Belarus lies on the crossroads of Europe, where it suffered numerous attacks of Vikings, Tartars, Germans and Russians, but which contributed to the shaping of a fortification system across Belarusian lands, including such popular tourist sites as the Kreva Castle, Navahradak Castle, Castle Lida and Kamianets Tower.

Belarusian literature has been developing for centuries, giving Belarusians a sense of national identity, epitomised by the literary heritage of such poets as Yakub Kolas and Yanka Kupala, whose works became classics of modern Belarusian literature. These writers explored the rural countryside, where the original Belarusian language could be heard. They modernised the literary language of Belarus, which had seen little development since the 16th Century. The post-independence writers of the 1990s continued to widely explore these same rural settings.

Belarusian theatre gained popularity in the early 1900s when Yanka Koupala wrote the play Paulinka, which was performed in Siberia for Belarusians who were sent to the region. It became one of the most famous plays in Belarus. The traditions of modern Belarusian theatre are strong and many professional theatres are seen throughout the country. Medieval East Slavic ‘skomorokhs’ (harlequins), or actors who could sing, dance and play instruments, were popular in 15th-century Belarusian folk music. Until the 16th Century, Orthodox Church music widely used the pneumatic chants of ‘znamenny’, which derives from the word ‘znamia’ (sign or neume). Later, stylistic innovation was influenced by the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. In the 17th Century, ‘partesnoe penie’ (part singing) was common for choruses.