"I Was In Shock": Farmers On The Hype Surrounding "Belarusian Switzerland"
- 13.08.2026, 11:51
August's most Instagrammable spot is in the village of Pivashi.
A farm in a village near Soligorsk took Threads by storm last week. Users are willing to travel from anywhere to take photos against the backdrop of “Belarusian Switzerland.” And there’s more: posts have appeared offering on-location photo shoots. But some are wondering: how do the owners feel about this sudden buzz?
August’s most Instagrammable spot is in the village of Pivashi. This is where the “KaiYan” farm is located. Its owners focus exclusively on raising sheep, according to the Soligorsk newspaper *Shakhtar*. And for all five years of its existence, most Belarusians had never heard of this private farm until a post appeared on Threads, writes “Onliner”.
“I have surveillance cameras on my farm, so I can see everything I need to from home. One Sunday evening, I checked one of the cameras—and was shocked,” farm manager Natalya told reporters.
Just last Sunday evening alone, employees recall, seven cars arrived at the farm—some from Minsk and Grodno. The reason was a desire to take photos with the “Alps” and fluffy sheep in the background.
How did the farm react to the influx of strangers? Reports say the rush came as a surprise, but there were no conflicts.
“Everyone was friendly and reasonable: they took a couple of photos and left. There wasn’t a single incident that escalated into a scandal,” Natalia said.
Nevertheless, they had to close off the area. A lock on the gate and warning signs were put up for the animals’ safety.
“Our sheep are wild and very skittish; at the sight of people or cars, they immediately run off. This isn’t a petting zoo: you can’t approach the animals here or feed them. In the early days, we just warned visitors because, if someone had traveled from far away—say, from Grodno—it felt awkward to turn them away right away. So at first, I asked for just one thing: please write in the comments under your posts that people aren’t allowed on the property, so that the next visitors would know. But feel free to take photos near the farm—you can get some great shots from there, too.
By the way, the owners have no plans to capitalize on the sudden buzz or make the farm available for photo shoots.
— It’s simply not profitable for us, and there’s no point. We have our own business, our own workflow, and we don’t want to sit here, meet people, and show them around the property. Someone has to accompany the guests, which means hiring another person. Who knows where someone might wander off to—we’d end up being held responsible. Besides, this isn’t a zoo—the sheep aren’t tame. People will all want to feed them, but the sheep won’t let them get close. Even if a couple of sheep come over, one person will feed them, and the next will immediately ask, “Why can’t I? I paid, after all.
According to the farmers, once the cold weather sets in, the influx of visitors will stop on its own. And then they’ll return to their normal lives.