Belovezhskaya reservation
The article by Igor Naboychenko,
Published in «Byelorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta» (The Byelorussian Business Newspaper) Newspaper, #106,
December 17, 2003
Inhabitants of villages located within the territory of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park are deprived of the rights of their real estate property. Though according to the data got from administrative bodies the houses of locals are their property, perhaps except hunting houses and guest motels, which are property of the park. At the same time the land, where houses are located, belongs to the municipality. But it proved to be that the park has an own law. According to the statutory document «On the State National Park »Belovezhskaya Pushcha« established in right in 1992, the people living on the Park's territory and owning houses as the private property can sell them only to pull them down or for the park's administration. Local inhabitants assert that before May, 2001, until present director of the national park Nickolai Bambiza was appointed to the post, this item was not taken into account when the sale and purchase bargains have been accomplished. In the Belovezhskaya Pushcha 13 people lived as owners before the new general director came here.
Now any of them cannot sell the own house, it means they cannot follow the right of the property. Even a repair can be made only if the sanction of Nickolai Bambiza is available. It is nuisance to sell houses being pulled down and to get back little money, while the national park does not need them either because its own guest base is sufficient.
Its own guest base, by the way, brings an income, which is not little. The cost of a guest house (two floors and four beds) is 250 thousand roubles per day for citizens of Belarus and CIS and 250 Euro — for foreigners. The Count Tyshkevich's house with 12 beds costs correspondently 250 thousand roubles and 250 Euro, true, breakfast is included. A similar house in Podbelski Ogorodniki is now occupied by the family of Bambiza, moreover, they have successfully modernized it.
It turns out, visitors are welcome to the Pushcha, whereas local inhabitants are oppressed. However, you see time has already come to be defined not only in respect of the number of deer and bison, but also of the destiny of the local population. While the settlements in the Pushcha haven't become real reservations.