Polesie State Radioecological Reserve draws over 3,100 tourists in 2025

More than 3,100 tourists visited the Polesie State Radioecological Reserve in 2025, the reserve’s director Aleksei Tishkovets said during a press tour dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, BelTA has learned.

Khoiniki District was among the regions affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Yet, having endured this trial, the district center continues to live and grow.

Development is also under way on the protected areas. The experimental and economic unit of the Polesie State Radioecological Reserve is drawing more interest every year. Popular tour routes have been created on the site. Three main routes run along the streets of evacuated villages. Visitors can also stop by a stud farm, an apiary with honey tasting, and other attractions.

There are always plenty of people eager to tour the reserve, from Belarus and abroad alike. Just in the last year, over 3,100 visitors came to these places. Some come alone, others in groups – all wanting to experience the unique atmosphere of the area.

“What attracts people here is a certain sense of wilderness. The Chernobyl story is widely featured in the media, cinema and computer games. Both adults and teenagers are interested. People are also interested in the history of the nuclear power plant accident, the territory itself, the communities, the people, and the results of scientific research,” head of the information support department Aleksei Kazakov said.

On some weekends, 30 to 40 people visit the reserve.

Aleksei Tishkovets added: “The distinguishing feature of these places is the silence. Aside from birds singing, you will not hear any other sounds or noises here: no traffic or industrial noise. Here, nature is gradually reclaiming from humans what people once took.”

On 15-16 April, bloggers and journalists are taking part in a press tour of Gomel Oblast to learn about the way of life in the affected areas 40 years after the Chernobyl accident. The participants laid flowers at the Monument of Sorrow. This memorial was unveiled on the 10th anniversary of the disaster, on 26 April 1996, in memory of the evacuated villages. In the foreground stands a tall figure of a grieving woman with a covered head in a long robe. Behind her is a curved marble stele shaped like a ribbon, bearing the names of 24 villages in Khoiniki District that were hit by the heaviest radioactive contamination.

The most captivating part of the tour was the visit to the Polesie State Radioecological Reserve. The press tour itinerary also includes social facilities, a cheese production plant, a hydraulic equipment factory, and other sites.

Photos by Sergei Kholodilin/BelTA