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SS Peter & Paul Church
Off the vul Lenina overpass is the attractively restored 17th-century SS Peter & Paul Church, the citys oldest church (built in 1612, looted by Cossacks in 1707 and restored in 1871). Now it is awkwardly dwarfed by the surrounding morose concrete structures, but still well wort
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Zaslavsky Jewish Monument
This extremely moving sight, rather hidden away in a sunken gully amid trees off vul Melnikayte, commemorates the savage murder of 5000 Jews from Minsk at the hands of the Nazis on 2 March 1942. It is made up of sculptures of scared men, women and children lining up to be shot, one
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Traetskae Pradmestse
In lieu of any real remaining Old Town is Traetskae Pradmestse (Trinity Suburb), a pleasant – if tiny – re-creation of Minsks pre-war buildings on a pretty bend of the river just a little north of the centre. Its worth strolling through for its little cafes, restaurants and shops,
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Museum of Confiscated Art
This excellent museum has an extraordinary display of icons, paintings, jewellery and other valuables that were seized from smugglers trying to get them across the border to Poland during the 1990s. Items on display are of unknown origin, hence their display in a museum rather than
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Nikalaivsky Church
Behind the Valour rock in the Brest Fortress complex is the attractive Byzantine Nikalaivsky Church, the oldest in the city, which dates from when the town centre occupied the fortress site. Once part of a large monastery before being turned into a soldiers garrison club, it was gu
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Pl Svabody
Between vul Internatsyanalnaya and the river is the charming pl Svabody, which contains the baroque, twin-towered Orthodox Holy Spirit Cathedral , built in 1642. Standing confidently on a small hill, it was once part of a Polish Bernardine convent, along with the former Bernardine
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Island of Courage & Sorrow
Standing on a small island connected by a walking bridge, the evocative Afghan war memorial is known colloquially as the Island of Tears by locals. Built in the form of a tiny church with four entrances, the monument is surrounded by towering gaunt statues of the sorrowful mothers
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Tsentralny Skver
Across the street from Oktyabrskaya pl is Tsentralny Skver (Central Sq), a small park on the site of a 19th-century marketplace. The dark-grey building is Dom Ofitserov (Officers Building), which has a tank memorial at the front, devoted to the soldiers who freed Minsk from the Naz
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Art Museum
The grand halls of the Art Museum are decked out with mainly local art, both old and new. There are numerous 18th- to 20th-century works, including those by Repin and Makovsky. A highlight is the collection of very moving realist scenes of early-20th-century Vitsebsk street life by
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Khatyn
The hamlet of Khatyn, 60km north of Minsk, was burned to the ground by the Nazis on 22 March 1943. Of a population of 149 (including 85 children), only one man, Yuzif Kaminsky, survived. The site is now a sobering memorial, with tours offered in Russian. Theres also an exhibit of p
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KGB Headquarters
An entire block at No 17 is occupied by a yellow neoclassical building with an ominous, temple-like Corinthian portal - the KGB Headquarters . This yellow neoclassical building occupies an entire block and its ominous, temple-like Corinthian portal looks down over Independence Squa
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Pr Nezalezhnastsi
Heading northeast from pl Nezalezhnastsi is the main part of pr Nezalezhnastsi and the bustling heart of Minsk, including the Soviet-era GUM department store. The KGB was never disbanded in Belarus after the collapse of the USSR, and continues to operate from the yellow neoclassica
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Pl Nezalezhnastsi
Independence Sq, also called pl Lenina, is dominated by the Belarusian Government Building on its northern side and the equally proletarian Belarusian State University on the south side. The redbrick Catholic Church of SS Simon & Elena , built in 1910, is also here. Its tall, g
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Churches
While Vitsebsk does not have many churches of note, there is a pair of very different Orthodox churches on the eastern bank of the Dvina River, near the main bridge on vul Zamkovaya. The biggest of these is the reconstructed Uspensky Sobor , from where there are great river views,
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Former Residence of Lee Harvey Oswald
Just across the bridge over the Svislach River, on the west bank, is the former residence of Lee Harvey Oswald; its the bottom left apartment. The alleged assassin of former US president John F Kennedy lived here for a couple of years in his early 20s. He arrived in Minsk in Januar
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Independence Palace
This enormous new addition to Minsks totalitarian architecture is the countrys new presidential palace in all but name. Architecturally uninspired, this glass-fronted eyesore has hundreds of rooms spread over 50,000 sq metres and is a symbol of Alexander Lukashenkos permanence in B
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Belarusian State Art Museum
This excellent state museum has been renovated and now includes a light-bathed extension out the back that features local art from the 1940s to the 1970s. Dont miss Valentin Volkovs socialist realist Minsk on July 3, 1944 (1944–5), depicting the Red Armys arrival in the ruined city
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National Library of Belarus
For a taste of post-Soviet Belarus, head north of the centre to the new national library, a ghastly piece of Lukashenko-approved hubris. The building is a giant rhombicuboctahedron (look it up!) that is lit at night and contains more than two million records as well as art gallerie
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Oktyabrskaya Pl
The citys main square is referred to universally by its Russian name, Oktyabrskaya pl (October Sq; in Belarusian, its pl Kastrychnitskaya). This is where opposition groups gather to protest against President Alexander Lukashenko from time to time, and is where the infamous 2010 pre
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Dudutki
Tasting delicious farm-made sausages, cheese and bread is only a small part of the experience of a visit to the open-air interactive museum of Dudutki, located 40km south of Minsk. This completely self-sufficient farm offers horse riding, sleigh rides, demonstrations of ceramic mak
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