Now the Republic of Belarus is the most affordable foreign direction in Europe for Russians. For a trip, you do not need to issue a visa, and on the border it is enough to present a Russian passport. At the same time, Western Brest and Grodno are very similar to neighboring European cities. The bonuses of the trip will be a delicious national cuisine, beautiful nature with blue lakes and thick forests and an endless number of cultural and historical attractions. They prepared a guide in the most interesting places in the three Belarusian cities.
Minsk
The capital of Belarus is first mentioned in the “Tale of Bygone Years” in 1067. Over its almost millennial history, Minsk experienced periods of heyday and decline, was a rich capital of the principality and an inconspicuous province. But in the war years of the last century, most of the city was erased from the face of the Earth, so Minsk rebuilt the rebuilt, and many architectural monuments are nozzles.
Start getting to know Minsk by walking on Independence Avenue. This is the central street of the city 15 km long, around which there are most of the main attractions of the Belarusian capital. Many buildings of the Prospekt are the monuments of the Stalinist Empire, and one of the striking examples can be seen in the heart of the street, on Independence Square. The largest public building of the republic is located here-the Government House, which was built in the 1930s and miraculously survived during the war.
Walking along the avenue, look at the architectural religious monuments: the Red Church of the Saints Simeon and Elena, the church of St. Roch and the Church of Alexander Nevsky. And on the square near the National Library, visit the observation deck, from where it will be possible to make out the Soviet mosaics on the buildings of the avenue, the spills of the Sleutyansk water system and the new areas of the city.
To plunge into the atmosphere of the XIX century, go to Freedom Square near the Nemiga metro station. This is the historical center of the city where the European spirit can easily be felt. The main Orthodox Church of Minsk is located here – the Cathedral of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, as well as the Minsk City Town Hall and the Catholic Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in the Baroque style.
In the route to Minsk, include a visit to the Trinity suburb. This small area on the banks of the Svisloch River is restored to European streets. Several old houses have been preserved here (for example, the building of the City Civil Factory and the Wigdorch house), art galleries, literary museums, restaurants and souvenir shops work. For atypical locations, go to Oktyabrskaya Street, to the tractor builders or Osmolovka, where you will see another Minsk with low-rise yellow houses, factories and loft space.
Once in Minsk, you definitely will not remain hungry. Dishes in restaurants are hearty, tasty and diverse. Try pancakes, dumplings and other potato variations of dishes, a cold soup and a warming crane, and for a dessert kulag or nurses. Traditional drinks that are found in the menu of many establishments are a soft shotus and strong tincture of Kramambulu.
How to get: By plane or train from Moscow to Minsk.
Where to stop: In the five -star EuroPe Hotel hotel – from 9,000 rubles per* room, in the three -star Hampton by Hilton Minsk City Center – from 5,100 rubles* per day or in Hostel Urban hostel from – 900 rubles* per night.
Brest
In 2019, the southwestern city of Belarus celebrated the millennium in 2019. The oldest settlement of the country over a long history has repeatedly become part of different states, took part in combat battles, destroyed and rebuilt again. And today in Brest you can see monuments of different eras – fortifications, imperial, Polish and Soviet buildings.
Get acquaintance with the city with its main attraction – the Brest Fortress. It was built in the middle of the 19th century as the protective western gates of Belarus, and in 1941 it took over the blow of German troops. The modern territory of the fortress is a large memorial complex, where museums and expositions are placed on the years of the war and the defensive fate of Brest. Next to it is the famous 13-meter sculpture “Thirst”, which recalls the complex fate of the country.
Once in Brest, take a walk along his main pedestrian street Sovetskaya, which the locals call Brest Arbat. It stretches 2 km along the historical center to the embankment of the Mukhavets River, and on the way you will meet pre-revolutionary buildings, the St. Nicholas Brotherhood Church and modern sculptures, for example, the monument to the millennium of Brest and the Old Light. By the way, a tradition has been preserved here when the lantern lights up every evening, and in the morning he extinguishes kerosene lamps inside the street lamps.
In the cultural program for Brest, include a visit to an unusual museum of saved values. In its walls, for many years they collected expositions from antiques, objects of luxury and art, which they tried to illegally take abroad. Here you will see an old Japanese faience, Aivazovsky’s paintings and silk painting. And behind the beautiful nature in Brest, you can safely go to the winter garden, under the dome of which the plants of three zones grow at once – tropics, subtropics and deserts.
You can get acquainted with the entire palette of Brest architecture on the streets of Komsomolskaya, Levanevsky and September 17. The buildings and ancient courtyards built from the middle of the 19th century and in the pre -war period have been preserved here. Most of the streets resemble a European corner, since the development of them was conducted at a time when the city was part of the Polish Republic. The unusual attraction of Brest, where you can fully plunge into the atmosphere of the life of the local population, is the central market. In the building under a huge dome, which is more reminiscent of the circus, they actively sell sauerkraut, lard, homemade dairy products and delicacies.
In local restaurants on the menu, traditional dishes of Belarusian, Ukrainian and Polish kitchens are often found. Try fried potatoes with forest mushrooms, cool with different fillings or Belarusian burgers, where the usual roll is replaced by crisp, and salty cucumbers – sauerkraut. Of the drinks, the menu presents different types of kvass, mead or strong badly and Krynik.
How to get: By train or bus from Minsk to Brest.
Where to stop: In the four -star Hermitage Hotel – from 7,000 rubles* per room, in the three -star Vesta hotel – from 3,100 rubles* per day or at the Intourist Hotel hotel – from 9,000 rubles* per night.
Grodno
The city was founded in 1128 in the west of the Republic of Belarus near borders with Poland and Lithuania. Initially, he represented a small fortress of the zoom, inside of which there were shopping rows and residential quarters. The ancient city has repeatedly destroyed during battles and re -restored, and at different times the settlement was part of Lithuania, Poland and the USSR. Today, Grodno is the cultural capital of Belarus, work is actively underway to restore historical appearance.
Start a walk around the city with a pedestrian Sovetskaya Street, which has been perfectly preserved since Grodno entering the Polish Republic. The roads on it are paved with an old paving stones. Almost all buildings on Sovetskaya are architectural monuments built in the period of the XV-XIX centuries. Now they have restaurants, cafes and other atmospheric institutions, so the street can be safely considered the gastronomic artery of the city. Walking here, it seems that you ended up in a small European town, among bright buildings in the style of modern and neoclassicism with beautiful decorative elements, souvenir shops, festive fairs and performances of local musicians.
To get acquainted with the history of the city and visit the most ancient place in Grodno, go to the old castle. The first references to construction are already found in the XI century, and in such a long history the castle acted as a defensive structure, the main residence of the prince, the royal palace, the warehouse for storing weapons and even the prison. Recently, one of the stages of restoration ended here – a fortress wall with a gallery and medieval towers were restored, and a historical museum was opened inside the castle. You can get a bonus to the best observation deck of Grodno, from where you can see the old and new castles, churches, churches and the Neman River.
Grodno is often called the capital of Belarusian Catholicism, and religious monuments occupy a special place in the history of the city. The most beautiful buildings are the Kolozhskaya Church of the XII century, the Lutheran Kirkh in a neo-Gothic style and the Cathedral of Francis Xaveria with old tower hours and a 21-meter carved altar. Grodno also offers an excellent cultural program – visit the Museum of City Life, the Crimea Art Gallery, the only museum of the History of Religion in Belarus or the local drama theater.
After a walk around Grodno, look at a local restaurant or cafe, for example, on a pedestrian Sovetskaya Street. In the menu of institutions, traditional dishes of Belarusian cuisine are often found. Try pancakes with different sauces, deruna with a cheese or fish filling, baked pork with pranks and a melting, fried potatoes with mushrooms and pickles, or a stew in an white-Russian.
How to get: By train or bus from Minsk to Grodno.
Where to stop: In the four -star Hotel Hotel Hotel – from 11,400 rubles* per room, in the three -star Neman Hotel – from 5,800 rubles* per day or in the Turbaza Pyshki hotel – from 1,600 rubles* per night.
*Prices are relevant at the time of publication.
Convenient hotel selection site – OneTwotrip.
