Brest
Brest is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. Today it is the major business, cultural and industrial center of the republic with a population of more than two hundred thousands. There are several major Belarusian exporters located in Brest, producers of food products and household appliances. The proximity to the western border makes Brest an especially important trading center of the country. Today Brest is considered to be «The Gate of Belarus into Europe».
Brest was founded almost a thousand years ago. Then the name of the city sounded like «Berestye» (according to one of the versions here have been developed birch bark crafts - manufacture of various items from birch bark). In 1019 the town was first mentioned in the chronicles. Since this reference the history of Brest begins.
The importance of Brest for Belarusian land is hard to overestimate. Many important events in the history of not only the country but also throughout Europe took place in Brest. Here in the 17th century was signed an agreement (union) on uniting of the Orthodox and Catholic churches. And at the end of World War II Brest has become the place where Russia and Germany signed a peace treaty known as the Brest peace.
In Brest there is one of the most famous monuments of the Second World War, the Brest Fortress. Here, in 1941, while in a dense encirclement, a military garrison restrained the Nazi onslaught even a month after the German army invaded the USSR. Today, in the territory of the Brest Fortress there is a memorial complex built in the memory of its heroic defenders.
The traditional for every Eastern European city temples and churches are also presented in Brest. There are both the Orthodox and Catholic churches: Nicholas Cathedral, the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross.
A few kilometers from Brest there is the Reserve known far outside Belarus «Belovezhskaya Pushcha» with unique ecosystem, and the only European bison population in Europe.
Also Brest is one of the most popular transit cities of Belarus (together with Grodno) when you travel abroad by car. Through the city passes one of the major European highways Brest-Minsk-Moscow. Therefore it is not surprising that there are several customs terminals in Brest, and in the suburbs there are two crossings of the Belarusian-Polish border: «Warsaw Bridge» and «Kozlovichi». In the early 90's these crossings were known for its kilometers-long car queues.
Today Brest offers a variety of options for entertainment: theaters, museums, tours of the city to the traditional Belarusian farmsteads. The latter type of tourism is gaining popularity as in Brest as throughout Belarus. Brest is a hospitable and cozy Belarusian city.
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