On March 4, Minsk /Andrei Asfura - BELTA/. Events of the Patriotic War of 1812 are planned to be recreated in the summer in the Vitebsk and Minsk regions. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Lyubov Maksimova, Head of the Department for Planning and Organisation of Tourist Activities of the Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. According to her, the Vitebsk and Minsk regions are working together with the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and the National Tourism Agency on the reconstruction of events of the Patriotic War of 1812. The majority of events dedicated to the 200th anniversary of this event will be held in the Borisov district. The choice is not accidental: remnants of Russian artillery batteries of those times have been preserved in Borisov, and there are also many monuments to Russian soldiers in the district. In addition, from June 29 to July 5, it is planned to organise a military-patriotic route through the battle sites in the territories of two countries at once - Russia and Belarus. Cadets from Suvorov military schools of the two countries will take part in the Union State project. To check how the Borisov district is preparing for the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism plans to send a working group to the district. Also, in 2012, Belarus will celebrate the 1150th anniversary of Polotsk. By this date, tourist and related infrastructure facilities should be improved, and new excursion routes around Polotsk should be prepared. The Ministry of Sport and Tourism expects a tourist flow from Russia, including pilgrims and admirers of historical and cultural values. By the way, 2012 has been declared the "Year of Cultural Tourism" by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. Therefore, tourists are promised a large number of festivals and celebrations. -0-

BELTA