Discover the Homiel Region
Accommodation in Homiel Region
The Homiel Region combines protected nature with museums, religious sites and traces of a long urban history. A special way to explore the region is the tourist route “Golden Ring of the Homiel Region”: it forms a ring through almost the entire region. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether you would mainly like to discover nature, regional traditions or historic sites.
Between nature and history
The “Golden Ring” includes, among other things, a visit to a prehistoric human settlement site. The route also offers a glimpse far back into the region’s history. Its circular course makes it an overarching theme for exploring the Homiel Region; you can focus on individual places and experiences according to your own interests.
Pripyatsky National Park encompasses a specially protected natural area of 88,048.6 hectares. Excursions there are offered to the Nature Museum, the open-air museum and the “Nature Museum” demonstration area (safari park). These different destinations give you concrete starting points for planning your trip: you can choose natural history exhibitions, an open-air museum or the safari park demonstration area. Which perspective appeals to you can help determine which places you make the focus of your stay.
Museums and traditions of the Homiel Region
The Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble is considered a tourist highlight of the region. The Gomel branch of the Vetka Museum is located in a historic manor house within the ensemble. Its collections include Old Believer icons, handwritten and printed books, and the largest regional textile collection. This includes rushnyks, traditional costume items and other textiles. The permanent exhibitions are devoted to the artistic culture and creativity of the Orthodox Belarusian village, the Old Believer town of Vetka and other regional folk traditions.
Visitors particularly interested in traditional design and religious art will find various ways to explore these subjects at the Vetka Museum: through icons and books as well as textiles and the regional traditions represented. The Gomel branch also hosts temporary exhibitions, events, themed events and master classes. These changing formats complement the permanent exhibitions; you can keep them in mind as you plan your trip around specific interests.
Mazyr and Turau: landscapes, churches and urban history
At the Historical Centre “Mazyr Castle,” the landscape area and its architectural and planning features are themselves part of the museum exhibition. There are also permanent exhibitions on arms, hunting and administration. The grounds include a pavilion chapel dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord. It was built at the site where the foundations of the old Church of the Saviour were discovered archaeologically. The Museum of Folk Culture of the Mazyr Region, “Paleskaja Veda,” presents local traditions, customs, rituals and beliefs.
Turau also offers several historical perspectives. The Cathedral of Saints Cyril, Lawrence and Martin of Turau rises in the town centre. The medieval hillfort site is part of the historic section of the town: the remains of the old capital rise above a picturesque oxbow lake. The more than 200-year-old Church of All Saints is the only surviving wooden church among the many wooden churches that once adorned Turau. Archaeological and ethnographic exhibits on the history of the Turau region are on display at the Turau Local History Museum.
The history of the Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God is associated with Yurovichi. It includes the appearance of the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God and the construction of a church complex. Each year, a procession from Mazyr to Yurovichi, with solemn services, is planned for the Feast of the Praise of the Mother of God. If you are interested in religious history and regional traditions, these subjects offer a focus alongside nature and museum collections.
Which part of the region suits your trip?
The range of themes suggests first choosing the places and experiences that appeal to you most. Then focus your search for a holiday rental on the part of the region that suits this interest. This way, your accommodation choice remains connected to your personal travel plans, without requiring you to fit every attraction into a single stay.
For further orientation in the Homiel Region: Kalinkavichy District, Rahatschou, Masyr, Schlobin, Svetlahorsk District, Turau, Ogorodniki, Žytkavicki rajon, Studzionaja Huta, Rečyca, Loyew, Gomel, Baraviki, Borets and Buda-Kašaliova.
For the broader travel overview: Belarus.
