BELARUS
A long the Polish-Belarusian border grows Europe’s largest primeval forest: the Belovezh Pushcha, reputedly haunted by a six-armed spirit. Many armies have perished in its swamps, and it was at a summit here in 1991 the USSR passed into history.
For centuries, the people of Belarus were neglected and oppressed by ruling feudal dynasties of Lithuania, Poland and Russia. Exiting World War One, the Bolsheviks handed Belarus to the Germans, sparking an early nationalist movement.
After Germany’s defeat, ‘Byelorussia’
