Terespol is a border town in eastern Poland on the border with Belarus. It lies on the border river Bug, directly opposite the city of Brest, Belarus. The town is a busy border crossing between Poland and Belarus on the European route E30 which links Berlin-Warsaw-Minsk-Moscow. Another crossing into Brest is located at Kukuryki northwest of Terespol.
There was also a local train between Brest and Terespol. It came 3 times a day and the trip only took 18 minutes and was a very easy way of crossing border between Belarus and Poland. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the train was cancelled at the beginning of 2020 and has been suspended for an indefinite period. There are 2 railway lines that cross the border heading to Minsk and further east. Now crossing the border takes hours.
After belonging to the Hapsburg Empire, Russian controlled Poland, Russia and being occupied by Russia and then Germany in WWII. Terespol became a border town after the Soviet Union annexed former eastern territories of Poland.
Brest is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the Polish town of Terespol, where the Bug and Mukhavets rivers meet, making it a border town too. Brest lies astride the Mukhavets River which flows west through the city, dividing it into north and south, and meets the Bug River in the Brest Fortress. The river has an extremely broad floodplain, that is about 2 to 3 kilometres across.
This visit was perhaps the least successful of the IBRG EPTEX-24 expedition. Despite being border towns that face each other across the River Bug this is not like Narva in Estonia facing Ivangorod in Russia. Due to the flood plain and vegetation it was not possible to see the river nor Belarus beyond. The fortress and Brest beyond remained out of sight and reach. With the local train link no longer operating and long delays at the border, a day trip was not practical.
Point A
We decided to walk along a path indicated on Maps.Me towards the river to see if we could get a view of the fortress instead when we got to the border crossing point it was no longer possible to further as it was a restricted military zone.
Once again the Polish Border Guard were surprised we were there, and for the first time supplementary vehicles arrived displaying blue lights.
A similar set of questions, including the names of our parents. However, they were friendly and after a passport check we were free to return the way we came. It was fascinating watching the traffic flow across the border.
This was possibly the closest we got to see the Fortress but in reality we saw just trees. Missing the Narva promenade just now.
Point B
As we continued our drive north seeing where we might access better views of the elusive border we crossed the railway line that links Berlin to Warsaw, Minsk and Moscow. A long freight train crossed in front of us.
This was the closest we were able to get to the border with a clearly defined border zone around the crossing points. The Chinese container may indicate that this route is part of their Belt and Road initiative.
Point C
The Kozlovich-Kukuryki border crossing is an important freight route. Both road border crossings are subject to long delays. It was difficult to get anywhere near this crossing point.
In the end we did the best we could to observe the crossing points but local circumstances always mean challenges arise.
Date of Visit: 01 August 2024
Barry's Borderpoints 