Rakaŭ - is a large village of Valozhyn district, Minsk region of Belarus. In the village of Rakaŭ, it remained very much, for the settlement of this size, a variety of attractions. One of the main attractions of the village of Rakaŭ is Transfiguration Orthodox church. This temple was built during the Uniate Basilian monastery in 1793. In 1839, with the liquidation of the Union, the monastery was also abolished, and the church began to operate as a parish. In the second half of the 19th century church in the village of Rakaŭ rebuilt several times to change the appearance from the Catholic, which is, nevertheless, clearly guessed until now. This ancient temple in the village of Rakaŭ at the moment is in good condition and functioning. Before the church in the village of Rakaŭ is situated old gate-bell tower, built in 1887 in honor of the 25th anniversary of the abolition of serfdom.
Another important attraction of the village Rakaŭ is the Catholic church of Our Lady of Rosary and St. Dominic, built in 1906. In the second half of the 20th century, this temple has not acted, the building housed the store and warehouse. Divine services were resumed in the church until the early 1990s, when the building was returned to the Catholic Church. At the same time, the church in the village of Rakaŭ was produced restoration. At this point, the church in the village of Rakaŭ is in good condition and acting. Directly behind it is a modern building of parish administration. And since we were talking about the church, at the same time it is necessary to mention that next to the church in the village of Rakaŭ are also the ruins of the postal station, originally built in 1887.
Another attraction of the village of Rakaŭ is a Catholic chapel of St. Anne, built in 1862. This chapel is very large by the standards of the Belarusian chapels, it could even be mistaken for a small church. Before the chapel in the village of Rakaŭ is also an old gate-bell tower, built in the 19th century. All the churches and a chapel in the village of Rakaŭ are architectural monuments, cultural and historical values and important sights of Belarus.
However, this list of attractions of the village Rakaŭ exhausted. It has several small chapels, one of which is located above the source of Holy Water. And right on the highway Minsk-Grodno, near the village of Rakaŭ, there is a unique natural monument - the glacial conglomerate and sandstone, shown in the last photo. Once in the village of Rakaŭ was also a manor complex, but now it is only by a few fragments of outbuildings remain, which are now in the territory of private holdings, as previously used for barns, and may not be of interest to tourists.
Let's say a few words about the village Rakaŭ itself. There are several shops and some other tourist infrastructure, including a small but very decent cafe. As already mentioned indirectly, Rakaŭ village is located very close to the highway Minsk-Grodno, so here is very convenient. It also can easily call for a short rest during a long journey, and at the same time to explore the many local attractions. For these reasons, the village of Rakaŭ, is very popular among tourists and travelers in Belarus.
As you correctly said, the synagogue was destroyed to the ground during the Second World War. We sincerely grieve for all the victims of this and other wars. Nevertheless, the place where the synagogue once stood, unfortunately, can not be attributed to tourist attractions in any way. Indeed, in our time at this place is now installed a small commemorative sign, in fact is a tombstone.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of places in our long-suffering land where the executions took place and other similar crimes were committed. Relatives and descendants of victims of these events visit these places as graves of their ancestors. The Belarusian authorities support these places in order, the citizens of Belarus themselves treat these places with deep respect. However, to tourist attractions that may be of interest to a wide range of tourists, such places still do not apply.