National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus



Guided Tours

Guided tours of the museum are conducted only by research workers

History of Belarus from ancient times till late 18th century.

For age 12 up visitors

On the basis of the ‘Belarus from the origins to the 18th century’ exhibition

The ‘History of Belarus from ancient times till late 18th century’ tour is an informative historical trip over the pages of Belarusian past. Visitors will learn how and under which circumstances first people had appeared in the Central and Eastern Europe, how they had survived during many thousands of years that we only know thanks to findings of archaeologists, and when first States had appeared on our lands. A special in the tour is paid to the elucidation of the politic history of The Principality of Polack in the X-XIII centuries, to different aspects of the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Visitors will also get to know the history of book printing in Belarusian lands; learn more of 10th-18th cc. masterpieces of Belarusian arts and crafts.

The tour is intended for schoolchildren, students, foreigners who want to receive basic knowledge of the history of Belarus, and for all those interested therein.

How our remote ancestors lived

For 8 to 12 year old visitors

On the basis of the ‘Ancient Belarus’ exhibition

During the tour ‘How our remote ancestors lived,’ young museum visitors learn about the most ancient period in the history of Belarus: from the moment when first humans appeared in our lands till the first state formations emergence time – the Principalities of Polack and of Turaŭ. On the basis of archaeological findings, it is narrated about the evolution of economical, social, and political way of life during the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, Belarusian people ethnogeny issue is explained in a clear form.

The tour is intended for junior schoolchildren.

The way of the book to the person: from the history of book printing

For 3d to-5th graders

On the basis of the ‘Ancient Belarus’ exhibition

Owing to this tour, young visitors will learn about the history of the written language development in Belarusian lands from the period of birch bark manuscripts that used to be a kind of democratic form of information transmission until the invention of printing press and publication of first printed books. A special attention is paid to Francis Skaryna, the outstanding Belarusian printing pioneer, philosopher, and enlightener. The tour is supplemented with a crossword which is the element of fixing the topic to be solved by schoolchildren at the end of the tour.

Belarus in 16th-18th cc. portraits and heraldry

For age 13 up visitors

On the basis of the ‘Belarus in 16th-18th cc. portraits and heraldry’ exhibition.

The ‘Belarus in 16th-18th cc. portraits and heraldry’ tour, in the light of works of art (Sarmatian portrait) and heraldry symbols of gentry of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, introduces the visitor into a rich and unexplored sphere of Belarusian history. Visitors will learn of under what circumstances Belarusian lands had lands became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, about the particular state system of that State and its place in social political and cultural life of 16th-18th cc. Europe. With a rich collection of works of art of that period, visitors will be introduced to biographies of outstanding state and religious figures of the period: kings and grand dukes, representatives of famous szlachta and magnate families, as well as prominent church leaders.

The tour is intended for all interested visitors age 13 up.

General permanent and temporary exhibitions tour.

For age 12 up visitors.

Duration: 1.5–2 hours.

The general National Historical Museum of the Republic of Belarus tour will let the visitors get to know the museum history, its permanent and temporary exhibitions, the most precious objects, and receive basic knowledge of the history of Belarus from ancient times till early 20th century. The tour lets to have a more profound look at the Belarusian history through different perspectives and the prism of exhibits.

The tour is intended for age 12 up visitors who want to get to know the exhibitions and the history of Belarus quickly and in an accessible form.