Minimum norm — 100 kilometers a day: a resident of Pinsk cycled through all districts of Belarus
Dmitry Lenkovets from Pinsk is probably one of the most famous and active cycle tourists in Belarus. In seven years, he has cycled more than 50 thousand kilometers, visited all 118 districts of the country, writes Times.by.
“If you want to learn about the world, start by exploring your Homeland”: this idea sparked a passion that became an important part of Dmitry Lenkovets's life. He visited almost all tourist sites and created one of the most detailed thematic resources about Belarus — the LDD.by website, which twice became a laureate of the republican competition “Discover Belarus”.
Times.by met with Dmitry to find out how a geographer by education became a cycle tourist, why he doesn't plan routes, and why he's creating an interactive map of Belarusian sights. He also shared with us a list of what, in his opinion, every Belarusian should see.
From the first shot to 50 thousand kilometers
It all started with a camera. About ten years ago, Dmitry bought a digital Canon and began walking the streets of his native Pinsk in search of interesting shots.
“Through the lens, a new perspective on the city opened up,” he recalls. “It turned out that we have very beautiful architecture. I started photographing historical buildings and, in parallel, became interested in their history: when they were built, by whom, and why.”
Two years were spent researching Pinsk. When the city was explored thoroughly, Dmitry decided to expand his geography. He started with the most popular tourist attractions: Mir, Nesvizh, Grodno, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Ruzhany, Pruzhany. But he very quickly realized that traveling by public transport was not his format.
“You are tied to hotels, transport, time,” he explains. “It's like you learn something new, but you always owe something to someone. I started looking for a way to avoid this.”
So seven years ago, he bought his first bicycle: “I bought special clothing, bags, and now I have everything with me on the road: a home – a tent, sleeping bag, mat; a kitchen – a gas burner.”
Pedestrian street in Pinsk. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
His first cycling trip during his summer vacation in 2020 was a trial and the shortest: 12 days, 1420 kilometers. He didn't set specific goals — just to see how it would go. During this time, he saw the Mir, Nesvizh, Lyuban, Novogrudok, Kreva, Olshany castles, swam in the largest lake Naroch, and spent the night on Mount Dzyarzhynskaya — the highest point in Belarus.
Highest point of Belarus. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
“In these 12 days, I saw and accumulated more impressions than in all the years of my life before that,” Dmitry admits.
When he returned home and opened the apartment door, a strange feeling overwhelmed him: “I look – some carpets, furniture… I think: ‘What is this?’ I wanted to wave my hand, turn around and go back. A normal person should arrive, take a shower, rest for a few days. But in my thoughts, I wanted to get on my bike and continue. At that moment, I realized: cycle tourism is going to be with me for a long time.”
And so it was. He immediately wrote another vacation request and two weeks later set off on his second cycling trip – covering 1700 km in 13 days. And then a third, a fourth… a tenth.
Today on his list are eight bicycle trips around Belarus and two to Russia: from Pinsk to St. Petersburg and Moscow and back.
How to cycle through 118 districts of Belarus in three years
In the first three years, he visited all 118 districts of Belarus. But he did it differently than most travelers. Dmitry is a geographer by education, so navigating the terrain is not a problem for him.
Lake Svityaz, view from the tent. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
“I’m not a typical tourist,” he admits. “Tourists meticulously plan their routes: they decide in advance how to go, where to spend the night. My principle is different: I simply search online for objects that interest me — castles, palaces, churches — and then I orient myself on the spot, open a map, and see how best to get from one object to the next.”
Dmitry doesn't have pre-planned routes in his head. He has a list of points. From point to point, he improvises. If he learns about a new interesting place along the way, he might turn off and save it.
“How long do I stay at a site? It all depends on my interest,” the traveler explains. “If I visit a castle for the first time, it might take half a day to walk around it from all sides. And sometimes I might just stop for a couple of minutes, take a few photos, and continue my journey.”
Olmany Marshes. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
Cycling 100 kilometers a day is Dmitry's minimum norm. He calls it a magical number. But there were times when he covered 280 kilometers a day with a full load.
“I didn’t set any records; there’s no point in that, I’m not an athlete. I get pleasure from the process itself, from new places, new roads, new sights, new people, and interacting with them. First, I traveled around Belarus, saw all the objects most interesting to me, and then I started traveling abroad, to Russia. But I still plan trips around Belarus, and not just one.”
A travel website that became the best blog in Belarus
When Dmitry was preparing for his third trip, his son, who was studying to be a programmer, suggested creating a website.
“My son built the platform, and I started filling it with my materials and photos. I uploaded a couple of articles – people became interested, and I started developing the website further,” he recounts.
Currently, LDD.by (named after the initials of Dmitry Dmitrievich Lenkovets) is not just a blog, but one of the most detailed guides to Belarus. The website already contains hundreds of articles about attractions: castles, churches, palaces, manors, natural sites. The resource twice became a laureate of the republican competition “Discover Belarus”: in 2022 in the nomination “Material of the Year. Tourism Blog”, and a year later – in the nomination “I Discover Belarus”.
Dmitry ended up in the competition almost by chance: “A local journalist called me, told me about the competition, and suggested I apply. The website was only six months old then. I came after work, sent a few of my photos, and wrote that I wasn't claiming victory, but participating to support cycle tourism.”
Waterfall on the Vyata River. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
Over the years, Dmitry has taken thousands of photographs – the archive is so vast that he doesn't have enough time to write articles for all of them and share them with readers. Some of them can be seen on the website and social networks. Some have been used in printed publications about Pinsk and the Brest region, in the National Atlas of Belarus, and on tourist websites.
In 2025, he received a certificate of merit in the nomination “Photograph of the Year”. In the “Discover Belarus” competition for non-professionals, there are only three nominations – he has already won in two of them, and received a certificate of merit in the third.
The most detailed map of Belarus attractions
Dmitry doesn't plan to stop there. On his website, he is creating an interactive map of Belarusian attractions, which, according to his plan, will become the most detailed in the country.
“The map already exists, but it’s only about thirty percent filled so far,” he clarifies. “Of course, I started with Pinsk. By the way, it's the second city after Grodno in terms of the number of attractions!”
Church in Gervyaty. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
The map currently contains over 1000 objects. They are divided into categories (layers) — palaces, churches, castles, natural objects, etc. Each object is provided with a name, a photograph, brief information (year of construction, architectural style), and a link if there is a detailed article about it on the website.
It's already possible to filter categories of attractions: leaving only castles or only points on the screen. You can also choose the base map; OpenStreetMap is used as the default, but you can also select Google, Yandex, and satellite maps, and the attraction points will be displayed on top of them.
“I don’t set specific deadlines for myself. After all, this is a big job that I do alone, purely out of my own enthusiasm. But I hope everything works out,” he says.
A lone warrior
Dmitry usually travels alone. This is a conscious choice: the format of his journeys is not suitable for everyone. Especially when it comes to long trips of 2 thousand kilometers, as was the case with St. Petersburg and Moscow.
“It's clear that a person must be able to cover 120-150 kilometers a day on such a trip. And if there are no attractions along the way, then even all 200,” says Dmitry.
Salihorsk Mountains. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
However, he does have like-minded companions. With a local colleague Sergei, he embarked on his fourth trip around Belarus, and with a colleague from Mikashevichy, Gennady, to St. Petersburg.
For shorter distances, around the district, for a day or two, Dmitry often goes out with his family.
Where to next?
Dmitry has not grown tired of his cycling trips and definitely does not intend to take a break or change them to a more comfortable format anytime soon. A new trip is currently in the works. Most likely, it will be Russia's Golden Ring: Sergiev Posad, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Rostov, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Suzdal, Vladimir.
“I want to see the ancient churches and monasteries that everyone talks about,” he shares his plans.
He also has another incredible secret dream: to cycle from Pinsk to the ocean – ideally to all of them, but for now, a cycling trip to the Arctic Ocean seems most probable. Perhaps it will be next year.
But Dmitry doesn't forget about Belarus either. He says he hasn't visited all the sites yet; there are a number of remote places he hasn't reached.
“There are a number of sites that I have seen from the outside, but I want to visit them inside, and there are sites that I simply liked, and I want to see them again – Belarus is indeed rich in interesting attractions, and my website is direct proof of that.”
“If you want to learn about the world, start by exploring your Homeland. Belarus is a beautiful country. You just need to want to see it! You don't need any special skills to go on a cycling trip. Only desire – nothing more. You just need to take your bike, sit on it, and go!” says Dmitry.
Every Belarusian should see this — a list from Dmitry Lenkovets
Castles: Mir, Nesvizh, Navahrudak, Lida, Kreva, Old Castle in Grodno.
Palaces: Puslowski Palace in Merechevschina (also called Kossovo Castle), Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace in Gomel (where many original exhibits are preserved in the museum), Bulgak Palace in Zhilichy, Gatovsky-Koziel-Poklewski estate in Chyrvony Bierah, Sapieha Palace complex in Ruzhany, Butrymovich Palace in Pinsk.
Town Halls: in Nesvizh, Chechersk, Vitebsk.
Defensive Churches: Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Muravanka, Archangel Michael Church in Synkavichy, St. John the Baptist Church in Kamai.
Monasteries: active St. Euphrasyne Monastery in Polotsk, Zhirovichi Monastery in Slonim District, and former Franciscan Monastery in Pinsk.
Puslowski Palace in Kossovo. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
Orthodox Churches: St. Sophia Cathedral and Transfiguration Church in Polotsk, Kalozha Church in Grodno, Assumption Church in Sarya, St. Nikita Church in Zditovo — the oldest wooden church in Belarus.
Catholic Churches/Kastsiols: Holy Trinity Church in Gervyaty (Neo-Gothic in all its beauty), Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh (its crypt contains the Radziwill princely family vault — the third largest number of burials in Europe), Jesuit Church of St. Francis Xavier in Grodno, Bernardine Church in Budslav, Franciscan Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Pinsk, Holy Trinity Church in Ishkold — the oldest un-rebuilt church in Belarus.
Protestant Churches: Lutheran Kircha in Grodno, prayer houses in Kobryn, Kalodzishchy, Olshany.
Muslim Mosques: in Ivye, Navahrudak, Lavchichy, Minsk.
Synagogues: in Bykhov, Grodno, Slonim.
Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Muravanka. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
Chapel-Vaults: Ozheshko in Zakazel, Reitan in Hrushauka, Zavisza in Uzda, Svyatopolk-Mirsky in Mir, Skirmunt in Molodovo.
Archaeological Sites: open to tourists site in Yuravichy — the oldest primitive human settlement in Belarus (Agava-1 is still being excavated, and its official declaration as the oldest will only be recognized after official reports from archaeologists after the completion of excavations), the "Berestye" settlement and the settlement in Turov.
Fortresses: Brest, Bobruisk, Grodno. I would especially highlight the only fortress-house in Belarus — the Nonhart House in Voranava District.
Memorial Complexes: "Brest Fortress", "Khatyn", "Monument to Children — Victims of War" in Chyrvony Bierah, "Battle for the Dnieper" in Loev, "Lyasnaya" in Slawharad District, memorials to soldier-liberators and "Partisans of Polesie" in Pinsk.
Yuravichy site. Photo: Dmitry Lenkovets
Monuments: To the Millennium of Brest, Gediminas in Lida, Algirdas in Vitebsk, Napoleon Orda in Ivanava, to the founder of Kamenets Fortress, Lev Sapieha in Slonim, Dostoevsky in Dostoevo, Pinchuk in Pinsk.
Unusual Monuments: to wolves in Lahishyn and Vawkavysk, to a fox in Byarezina, to cucumbers in Alshany and Shklov, to a bearded owl in Ivatsevichy, to Baron Munchausen in Hlybokaye.
Hills/Mountains: Swedish Mountain in Vawkavysk, Castle Hills in Navahrudak, Grodno, Kapyl, Salihorsk mountain ranges, Mount Mayak offers the best views of the Braslav Lakes.
Springs: Blue Spring in Slawharad District — the largest spring in Belarus, St. Michael's Spring in Kamenets District, mineral springs in the forest lakes of Ushachy District.
Trees: Tsar Oak in Malaryta District (according to the information on the plaque near the oak, it is 800 years old — the oldest tree in Belarus), Patriarch Oak in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, 600 years old, Queen Bona's Oak in Duboe Park in Pinsk District.