What to see in Minsk: main sights and interesting places

For those planning to visit Belarus and of course the capital put together a list main sights of Minsk. In this material Top 30 interesting and classic places of the city that are worthy of attention for any tourist. There are no signs in the article castles in Belarus, only places in the ring of the Moscow Ring Road.

Trinity Suburb

Being in Minsk you can not pass by Trinity Suburb, which is a bright historical district of the city.

Upper town

Within the streets Nemiga - Maxim Bogdanovich - International и Svisloch river the historic district of the city is located Upper town. Some of the most popular and famous sights of Minsk are concentrated here.

Cathedral on Nemiga

Today, cathedral, is the central Orthodox church in Minsk, which was originally built as a church at the monastery Bernardines in the 17th century.

Former Church of Saint Joseph

Behind the building of the cathedral there is a rebuilt part Bernardine monastery and former church. Today it houses archives, museums and a modern hotel.

Former Church of the Holy Spirit

Continuing the tourist route through the sights of Minsk, it is worth highlighting the building where it used to be Church of the Holy Spirit. The temple was built in the Greek Catholic style in the seventeenth century (restored at the end of the 20th century). Today, there is a children's philharmonic society here, and musical evenings are often held in front of the entrance in the summer.

Minsk City Hall

Opposite the children's philharmonic society, you should pay attention to the town hall building. It was rebuilt and reopened as recently as 2012. Within the walls of the town hall there is a branch of the Museum of the History of the City of Minsk.

Church of the Virgin Mary

Architecture lovers will enjoy visiting Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is located across the street from the town hall, on Liberty Square.

One of the oldest buildings in Minsk

Another interesting attraction in the Upper Town - Residential building of the Basilian Monastery, which is considered the oldest building in Minsk.

Peter and Paul Cathedral

On Nemiga, down the street Rakovskaya 4, located unique Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul baroque and renaissance features. The first version of the temple was erected in 1620.

In addition to historical and religious sites, there are enough iconic places in Minsk that are dedicated to the theme of the Second World War.

Stela, Victory Park and WWII Museum

Of the traditionally visited places, it is definitely worth a look at the obelisk “Stela – Minsk-hero-city“. In July 2014, the museum moved into a new modern building topped with a glass dome and stained glass. The mirror facade of the building is decorated with beams, symbolizing the salute of victories directed upwards.

Each mirror beam has its own high relief depicting a historical event. The Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Minsk has irregular shapes with many inclined planes. Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War surrounds Victory Park, but complements the majestic image of the monumental complex stele.

Victory Square

On maps, it can be found on Independence Avenue between Frunze, Communist and Zakharova streets. This place was formerly called round square.

Near Victory Square there are several more interesting and unusual sights of Minsk.

Church on the Golden Hill

If you turn into the courtyards from the square, you can see one of the oldest churches in the capital - Church of Saint Roch, the place is shrouded in secrets and legends.

House of Lee Harvey Oswald

Few know that a few years in the house down the street Communist, 4 lived Lee Harvey Oswald. He was considered the prime suspect in the President's assassination. USA Kennedy in 1963.

Museum of the RSDLP

There is another unusual attraction in this area - a house that belonged to a noblewoman Frantiska Rzhecka. It was in it that first congress of the RSDLP. It so happened that until 1923 they tried not to remember this congress at all. This is explained by the fact that all 9 of its participants, being social democrats with a pro-Western orientation, did not later join the Bolsheviks.

It's no secret that the capital of Belarus is associated with spaciousness and cleanliness. The city has enough interesting streets, avenues and squares, which are sights in themselves.

Oktyabrskaya Square and Independence Avenue

On the of space located Palace of the Republic, which is the cultural and business center of the city. Its architecture is often controversial and seems too crude to many.

Nearby is Palace of Culture of Trade Unions.

Here you can visit an interesting museum - Architectural miniatures of Belarus, where the set attractions of the country.

Circus, Stalinist Empire and old houses

Crossing the road you will see a magnificent building Belarusian State Circus with a capacity of 1667 seats. The circus was built in 1954.

If you go up the avenue, be sure to pay attention to urban development. Almost the entire avenue stands out for its legendary architectural style. Stalin's Empire, each house here keeps its history.

For example, turning onto Lenin Street, you can see the old hotel in Minsk - “Europe“. The building has been restored to its original appearance.

Red Church

Must visit Church of Saints Simeon and Saint Helena, which is located near the Government House and the shopping center "Capital".

Dozens of buildings built at the beginning of the 20th century have been preserved in the city center. Many of them housed profitable houses, for example, next to the church was tenement house of Unikhovsky.

Historical and "party" streets of Minsk

There are several popular and famous streets in the capital. For example Rakovskaya street belongs to the historical, ancient buildings and more authentic establishments prevail here.

October - combines the spirit of industrial enterprises of the first half of the 20th century and the Minsk underground.

revolutionary – interesting for expensive restaurants and cafes.

The street of museums, hotels and history is considered Karl Marx street.

Museums

In literary Yanka Kupala Museum on the street of the same name you can get acquainted with the exhibits dedicated to the work of the great poet. After visiting the museum, visitors receive certificates with a photo.

On Lenina street 20 tourists can visit National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus. The best examples of Belarusian and foreign art are collected here.

The route through the sights of Minsk will pass through the most recognizable place of the capital, city ​​gatelocated opposite railway station. They represent two towers: one of them is decorated with a coat of arms, the second one has a clock. Photos of the towers are often placed on postcards, so for tourists the Gates of the City have become one of the symbols of Minsk.

In the historical center, next to the square Adam Mickiewicz in the building of the XIX century, the current fire station in August 2001 opened museum of fire and rescue business. The creators of the museum pursued the goal of preserving and conveying the art of extinguishing fires and the culture of fire and rescue, as well as acquainting visitors with the traditions of firefighters. The museum is open daily, offering 5 exhibitions and more than 5000 exhibits to visit.

A separate exposition is dedicated to the courage of the people who put out the fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Examining the collections of the museum, you will be able to observe how the attitude to extinguishing fires, the form, means and fire equipment has changed from century to century.

For connoisseurs of unusual museums, we recommend visiting Alivaria Beer Museum guests of the capital are offered an interesting factory tour, which was founded a century and a half ago. Along with a walk under the arches of a historic building, tourists get the opportunity to taste local beer.

Opera and Ballet Theatre

Speaking about the sights of the Soviet period, it is worth highlighting National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus. This largest theater in the country was built in 1937. Made in the best traditions of Soviet architecture. There is a square and a magnificent garden around.

Main Library

One of the most unusual architectural structures in Minsk is the building National Library of Belarus. The structure is made in the form of a rhombicuboctahedron, the height is more than seventy meters. For everyone there is an opportunity to climb to the observation deck.

Monument "Pit"

Located on Melnikaite street Monument to the dead Jews, known as Pit. The obelisk was opened in 1947. More than five thousand prisoners of the ghetto were shot at this place.

Island of tears

This memorial is dedicated to the victims who died in the Afghan war. The complex is located on an artificial island of the river Svisloch. The memorial complex was opened on August 3, 1996. There is only one way to get to the Island of Tears - through a humpbacked bridge, which is lit with red lanterns at night.

Weeping willows are planted all over the Island, which symbolize grief and sadness. And on its shore stands a statue of a fragile weeping angel, who failed to save the lives of Belarusian soldiers in a foreign land.

Yanka Kupala Theater

When planning to visit the main sights of Minsk, you will definitely come across a lot of offers and rave reviews about Yanka Kupala Theater. This is the oldest surviving theater in Belarus. The National Academic Theater named after Yanka Kupala was the only one in the country at the laying of which the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich Romanov and Princess Maria Pavlovna took part.

The current building was restored in 2013.

You can continue the route through the sights of Minsk for a long time. There are really many interesting places in the city. If you want more, check out our article on Movie theaters (and about those that are more no), learn more about metro history and read about monuments. If you have little time, then read the material: What to see in Minsk in 1 day.