Mikashevichi

General information

Mikashevichi is a town in the Luninetski district of the Brest region. Mikashevichi is a small but rapidly growing town of Belarus ready to warmly welcome all tourists. A visit to Mikashevichi is especially recommended for fans of unusual landscapes and nature as well as for fans of outdoor activities in Belarus.

The small town Mikashevichi, in literal and figurative senses ‘stands on granite’. The huge quarry with area of 6 kilometers was constructed by the hands of many generations of its inhabitants. Those were workers of Europe’s largest plant for the production of non-metallic building materials.

History of Mikashevichi

In comparison to other towns and cities, Mikashevichi does not have a rich history but has other forms of wealth. The first mention of the settlement on the bank of the river Volhva was in 1785. There is an old legend that the village was named after its founder – Mikasha. For some time the settlement was part of the Radziwill, Agarkova and other aristocrats families. The rapid development of Mikashevichi began only in the late 19th century with the construction of railways, with a real boom happening in the 1970s, where the development of the famous granite quarry began.

Mikashevichi reference information

Sightseeing in Mikashevichi

The Granite quarry in Mikashevichi has become the town’s hallmark. The great depth (about 130 meters) and bizarre shapes attract the attention of Russian and American filmmakers who come here to shoot various scenes for their thrillers. For that reason, the small town in Polesie has acquired the nickname of ‘Belarusian Hollywood’. Lovers of active tourism might also be interested in visiting the quarry. While standing at the top of the hill and looking down, you feel the grandeur of nature and the seemingly small Belaz cars deep down at the bottom of the quarry only reinforce these feelings. Steep slopes, huge granite rocks and man-made waterfalls create the impression you are somewhere in the mountains.

Among other attractions worth mentioning in Mikashevichi is the port located at the end connecting with Pripyat channel. You can look at the barges and floating cranes, and even fish in the winter.
Admirers of architecture should visit the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Mikashevichi. The church was built in 1930 and was used as a place of worship up until the arrival of Soviet power after which it was used for other purposes and then completely transferred to the Orthodox. Tourists can also visit several city museums, among them are Mikashevichi History Museum and the Museum of the writer Vladislav Nedvedskogi, these museums will introduce travelers to the past and the present region and its nice natives, while the Museum of Nature at secondary school №1 is packed with stuffed animals and birds.

Accommodation in Mikashevichi

Hotel ‘Granit’ that offers its guests with services such as tennis at the indoor courts is available for accommodation. There are also a couple of farmsteads in Mikashevichi.

Economy

Mikashevichi actively began to develop after 1975, after the completion of the production association ‘Granite’ which is stone-processing factory that produces concrete products. Since 1986, Mikashevichi is among the communities affected by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident and the risk of high contamination that it brought along with it. Subsequent activities were undertaken to eliminate the consequences of radioactive contamination and socio-economic rehabilitation, reflected in the development of modern demographic and socio-economic status of production facilities, social infrastructure and engineering sector. Within Mikashevichi there are 3 industrial enterprises, 11 small enterprises, and 192 individual entrepreneurs. Enterprises mainly specialize in the construction industry. Production of industrial products involved, Republican Unitary Production Enterprises ‘Granite’, ‘Spetszhelezobeton’ and ‘Uniform’. The various enterprises export pressure pipes and crashed stone, prefabricated concrete constructions, railway sleepers, stone processing products amongst other products.