The Braslav city was founded in the beginning of the XI century in the place of the Latgal and Krivichi settlement existing there since the IX century. It was used as the defensive centre in the northwest border of the Polotsk Princedom. The 8 October 1500 it obtained a partial Magdeburg right which was confirmed several times. At the second half of the XVII—XVIII centuries during the numerous military operations the town suffered a lot. In 1812 the Marshall M. Nei headquarters was situated in Braslav for 9 days.

Nowadays Braslav is an administrative, economic and cultural centre of the Braslav region. There are 7 enterprises here that produce the industrial products. They are: a republican production unitarian peat plant "Braslav-skoe", 2 Joint-Stock companies — "Braslavsky flax treating plant" and "Braslavsky dairy plant", a bakery plant, an alimentary plant, a sewing plant "Dubrava-Braslav".

There are the architectural monuments in the region: a Trinity church (1914), another church (1910), a bowery house with a park (the end of the XVIII — the beginning of XIX century) in the v. Vidzy, a Stanislavsky church (the 1-st half of the XX century) in the v. Dalekie, a Petropavlovsky church (1929), a church (1908) in the v. Drisviaty, a Nikolaevskaya church (1905) in the v. Ikazn, a Pokrovskaia church (the beginning of the XX century) in the v. Minkovichi.

Braslavschina is a blue vast of the big and small lakes (there are about 300 of them in the region and they make up 10% of its surface). Considering the unicity of this land in 1995 a National park "Braslavskie lakes" was created aiming at the preservation of the region.

Guide to towns and district centers of Republic of Belarus. A.V. Varivonchik [etc.]