Vorcy: Orce Lake, Nature and Regional Culture

Vorcy can be understood through Lake Orce, water protection, and former recreational offerings. The wider destination of Vitebsk Region also encompasses distinct nature and culture. This gives you both specific points of interest by the lake and a view of the broader region.

Lake Orce and water protection

Lake Orce lies between the villages of Orce and Papki. It is one of the lakes included in the water protection zones of the “Obsternovsky” ecological corridor. The corridor is designated as CN9 in Belarus’s ecological network; this designation dates back to a 2018 presidential decree. For the lake, its location between the villages and its connection to a wider ecological protection context are thus both noteworthy.

Former swimming and boating facilities

A regional travel guide from 2012 described the “Ortsovskaya Pristan” agro-eco-estate in Ortsy. There was a beach nearby for swimming and sunbathing. The agro-eco-estate included a 20-meter-long pier with a diving board extending out into the lake. The guide also described a five-meter-high diving tower and boat trips on the lake. This information relates to 2012; check which swimming and boating facilities are currently accessible before visiting.

A summary of regulations published in 2025 lists spearfishing as permitted in Lake Orce. Check the local rules in force before taking part.

Accommodation by the shore

The “Lebedinoe ozero” villa is in Ortsy on the shore of Lake Orce. The villa has a sandy beach and a pier; access to both is reserved for overnight guests. Check their current condition before visiting. The villa offered boat trips and fishing from a boat for its guests; cycling trips to explore the surrounding area were also offered. These activities, too, are guest services.

Nature and culture in the wider destination of Vitebsk Region

Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve preserves natural landscapes of Eastern Europe’s mixed-forest zone, as well as forest and wetland ecosystems. Its ecological forest trail passes through mixed forest, secondary birch forest, pine forest, and a raised bog. This trail highlights a range of forest and peatland habitats.

In Braslav Lakes National Park, the Mayak Hill viewpoint lies between Lakes Snudy and Strusto. From there, visitors can enjoy views of lake waters, islands, and shallows. The “Mayak Hill” ecological trail begins at the foot of the hill. The national park also offers excursions by sightseeing boat or motorboat, as well as cycling and SUP trips.

For cultural and historical interests in Polotsk, the Museum of the History of the Architecture of St. Sophia Cathedral is a specific point of interest. It is housed in St. Sophia Cathedral, an architectural monument dating from the mid-11th to the mid-18th century. On display are 11th-century masonry fragments, an almost completely preserved floor plan or an almost completely preserved foundation, and late-11th-century frescoes. The Museum of Traditional Hand Weaving of the Lake District explains the cultivation and processing of flax in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as the weaving tradition of northern Belarus.

Discover more destinations: Hlybokaje, Strusto, Zastadollie, Dubroŭna, Pastavy, Miory, Verkhnedvinsk, Polotsk.

See the wider travel overview: Vitebsk Region.