Production

HORSE PATHS OF IGUMENY

Trail presentation

The Horse Trails of Igumeny comprise nearly 20 km trails adapted for horse carriages, with a network of local walking trails. Located approximately 30 km from Minsk in the direction of Mogilev, the area is rich in historical, cultural and natural heritage. The main backbone trail is dedicated to horse-riding and connects the villages of Smilovichi and Ivanichi. It is the first horse-riding trail in Belarus developed in line with the greenways philosophy, integrating natural, historical and cultural attractions with community-based initiatives related to green tourism, environmental education, as well as Belarusian traditional crafts and folklore.

The trail logo is a typical village house with a horse and resembles a Marc Chagall drawing. The trail name is taken the old name of Cherven, a town which was once the an important center in Minsk Province.

Main tourist attractions and towns along this trail (nature and cultural heritage)

  • What kind of honey?

Taste as many as 15 different kinds of honey and other bee products with specialists from the apiary in Agricultural College in Smilovichi Village.

  • We are Belarusians

Participate in workshops of traditional Belarusian crafts, such as embroidery, tapestry, objects made of straw, bark and leather with teachers from the Children's Learning Center in Smilovichi Village.

  • Old Belarusian tools and traditional weaving in Ivanichi Village

Visit an exposition of traditional tools used in everyday Belorussian life collected by a local enthusiast. Learn how to weave with straw like our great grandmothers and how to use a weaving machine in the Ivanichi Village Folklore Centre.

  • “Vecharnitsa” in Ivanichi Village

Attend a concert of local traditional songs performed by the “Vecharnitsa” folklore group.

  • “Nochnoe” Horse Grazing

Take part in an ancient Slav tradition of grazing horses at night with Natalja Shilina, owner of the 'Konnyj Folvark'.

  • Composer’s „Small Homeland” in Ubel Village

General characteristics of the Greenway

Visit a museum dedicated to the composer Stanislaw Moniuszko.

The backbone trail dedicated to horses, connects the villages of Smilovichi and Ivanichi, running through Ubel village over a distance of nearly 20 km and is signposted in brown.

Kayak route on the Volma river (nearly 20 km) is signposted in blue.

A Bicycle route (nearly 20 km) runs along the backbone trail.

Thematic walking trails (local loops):

  • Excursion through Smilovichi Village entitled 'From the 19th century to 21st century' which introduces a park created by Kazimierz Moniuszko, old Jewish and Tatar cemeteries, a muslim mosque and a factory producing 'valenki';
  • Liady Village with its monastery - 5 km;
  • Volma' state farm, famous for its carp, hunting and watching wildlife;

    • Length – 30 km

    Surface:

    forestry/countryside roads – 60 %

    quiet asphalt roads – 40 %

    Main users – horse-riders, cyclists, hikers (nature tours), kayakers

    Inter-modality possibilities (connections to closest cities/towns and options for using public transport train/bus) – local buses to Minsk, then Smilovichi. Accommodation in local farms.See: www.ruralbelarus.by, www.holiday.by

    Available maps and guidebooks

    Greenways in Belarus – a catalogue and a brochure containing descriptions of trails and local cultural and natural heritage sites (available in Russian).

    Contact to Trail Organization

    Natalja Shilina - Greenway Coordinator and 'Konnyj Folvark' farm owner Oktjabrskaja str., 13, Smilovichi, Chervensky district, Minsk province, Belarus, Tel. +37 1714 53115, +37 293 333075e-mail: schilina@mail.ru

    Agro- and Ecotourism Association

    Dunin-Martinkevich str., 6, Minsk, Belarus, Tel. +37 517 2510076, +37 517 2522781, www.ruralbelarus.by

     
    Network of GWs in Belarus
    Photos, text: Dominika Zareba, Valeria Klitsounova, Elena Vetrova, Tsimur Kroll | Drawings: Iwona Siwek-Front
    Project "Greenways for Belarus", implemented by the Polish Environmental Partnership Foundation and the "Agro and Ecotourism" Association, is financed thanks to the support from the Program of Polish Aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland in 2006.