Скульптура каля прыпынку на плошчы Свабоды. Фота: БЕЛТА
New art installations called “Traveler Bears” have appeared in Vitsyebsk. It has emerged that the sculptures are the region’s official tourism symbol, with plans to trademark the brand by September.
The new brand was unveiled this year at the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, held in the Belarusian capital. Deputy Chair of the Vitsyebsk Regional Executive Committee Anzhalika Nikitsina told BelTA that the creation of the tourism brand is part of a broader strategy aimed at turning the region into a tourist destination. The brand is intended to increase recognition of the region.
“Should we laugh or cry? Vitsyebsk used to be a city of artists… What a waste of public money!” people complained on Facebook.
“Since when has the bear been a symbol of the Vitsyebsk region and Belarus?” another commenter wrote.
This is not the first attempt to create a regional symbol while completely disregarding historical traditions. Previously, a brand featuring cornflower-shaped characters was created for the city of Vitsyebsk (a city with Magdeburg rights known since the 10th century), because the blue cornflower had become the main symbol of the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitsyebsk festival as the “embodiment of purity, spiritual beauty, faithfulness to Slavic traditions and the music-filled summer.”