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10 Things I Learned During my Stay in Minsk, Belarus

October 22, 2018 by Dave12 Comments

View from Galileo Shopping Mall
Across from the main train station
National Library of Belarus
Palace Of Culture Of Labor Unions

Dinamo Stadium
Enjoying sashimi Galileo Mall
Cat, Cat Museum
Bring an umbrella in the summer

I recently spent a few days exploring Minsk and the nearby countryside. This city of 2 million+ people is at the same time spread out yet rather compact. The city features an interesting mix of noticeable architectural styles mostly dating from post World War II. Unlike a number of Western European countries, Belarus does not yet seem to be on the tourist route. Prices are fairly reasonable and it is easy to get around the historical core of the city on foot (a metro also provides extended coverage to other parts of the city).

Here are 10 things I learned during my stay in Minsk.

– Minsk has a cat museum! For the price of admission, one can spend up to an hour getting to know the cats and exploring a variety of cat artifacts and memorabilia. Make yourself a cup of tea in the tea room while cats walk in and out.

– Casinos are a big thing here! Nearly all of the billboards on the way from the airport to downtown advertise casinos.

– Much of Minsk was destroyed in WW II. As a result most of the city dates from the 1950’s to the present including the famous 4km stretch of Praspyekt Nyezalyezhnastsi (sometimes used as a set in Russian movies to simulate the look of old Moscow). A few years back un-exploded ordinance from WWII was discovered in one of the city’s public buildings. The oldest building in Minsk is St. Peter and St. Paul’s church, dating from 1612.

– Lee Harvey Oswald. Yes, that infamous assassin of American president John F Kennedy lived in Minsk for 2.5 years, worked in a factory and married a Russian woman living in Minsk. One can visit the outside of the apartment complex where he lived.

– When Albert Einstein decided to leave Berlin in 1931 he was invited to come to Minsk by his assistant Jakov Grommer who was born in Belarus, but Stalin blocked Einstein’s pending move to Minsk – hence Einstein moved to the USA.

– The streets are incredibly clean and homelessness seems to be non existent.

– Impressive Sports Complexes – as in Minsk has a number of these including the recently restored Dinamo Stadium (opened in 1934) and Minsk Arena (home to ice hockey events and a venue for numerous performances by internationally well-known singers.

– The National Library of Belarus is a rhombicuboctahedron (look that one up!). Arguably, from an exterior viewpoint, this is one of Minsk’s most intriguing buildings. It is the largest library in the country. Sadaam Hussein even donated money towards its construction.

– It can rain during the summer months. Not every day but often every week – bring an umbrella.

– Kyle Le was here before me.

Related posts:

The Imaginary Kingdom of Belarus Cuzco, Peru: Things Learned During an Eight-Day Visit Visiting Frankfurt See all of Sydney but Stay in Style A Monumental Capital – USA

Filed Under: Europe · Tagged: Airport, America, Art, Germany, Moscow, Museum, Sports, Walking tour

Comments

  1. Teh Chin Liang says

    October 25, 2018 at 12:36 pm

    Thanks for shedding some light on this under-the-radar destination, I’m not a big fan of casino but the unique architecture of buildings would be enough to lure me in for a visit.

  2. Dave says

    October 25, 2018 at 9:27 pm

    For sure. I didn’t even pop into the casinos but I certainly saw plenty of them!

  3. Luxx Press says

    October 30, 2018 at 10:01 am

    Good article! Thanks for sharing!

  4. Dave says

    October 30, 2018 at 10:17 am

    Luxx – for sure, wish I had more time to explore the Belarus countryside. Next time 🙂

  5. Abdul says

    October 30, 2018 at 10:54 pm

    Ask them what their secret is to managing homelessness so well

  6. Dave says

    October 31, 2018 at 9:54 am

    The question of the hour, especially for many of California’s cities

  7. Markus says

    November 13, 2018 at 2:09 pm

    Great post…really informational. Loved it.

  8. Simon says

    November 14, 2018 at 5:40 pm

    Amazing post…so much to learn from. Thanks for sharing.

  9. Matt Adams says

    November 20, 2018 at 10:32 pm

    Very nice and informative!

  10. Ranjan Khadka says

    December 4, 2018 at 2:16 pm

    Awesome post. Thanks a lot for sharing it. Minsk has a cat museum it sounds quite interesting. I wish I could do visit to this place.

  11. Rachel Ryder says

    July 5, 2019 at 12:25 pm

    Hi. We are just entering our 4th year on the road and I think I agree with just about everything above. It’s always changing, we find new, better ways, or what we want from this lifestyle changes, so for a few months we’ll be regular backpackers, then we’ll chill and rest for a while in a city apartment rental. Whatever, we love this life. Your picture of that little stove on the Everest trail brought back happy memories, we took the kids up there a few months ago, great times. Cheers!

  12. Lisa says

    July 5, 2019 at 12:26 pm

    I recently spent a few days exploring Minsk and the nearby countryside. This city of 2 million+ people is at the same time spread out yet rather compact. The city features an interesting mix of noticeable architectural styles mostly dating from post World War II. Unlike a number of Western European countries, Belarus does not yet seem to be on the tourist route. Prices are fairly reasonable and it is easy to get around the historical core of the city on foot (a metro also provides extended coverage to other parts of the city).

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