BREST, 23 November (BelTA) – The Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park invites tourists to see an ancient settlement dating back to the Late Bronze Age / Early Iron Age. The recreated settlement is one of the facilities of an open-air archeological museum which is under construction now. The settlement will open for visitors by the end of the year, BelTA learned from researcher at the national park Ruslan Kniga.
Belarus' first open-air archeological museum will cover 18 hectares. It will incorporate seven sections each reflecting the way of life of ancient people. The construction of the first facility was launched last year. The ancient settlement of the Late Bronze Age / Early Iron Age is located in the flood plain of the Lesnaya Pravaya River near the village of Kamenyuki. Defense installations, like a fosse, an embankment, a double wall and a tower, were erected. Homes of the striped pottery culture and the Milograd culture were recreated based on housing patterns of similar archeological sites in Belarus.
“We are working on expositions now. Anyone can get a glimpse at everyday life of our ancestors, their tangible and intangible heritage. On display will be weapons, hunting, fishing and gathering devices, crafts. The majority of exhibits are copies, however a number of authentic items will also be shown,” Ruslan Kniga said.
First tourists will be able to visit this ancient settlement as early as at the yearend. They will get an opportunity not only to see how an ancient settlement looked like, but also feel like one of its residents by engaging in pottery or weaving master classes. Overall, the museum will offer a great number of interactive activities.
The construction of the open-air museum in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha is envisaged by the government program on environmental protection and sustainable use of natural resources set to run in 2016-2020. The complex will educate visitors about tangible and intangible culture of people living in Belarus' western region during the Mesolithic, the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age up to the Early Middle Ages (10,500 BC – 5th Century AD) when Slavonic tribes established a foothold on this territory.
Photos by the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park
