76 V i s i t www.theculturalexperience.com C a l l 0345 475 1815 Cross Periods THE INVASIONS OF BELARUS NAPOLEON 1812 AND HITLER 1941-44 10 – 17 August 2018 8 days with Alan Rooney & Col Bob Kershaw Activity Level 2 Essentials Return flights from London Gatwick, 3 and 4 star hotels, buffet breakfast, all lunches, 3-course dinner with drinks each evening, all entrance fees and expert guide throughout. Tour price: £2995 Single supplement: £275 Deposit: £300 Price without flights: £2745 This unique tour provides a rare opportunity to explore this remote and enigmatic country. Belarus offers one of the last travel adventures remaining in Europe. We visit some of the lesser known parts of the country: the castles at Mir and Kosava, the Brest-Litovsk fortress, the atrocity and commemorative monument at Khatyn and the cultural east of the country where the rarely visited cities of Polotsk and Vitebsk can be found. And pivotal to all this touring is the modern and lively capital city of Minsk. There will be considerable coach travel involved as we travel back and forth across the width of Belarus (some 1000 miles in total). Accommodation throughout is the best available, classified as either three or four star by local authorities. The common perception is that Belarus represents the last bastion of the old style Soviet era - certainly the austere architecture of Minsk, its capital, would reinforce that view. Positioned between Poland and Russia, the country has seen its fair share of invading forces, none more so than in 1812 and 1941, when it was part of greater Russia. During Napoleon’s invasion of 1812, the French received their first check of the campaign in a cavalry skirmish outside the castle of Mir in July; in August and October their Bavarian allies experienced mixed fortune against Wittgenstein’s army; and at the Berezina in November, Napoleon demonstrated a last flash of genius and luck as the remains of his army escaped the clutches of the three encircling Russian armies. Some 130 years later, Belarus once again suffered the ravages of the invader, both German and Russian: in 1939 the 19th Century fortress Brest (then part of Poland) held out for four days before surrendering to Guderian’s XIX Panzer Corps, who promptly handed over the fortress to their Russian allies; almost two years later in 1941,atinyforceofRussiansfoundthemselves besieged in that same fortress as Operation Barbarossa was unleashed, an offensive which drove through the heart of modern Belarus enslaving its population until liberated by the equally devastating counter-offensive of Operation Bagration in 1944. Day 1 - Fly London to Minsk. Check-in to our hotel for one night. Welcome drinks and introductory talk. Day 2 – Kosava & Kobryn. We visit Kosava with its small museum dedicated to Polish military engineer, freedom fighter and hero of the American Revolution, Tadeusz Kosciuszko. At Kobryn we visit the historical museum and discuss the small action between the Saxons and Russians in July 1812. We also visit the home and museum of Russian general and national hero, Alexander Suvorov. Continue to Brest-Litovsk and check-in to our hotel for two nights. Day 3 - Brest Fortress. The Fortress built in the mid-19th century has been left just as it was at the end of the war, in particular the bullet riddled Khomsky Gate, the scars from the German assault on 21 June 1941; today the whole complex can be explored on foot and it houses an excellent 1941 defence museum. Time permitting we will also visit the wonderful railway museum with its Soviet era steam locomotives. Day 4 – Gorodeczna, Stolovitchi & Mir. We visit the battlefield and poignant chapel at Gorodeczna where Austrian General “The Cultural Experience never let you down. Outstanding preparation and deep knowledge sets you apart from the competition. Small groups and excellent guides.”.