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Grodno narrow-gauge railway. Landscape reserve "Ozery".

Natural site

Natural site

Belarus, Grodno region, Ozery ag., Vokzalnaya St., 12

0

76

07.02.2025

Description

The narrow-gauge railway in Ozery village is part of a former peat-hauling railway built in 1955. It is one of the longest narrow-gauge roads in Belarus. Its length is about 30 km. In the early two thousand years, it was decided to include the Ozersk narrow-gauge railway in the tourist route through the territory of the reserve. Today, the unusual tour is popular with Belarusian and foreign tourists. Guests from Germany, China, Poland, Lithuania, and Russia have already visited here.

Categories

Paid

Paid

With children

With children

Outdoor activity

Outdoor activity

Location

Latitude: 53.72196053
Longitude: 24.17437001

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Reviews to the Place

1

Ольга Ерёменко

07.02.2025

A journey along a narrow-gauge railway.

The route crosses a bridge over the Lake Beloe (White) and leads to the Holy Swamp, where the rebels and the tsarist army fought in 1863-1864.

A narrow-gauge road trip takes about 3 hours or 10 km each way. There are four to five stops on the route. The trolley can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h, and the track width is 750 mm.


The trolley consists of several trailers with wooden benches, accommodating 5-6 people. All participants receive a safety briefing before departure. There are stops on the route, during which tourists can look around, listen to interesting stories from the guide, and take beautiful photos.


The road passes through a unique bridge over the picturesque Lake Beloe. The length of the narrow-gauge bridge is 122 meters. You can get out of the trailer and walk around the unusual structure. There is a railing on the bridge and something like a sidewalk. It's scary to take the first steps, because there is a metal mesh under your feet through which the water is visible. From here you can enjoy the most wonderful views of the lake. 


After the first stop, the trolley rushes into the wilds of the forest, where it seems that the narrow-gauge railway passes through a green corridor. The guide warns in advance that rare and protected plants should not be shown to tourists. But quite often there are animals and birds on the route, but it is very important not to frighten the inhabitants of the forest. Sometimes curious roe deer come out to the noise of the trolley, you can see a fox and a hare, and even a larger animal.


On the section of the route that runs through the swamps, you can see an impassable quagmire. The tour participants drive through old oak forests, woodlands, riding and lowland swamps. Travelers get the opportunity to observe all the diversity of the Belarusian wildlife.: bicentennial oaks, mast pines, sand dunes, rare birds and plants listed in the Red Book. 

Along the way, the guide talks about the local wildlife, the features of the local landscape, and the diversity of meadow, swamp, and forest flora. Travelers will learn how peat is extracted, and what role swamps play in the ecosystem. 


The final destination of the tour is the Holy Swamp. This is a place of great importance for the Belarusian history. Fierce battles took place here during the uprising of Kastus Kalinowski. The Holy swamp was drained more than 30 years ago and turned into a peat extraction site. At the time of the beginning of development, the swamp was 7,000 years old. This means that the depth of peat deposits is 7 meters. Now everything is overgrown with reeds and reeds, and there is mud-covered water in deep ditches. 


In 2017, work on its restoration was completed at the Holy Swamp. After stopping in the swamp, the trolley starts on its way back, goes a little faster and without stopping. Stops located deep in the forest are equipped with special platforms with decking and fencing to minimize the impact of tourists on nature.

The narrow-gauge railway tour is a real treasure trove for nature lovers. It provides a unique experience of observing wildlife and a lot of positive emotions.

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