, Polatsk and Vitebsk”.
The
project was financed by the Swedish side, more precisely by the Swedish
Institute for Cultural Tourism at Swedish Development Agency (SIDA) cost.
Tourist companies and civic organizations of Vitebsk region have already taken part in a
seminar in Daugavpils and attended a tourist exhibition
in Swedish Gotteborg. The project will be completed next year.
Traveling
across borders
An
international conference took place in Polatsk recently related to the
development of trans-border tourism, where a new joint Belarusian and Latvian
project “Bella – Dvina”
– traveling across borders, discovering culture, enjoying the natural beauty of
the region” was presented. This project is financed by the European Union, said
the chief expert of the department for physical education, sport and tourism of
the Polatsk city executive committee, the leading partner of the “Bella”
project. By the way, Bella stands for Belarus – Latvia. The two projects have similar
goals, i.e. to create a common trans-boundary tourist area between Vitebsk, Polotsk and Daugavpils. Along with these cities the
project grasps Verkhnedvinsk, Raskonski, Bershankovitski, Miorsky,
Sharkauschunski, Polatski and Vitebsk regions. The implementation of the project
is planned for two years.
Capitalistic
research – for the benefit of the neighbourhood
The project
“Bella – Dvina” is based on extensive research of
the Reinsk park PAMINA that is implemented at the German – French bordering
territory. In seven regions of Vitebsk and Polatsk tourist points,
information centre and information points are to be set up. Almost 200 tourist
stands will present seven regions of Belarus. Their list includes historical
monuments, cultural and natural beauty sights as well as rural settlements,
hotels, cafes, and even post offices with the Internet access.
The development
strategy of the project is being elaborated also by the Development Agency of
Latgal region, that has vast experience in implementation of similar Programmes
in Latvia and in other countries. The project
is financed with the support of the European Commission within the frameworks
of the programme “Baltic Sea Region – INTERREG – Neighbourhood Programme”. Resources
within this programme are allocated for the development of the neighbouring
regions of Belarus and Latvia and for the creation of the up-to-date
infrastructure.
This kind
of programmes should have a very positive impact on the development of small
towns in particular. A civil society activist from Verkhnedvinsk Valiantsina
Kudlatsaya participated in a few cross-border cooperation projects, “the
partner who made the project proposal has real resources. The Belarusian side,
being a partner of the project as well has an opportunity to learn from the
experience of Latvia for instance and to travel there. Moreover,
the most frequent participants of the study and educational trips are
representatives of the authorities. However the actual resources are not spent
here in Belarus. Perhaps minimal funds are
allocated for the development of agro and eco tourism however it becomes a
vicious circle. The infrastructure is weak. In the meantime a foreign tourist
is a demanding one: he needs well-made comfortable place to live, benefits,
good food. Naturally, something needs to be shown to him or her as well and
conditions for recreation and spending free time and sightseeing need to be
created. So far it is done in the worst Soviet traditional way. May be it is so
because young people are not involved in it, being more energetic and creative.
All this is mostly done by the officials of a pre-pension age from regional
executive committees. Verkhnedvinsk offers ‘typical’ excursions, i.e. to visit
a grave of the unknown soldier or of the heroes of Proshika underground
movement… Our officials do not know how things could be done differently and
propose same excursions as in the Soviet times…”
The
least inhabited town in Belarus
In
Mior region of the Vitebsk Oblast the least populated town in Belarus is located called Disna. Last year
the population of Disna constituted 2,747 people only. However the pre-war
Disna was populated by 11 thousand inhabitants and had 5 furniture workshops, 9
pottery centres, 4 barber shops, clock-making and jewelry making workshops and
three photo studios. Disna is a pretty town which is located at a crossing
point of two rivers, Dvina and Disna. Not far from Disna the largest marsh in the
world called Yelnia is located. It is the oldest town in Belarus, where the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
originated. It had the Magdeburg tights at some point. Disna is also
attractive with its historical monuments that miraculously survived through the
20th century. Attractions include the walls of the Castle of Stepan Batura, Franciscan Cathedral which hosted
the rebellion’s headquarters in 1831, settlement of Krastavits, those that
brought Guiyom Apolinaire and Carus Cagants… All these places of natural beauty
and rich history create wonderful grounds for infrastructure development of
this small town so that it could become attractive to tourists.
Disna is one of the first Belarusian
towns that introduced their own programme of sustainable development – “Strategy
for sustainable development of Disna region” (within the framework of the “Local
Agenda 21 Programme”), which was elaborated by the local civil society
(historians, ethnographers, intelligence, civil activists). Priority areas for
development include agro and eco tourism development, as well as nostalgic
tourism due to the fact that prior to the WWII Disna was populated with over 5
thousand Jews.
Significantly later a State
programme for development of Disna was adopted (due to the fact that a
directive came from the higher level authorities, i.e. all small towns of the country
had to have their own development programmes). Those activists that were
elaborating their own programme of sustainable development before were proposed
to be included into the State programme. It is yet too early to predict what
will be the result of this. There is still a big issue regarding the ways how
to encourage or to force the local authorities to work side by side with the
civil society community at least on social, environmental and tourist programmes…
