Bereza

General information

Bereza is a town in the administrative center of Berezovsky district in the Brest region. Bereza is located in a picturesque setting on the banks of river Yaselda. The city has a population of around 30 thousand people. The eventful history of Bereza, its legends and ancient sights attracts the attention of lovers of recreation and tourism in Belarus.

History of Bereza

The town was first mentioned in documents in 1477 as a possession of Jan Gamsheya. As a market place Bereza grew rapidly and received the right to hold weekly fairs from the king. In 1617 the city passed into the possession of the chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Lev Sapieha and the brightest pages in the history of Bereza are linked to his son’s name, Casimir Sapieha. Casimir founded the Carthusian monastery in 1650 which later became one of the biggest and well-known in the region. The great noble man that was Lev Sapieha later transferred his rights to the city to the monastic order, thus the place was often called Bereza – Carthusian. In 1795 the city became part of the Russian Empire and the monastery was closed in 1831 for their participation in the liberation uprising. However, the monks then took part in the uprising led by Kastus Kalinovski in 1863. As retaliation to the uprising the Russian authorities ordered for the monastery to be partially destroyed, using its bricks to build ‘red barracks’ and the orthodox church.

Bereza reference information

Sightseeing

There are a total of 114 historical and cultural monuments in and around Bereza and of those 15 are included in the list of historical and cultural values of the Republic of Belarus. The most significant of them are Chernyakovskiy St. Nicholas Church (build in 1725), the ruins of Monastery of Carthusians (17th century), Staropeskovsky Place (19th century), Signevichesky Roman Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1795) and the memorial complex ‘Zditovskaya Defense’ commemorated in honour of the battle of 1944.

The ‘red barracks’ in Bereza today is home to the center of children’s creativity. One of the oldest sacred monuments of the city is the Church of St. Peter and Paul. The church was built in 1772 and rebuilt in 1867 in a retrospective style. Numerous icons of 18th – 19th centuries adorn the interior of the church, and it has also managed to preserve the rare illustrated Gospel of the 18th century.

The historical museum in the town of Bereza will tell the ancient legends associated with the owners of the land, famous natives, wars and uprisings.
Excursions in Bereza will be interesting to both adults and children. It is a city with rich and unique attractions that will ultimately leave a memorable lasting impression.

Accommodation in Bereza

The district operates a wellness center ‘Brestenergo’ and a couple of hotels in terms of accommodation.

Economy

Industry is very diverse in the city. The largest enterprises are ‘Berezovsky Meat Plant’, ‘Berezastroimaterialy’ (the production of ceramic tiles), ‘Berezovsky Cheese Plant’ and ‘Berezovsky Engine Plant’ (major repairs for tractors and combine engines, components and parts, production of new parts; manufacturing fasteners hardware products, spare parts for tractors and spare parts for agricultural machinery). There is also RUE ‘Beloozersk electromechanical plant’, the leading position amongst the enterprises is taken by Berezovskaya GRES. Agriculture occupies a leading position in terms of meat and dairy products as well as wheat, barley, oats, sugar beet and forage crops.