Belarusian Autumn: Belovezhskaya Pushcha

An afternoon in the last primeval forest fragment of the European woodlands

When I think of the words Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the only thing that comes to my mind is the Belovezha Accords, the agreement that was signed by representatives of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus on December 8, 1991, which effectively put an end to the Soviet Union.

We left for the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the last primeval fragment of the European woodlands, from Brest after lunch.Our tour guide kept talking about the European bison, the heaviest land animals on the continent and how we would definitely be able to spot them. As a history-lover, I asked if we could visit Viskuli where the accords were signed, but he said the plan only included a tour of the natural history museum and free time to walk on a forest trail.

It has been 32 years since the USSR ceased to exist and the hunting lodge where the final nail was hammered into the coffin was not a popular destination. We were told that we were once again within a walking distance of Poland and that there was a particular visa-free zone but then there would be almost nothing to tell the difference between the terrain on both sides of the manmade line that bisected a forest.

The gloomy autumn skies gave way to some late autumn sun and I immensely enjoyed walking in the forest. These were the last days of the season and the trees still hung on to their golden and maroon leaves. The park has a zoo that looks after injured animals and it was through a fence that I saw the mighty and magnificent animal that is the European bison. They are so used to seeing people they come as close as possible, in expectation of some food. When someone asked our tour guide if we could pet the bison, he said that there would be a fine of one finger!

The bison population has swelled in this forest and the authorities have once again issued hunting licenses so that the population is culled. We the “responsible human” who are “custodians” of this planet get to decide which species get to reproduce to what number!

The park was full of local tourists who were enjoying their five-day weekend, the fifth of which was the day of the October Revolution (November 7). That’s right! Belarus is the only former Soviet country where November 7 is still a holiday. I saw a sign put up on the occasion stating that it was the October Revolution that helped formed the political and national state of Belarus. It had a quote from President Alexander Lukashenko that said the following: “November 7 is a holiday of peace and true human rights. In the annals of man, this truly epochal date has become a symbol of renewal from oppression and new hopes for a bright future for the working people of the whole world.”

The older generation of Belarusians says they miss the Soviet Union but the country has preserved several legacies of the country while at the same time moving ahead. There is zero visible poverty in this country. It is by far, one of the cleanest and safest places I have ever visited. This seems to be a highly equal society, where shops and supermarkets are stocked with the best products but at very reasonable prices. It may not be rich by Western standards but it is very well developed, especially when it comes to social standards.

After a long and energising walk on a late-Autumn afternoon, it was time to get back on the bus for Grodno, a city that was much touted as a showpiece of Belarus.