There are fabulous places in Belarus that are most beautiful at a certain time of the year. The flood plain of the Pripyat River is definitely one of them!
It is best to travel there in spring or early summer, nature and wildlife photographer Sergey Plytkevich says.
For many years he has observed the territories belonging to Pripyat’s basin during snowmelt.
In some years the waters of the river would approach villages and roads gently, rising barely enough to add seasonal change to the landscape.
That’s what the village Lyaskovichi in Gomel region looked like on in April 2005. High water surrounded the wooden church and the houses, but flooded only the gardens.
In other places, water flooded fields and streets turning many settlements into small ‘Venices’ where the only way to travel was by boat.
Even bridges went underwater!
The next year Pripyat was calm and gentle. Here’s what it looked like in April 2006.
Can you spot a railway bridge in the picture bellow?
That’s how the connection line between Luninets and Stolin looked in 2010. Water everywhere!
And here are the great waters of Pinsk region…
How about locals? Well, Plytkevich says, rising waters look much less romantic when it comes to evacuation and flooded houses.
But this is the real life of a southern Belarusian. From generation to generation, people are living through great floods and rejoicing good harvests after them.
Spring water of 2013 looked like this:
The bridge over Pripyat – does it remind you of any famous place in the Arabian Peninsula?
A village located between two rivers, Pripyat and Stviga.
Same year, wetlands of the Pripyatsky national park.
And villages that belong in the list of ‘hot spots’ during flooding…
Two months later water was still high in Pripyatsky park.
But blossoming orchards looked fantastic!
And this is June 2013.
Still high, still dangerous, still impressive!
Looks like the end of the world…
Pripyat is gracefully twisting through oak groves and water-covered fields.
And everyone, who lives near it, has to adjust!
WOW!
This year water is expected to be rather high, so look like more awesome pictures are coming!
See full report here.