Geography of Braslav District

📍 Northwest of Vitebsk Region
📐 Area: 2,200 km²
🏛 Administrative center: Braslav
🌲 Forests: 35% | 🌾 Agricultural land: 43%

Location and Transport Network

Landscape of Braslav RegionThe district borders Sharkovshchina, Miory, and Postavy districts. The infrastructure includes a terminal railway station on the Voropaev–Druya line, as well as highways connecting the region with Sharkovshchina, Druya, Postavy, and the Latvian city of Daugavpils. The strategic Druzhba oil pipeline runs through the territory.

Relief and Geology

The territory is predominantly located within the Braslav Ridge, with the southern part extending into the Polotsk Lowland. The relief is characterized by youth and preservation of glacial forms: hilly-moraine-lake landscapes, kames, and esker ridges. The average heights range from 130 to 160 m, with a maximum elevation reaching 210 m.

  • Unique object: esker ridge between the lakes Nedrovo and Potsekh (length 1.2 km, height up to 35 m, slope steepness 35–50°).
  • Minerals: peat, fusible clays, sand and gravel materials.

Water Resources

Braslav Region is a land of lakes, which occupy about 10% of the territory. The largest water bodies include Drivyaty, Snudy, Strusto, Bogyńskoe, Drisvyaty, and Rychy.

In the basin of the Druyka River lies the Braslav group of lakes (31 water bodies, total area 113.2 km²). The lakes are connected by a network of rivers, streams, and channels with a total length of ~300 km. 68 lakes have commercial fishing significance.

The largest water artery of the region is the Western Dvina River with its tributaries Disna and Druyka.

A classic esker ridge stretching between the lakes serves as a vivid monument of the glacial epoch and is distinguished by steep slopes and clear forms.

Braslav Lakes National Park

Established in 1995, it covers 70,000 hectares (≈30% of the district area). The length from north to south is 56 km, and the width ranges from 7 to 29 km. Forests cover 46% of the park's territory, while lakes account for about 13%.

  • Ichthyofauna: over 20 species of fish, including eel, pikeperch, pike, and burbot.
  • Ornithofauna: more than 200 species of birds, of which 189 nest in the area, and 45 are listed in the Red Book.
  • Mammals: moose, brown bear, wild boar, roe deer, wolf, lynx.
  • Flora: about 800 species of plants, 20 of which are rare for Belarus.

Within the park, there are nature reserves of republican significance: the landscape reserve "Mezhazerny", the biological reserve "Zabalotye", and the hydrological reserve "Rychy".