Minsk Archives - Wandering North

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Minsk: Two Churches and A Library

The day after my excellent day trip outside of Minsk I was back in the city and decided to build a day around visiting the National Library. The Belarus National Library is extraordinary and unique. It is this very futuristic design, built in 2006 in the share of a rhombicuboctahedron. (that’s right. Look it up.) It has 26 sides. It looks like something that should be flying in space or used as a die in a role-playing game. it’s imposing, intimidating and beautiful, in its own way. At night it’s lit up in a variety of colours. (The library is also notable to me because it was featured in a music video for the Belarusian band Molchat Doma, a band I really like.)

It was a short metro stop from central Minsk and gave me opportunity to visit yet more attractive subway stations. From the library I crossed the street and wandered by some Soviet apartment block buildings that had on the sides of them really cool mid-century mosaics of Soviet life and achievement. There were astronauts and farmers and Olympians. The tall apartment blocks still lived in.

I walked past trees in blossom and beautiful wildflowers everywhere on my way to see the Church of All Saints.

I didn’t see the Church of All Saints listed in many “what to see guides” and for Minsk, which is bananas because it’s stunning. It’s a newer church, gleaming white and gold. From the outside it is absolutely beautiful, and it is equally stunning from the inside. I took about a million photos from different angles.

Church of All Saints

In the basement of the church is the crypt; it’s quite attractive but what’s mostly notable about it is that the walls of it are lined with small square cubbyholes with amber coloured translucent windows on them. Inside of them are the ashes or remains of people killed – mostly unidentified and mostly soldiers. It gives the crypt beautiful glow. Of course, my twisted brain also thought it a little like a beautiful and morbid automat.

What I didn’t know prior to arriving, was the right next to the church of all saints Is another church, the Holy Trinity Church. While the Church of All Saints is white and gleaming, the Holy Trinity Church is black and sinister looking. I couldn’t find out a lot of information about it. I don’t know when it was built, but I do know that it’s made entirely of logs like a log cabin. It is cozy on the inside with a log cabiny feeling. The two churches are worth a visit.

Holy Trinity Church

From the churches I decided to walk back to central Minsk. It was a long walk but took me past a lovely cemetery that I walked through and looked at the various headstones and their designs.

It was a pleasant and leisurely day in Minsk and of course I ended the day by having a cigar and a cocktail (ok, two) on the patio of a Lebanese restaurant.

I had one day ahead of me in Minsk and had plans to see the opera and a whole lot more of Lenin.

*pedestrian street in central Minsk at night*

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Minsk Metro

A whole post devoted to metro stations probably isn’t warranted, except that Minsk’s Metro stations are beautiful. The Soviet Union placed great value on public transportation and, generally, made their metro stations lovely rather than merely functional. The most beautiful I have seen are in Russia, but other former USSR ones I’ve seen have been impressive. Minsk’s were no exception.

Minsk’s Metro only has three lines but has stops that can be useful for a visitor, such as for visiting the architecturally amazing library. For the most part, Minsk’s sights are walkable, but I wanted to see some of the stations. I didn’t visit all, but on my final day or two in Minsk, when I had seen much of ‘the sights’ I made a point of popping into a few stations to check them out.

The Metro is incredibly cheap – only less than $0.50 per ride – and when you pay, you get a neat little plastic token to enter.

Some of the stations have beautiful lighting and columns; others have interesting design on the walls of the tunnels in the stations. The best ones are those that still have their Soviet insignia intact.

You’re not officially allowed to take photos of the stations, but if no one sees you doing it, it’s no problem.

Like many Russian and Ukrainian stations, some had little shops in the tunnels leading to the stations, selling delicious baked goods.

Others had monuments and memorials. Of the latter, the most notable is at Nyamiha metro station, where, outside, there is a monument to the victims of the Nyamiha stampede where 53 people were crushed and trampled to death after people crushed into the stations during a sudden rainstorm.

Nyamiha stampede memorial

The possibility of sudden death aside, it’s worth visiting the Minsk Metro, whether you need to take it or not; to see the decoration and just to participate in a bit of everyday life in modern Minsk.

More subway memorials. The one on the right is for WW2. The one on the left is for a 1905 shooting, i think.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Castles Mir & Nesvizh: A Day Trip from Minsk

As much as I loved Minsk, I didn’t want to stay there during my entire visit. I wanted to spend a day visiting two UNESCO heritage castles: Mir and Nesvizh. If you have a car, it makes a perfect day trip. But not having a car, I looked at the options for bus and train; it was technically possible to see both in a day travelling that way, but looked rushed and stressful, with a strong likelihood of missing connections, so I decided to hire a car. There weren’t a lot of people offering this service, but I found a company online, messaged them the night before I wanted to leave, and they picked me up the next morning. (Minsk Airport Transfer & Tours)

Roadtrip!

This was one of those days where the hiring of a guide/driver was much more than just transport. I had a great day with Sergey. A kind and interesting man who was fun to hang out with. He even does his own version of ‘carpool karaoke’ with guests.

*Me and Sergey, in our ‘buddy cop’ movie pose*

Nesvizh

We drove first to Nesvizh (aka Nyasvizh, or Нясвіж, or Несвиж) a small town (population ~15,000), which is famous for its castle by the same name: Nesvizh Castle, a lovely castle built in the 16^th and 17^th centuries and surrounded by a pretty forest. It even has a moat. What more do you want from a castle? Dragons?

Sergey waited outside while I wandered the halls, and then we walked through the forest together.

Nesvizh Castle, inside and out

We made a stop at the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh, from the 16^th century.

Corpus Christi Church, Nesvizh

Before we left Nesvizh, Sergey offered me hydration in the form of Byarozavik (бярозавы сок in Belarusian), birch tree sap. It was clear and mild tasting; unsweetened, but slightly sweet tasting. Kind of like coconut water, but not disgusting. I liked it.

Village Life

We drove through the pretty countryside, and I was ogling the villages, so Sergey took us to one (the benefit of having a private driver). I believe it was called Vishnevets, though I can’t find it on a map. It was just so charming. Almost entirely residential, with small dacha type houses; small, with peaked roofs, but they were mostly painted yellows and greens. The landscape was all gardens and farms, very green, storks’ nests on tall poles. This was time number in don’t know how many that I had a fantasy about packing it all up and moving there. I know I would be bored after a weekend, but it was just so lovely.

We stopped nearby at a well by the side of the road and drank cool, clean water that Sergey hoisted up on a rope.

We carried on to Mir.

Mir

Mir is a village of about 2,500 people. It has a turbulent history, having been attacked and/or occupied and/or taken over by Sweden, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Russians, and the Nazis (the latter of which killed off the town’s once thriving Jewish and Roma populations). Today, Mir is famous for its late Gothic, 16^th century castle.

Mir Castle inside and out

Mir castle is not as nice inside as Nesvizh, but is impressive, and the views from across the small river are lovely.

We had lunch at a nearby restaurant and I had some delicious soup and potato pancakes with mushrooms. (The vegetarian food in Minsk is not varied, but it is delicious.)

We drove back to Minsk, singing to Phantom of the Opera and My Way (some of Sergey’s favourites – and I can never resist a show or Sinatra tune) and talking about life in Belarus.

road signs

It was an excellent day; made much more fun by having company for the day and getting insights and info I would not have gotten on my own.

I really would like to see more of rural Belarus, but I also wanted to spend more time in Minsk, so I went back to my hostel and made plans for what to see the next day.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Pomp & Propaganda: Victory Day in Minsk

As the man at immigration at the airport was kind enough to remind me, my trip to Minsk overlapped with Victory Day. This was not intentional, but I am so glad it worked out this way. Victory Day in Russia many years ago was fine – lots of parades – but this was a whole experience.

Victory Day is, of course, the anniversary of the day (9 May 1945) that the Soviets defeated the Nazis in WW2, and it remains a point of great pride. I have been told that Victory Day celebrations have become more of a celebration in recent years, as Belarus and Russia have gotten closer. I can neither confirm nor deny this, but I can say that experiencing this spectacle is to feel transported to the feeling of being in the Soviet Union in the good times. I loved it. Apparently I am easily influenced by rousing anthems in foreign languages. I have not defected, but I did have a great time.

On Victory Day eve, I was out at night looking for a place to have a cigar and found that there was a stage set up in a square on Independence Avenue a crowd of people watching. I wandered over to have a look and ended up standing there for an hour. On the stage was a series of music and dance performances, each celebrating Belarus. Young women in traditional costumes danced in front of videos of wheat fields accompanied by gentle ballads. Powerful torch song were sung while soldiers and their lady loves danced and played out silent dramas of relationships torn apart by noble wars. Choruses of children sang in front of waving flags. The best though were the lively songs where men, dressed as army and navy men danced acrobatically: high kicking, and doing that traditional Russian dance where the men cross their arms and get low to the ground, while kicking out their legs. (Like the move John Travolta pulled off in Saturday Night Fever.) Flips, endless twirls, and tight choreography. It was excellent.

But that was just a taste of what was to come. The next day there was a procession to Victory Square, where people gathered. Powerful Soviet anthems played. People waved red flags – some with the hammer and sickle. Some people sombrely carried placards with pictures of Lenin and Stalin on them. People carried photos of their relatives who had fought and died in wars. A couple of ancient, thin men walked with help through the crowd, wearing old army uniforms, dripping with medals. Everyone wanted pictures with them. It was so showy, so affecting, that I started to wonder if it was real. I mean, it certainly might have been, but also, could some of these flag wavers and portrait bearers be government actors and the whole thing designed to rally patriotism and militarism? With the Russian/Ukrainian war just to the south, it seemed possible, but I can’t say.

I felt energetic from the song and the false feeling of camaraderie. I had my photo taken with a soldier and a little girl in soldier costume. I pinned a ribbon to my jacket. I took a ton of photos.

After a while though, as the crowds grew, I decided it would be prudent to get away from the spectacle. Soldiers were starting to close off streets and I noticed a lot of plain clothed police or security guys posted around the square who weren’t there before. I thought maybe the president was about the make an appearance and I didn’t want to get fenced in, so I took off, through a park where the merriment continued, and then just away altogether, to an art gallery and café.

The President did come, but earlier in the day; nothing of any concern happened, but I always think it’s good not to me in the middle of any big, politically charged crowd, even if the music is great.

I hadn’t planned it, but the Victory Day celebrations were a highlight of my time in Minsk. I do think it is largely propaganda, but well done; and I left before I enlisted for anything, so I just got to feel like I time traveled to the 1940s and then carried on in the present day.

I ended the day bar at my new favourite bar in Minsk, with a cigar and the company of people who cared more for whisky than war.

On my way back to my hostel I caught the fireworks from a bridge.

The next day I would leave all of this behind to see some countryside and castles.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Minsk’s Murals

One of the things that I love about any city is discovering street art. I like art, of course, but I like street art not just for the content of the art but for where it is found. I love a large piece on the side of a building, or a neighbourhood taken over by colorful murals. I even like collections of unrestrained graffiti. It’s a great way to see a city; to go off in search of murals in rougher or burgeoning neighbourhoods and to see places I might not have otherwise seen. And it’s free.

Minsk was not a place to see street art. For a long time, it was not a part of the landscape; either because there was a lack of street at culture or because the government didn’t allow it. Probably both. There is an excellent NY Times article about street art in Minsk; street art as political protest and the government’s aggressive tactics to shut it down and erase it. As I discussed in a previous post about Belarus, the government is … strict, so I didn’t discuss it much with anyone and I am not in a position to explain the history of street art as political protest, but it seems to be an issue.

That it is why it was such a big deal when in 2014 the areas around Oktyabrskaya Street (now officially Kastryčnickaja Street) became a veritable outdoor gallery after the Brazilian embassy in Minsky organized a street art festival (Vulica Brazil).

With art by artists from mostly Brazil and Belarus, this formerly industrial zone, is not covered with enormous, colorful murals. There is not one uniform style or theme, which makes it even better for discovery. And it is no longer just an industrial area; not there are cafes, restaurants, and bars. It is a properly, cool neighbourhood.

It is a short walk just off the main sights in central Minsk and is a great way to spend an afternoon or a couple of hours. None of the art seems political; it is fanciful and whimsical or paying homage to artists, writers, and thinkers. It’s an area that I did not even see listed in the guidebooks for Minsk and is something I found specifically by googling “street art” in Minsk. Definitely a cultural highlight in the city.

I saw these Murals on my first day in Minsk as part of an overall, self-directed walking exploration of the city

I know. It’s a short post, but I have So Many Pictures from Minsk that I had to break them up.

Belarus Belarus/Dubai trip 2023 Europe

Arrival in Belarus: My Longest Border Crossing

Flag and Map of Belarus

I landed at the airport in Minsk sometime after 11:00pm. I had flown there from Vancouver via London and Dubai. Normally I would have flown through Europe, but because of the ongoing war in Ukraine and, at the time, the sanctions against Belarus by nearly every country in Europe, I had to fly via Dubai. I had spent a nice day in Dubai and was now at my final destination. On the flight to Minsk, I noticed live airplane map that our route for the direct flight between Dubai and Belarus wasn’t even direct. Because of the war, we couldn’t fly over Ukraine; we had to veer off East to fly over Russia and then back to Belarus, making the flight even longer. It had taken me over 30 hours to get there; I was tired, and I just wanted to go to my hostel.

But first, the formalities…

At the time that I went to Belarus the options for getting a visa were this: I could apply for a visa ahead of time (a lengthy and annoying process) or I could fly to Minsk and get an automatic 30-day visa on arrival. That was my plan. All that was required was some paperwork and health insurance from a Belarusian provider. (I got the health insurance online, but there is a booth right at immigration where you can buy it.) I did not anticipate there to be any problems. But border crossings are unpredictable.

I was one of the first people off the plane and in the queue to go through immigration to enter the country. A buxom, blonde woman in a military-type uniform scrutinized my passport with a magnifying glass, looking at each page carefully. I had expected this, having read blog posts from other travelers where the same thing happened. But then she called out to one of her colleagues. A young, thin man dressed in similar attire escorted me from the line. He took me back to an area near an office and asked me to sit on a bench just outside of it. He took my passport and arranged around me a little fence of stanchions and ropes to keep me in place. “This is weird.” I thought. But I wasn’t concerned.

He disappeared into the office with my passport and about 15 minutes later asked me to follow him inside. I was still not nervous at this point. I was just curious as to what was going to happen.

Inside, they proceeded to ask me questions. They asked me every conceivable question about my life and my travel plans. They asked me why and where I was going; they asked me how I had planned the trip; why I had chosen it; where I was staying; who I knew there; had I ever been to Russia before (I had); had I been to Ukraine before (I had); did I know anyone anywhere from Russia, Ukraine, or Belarus; the nature of my job; what kind of law I practised; and on and on. They wanted to look at my paper maps and at my notebook, as well as the pages I had photocopied from my Lonely Planet. I had highlighted things on the maps, and they wanted to know why.

They then sent me back out to the bench and I sat there for … I don’t even know how long. While I was sitting there, I noticed that a few other people had been pulled out of the queue as well. Three other men went into the room and were questioned briefly and then were sent on their way into Belarus. One fellow was denied entry into the country for not having some paperwork and he was told that he would have to fly back to wherever it was he came from. At this point I started to not get worried, but I did start to think of alternative plans if I was denied entry.

They then called me back in and went through my phone, where they looked at my emails, at my contacts, and at my social media profiles, which they scrolled through. They looked at my laptop and went through the same things again, as well as my browser history and some documents I had saved on my desktop.

A different person asked me nearly all the same questions again. It seems that the thing that they were most interested in was my blog. This blog. I didn’t tell them that I had a travel blog, but they saw the links to it on my social media profiles and they asked me questions about it. I’m not sure if they were able to read the posts, but they looked at a lot of them. I just explained to them it’s a hobby blog that I write about my travels. They seemed very concerned that I was a journalist.

In scrolling through my Instagram, he asked me “Why you have picture of Putin?” I thought for a second, genuinely confused, and I said, “I have a picture of Putin?” And then he showed me, and I did have a picture of Putin. It was a protest poster in Riga that I had taken a picture of the year before. I just explained that I just thought it was an interesting piece of art.

He also asked me peculiar questions like, “Do you know what March the 9th is?” I said, confused, “Tuesday?” And he said “Do you know Victory Day? And I said, “Yes! It’s the day that the Soviets defeated the Nazis in World War Two,” feeling proud of myself like I got an answer right on a history quiz. It hadn’t occurred to me that Day was occurring during my trip. I had been to Russia for Victory Day many years ago and I was delighted to discover that I was going to be in Minsk this time (and I did attend the festivities), but he wanted to know if that was a reason that I was going to Minsk at this time.

All of this might sound kind of intimidating and scary, but it really wasn’t. The men were polite, and I never felt threatened or intimidated. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was very tired, it was kind of a nice experience. Really? You want to sit down and ask me about my travels? There are two things that I love to talk about more than anything else: myself and travel. Ha. I will never stop talking.

Also, I was very polite and cooperative. As they were asking me these questions, I kept thinking about the advice that I would give a client if they’re being cross-examined in court. I would tell them to think about every question to make sure they understand the question (and if not to ask for a clarification); don’t get emotional; and don’t volunteer more information that you are being asking for. And that’s how I handled this interrogation. Those years in law school paid off.

They sent me back out to the bench a final time and I waited again. It was now past 1:30am, so I had been there for about 2 1/2 hours. Finally, they came out, gave me my passport, and sent me on my way. I went back up to the buxom blonde, who stamped my passport, and I was in Belarus.

I took a taxi to my hostel the Urban Hostel. It was very late, and I just checked in and went to bed. It was a great hostel: good location, walk-able to everything, great amenities, and very cheap. I recommend it.

Urban Hostel in Minsk

While I was obviously happy to be in Belarus, I have to say that that initial introduction did give me some pause. I had certainly heard a lot about Belarus is being kind of a Soviet throwback state with a lot of military and police oversight and possibly surveillance. And after that initial introduction, I was cautious. I didn’t tell anyone what had happened. I would be in the country for five days and I still had to leave. I had done some Googling and heard from some locals about how there can be serious consequences for seemingly very minor infractions or even conversations, so I was careful about what I talked about and to whom during my trip. (I will not go into any detail here, but you can Google these things.) I think Belarus is a perfectly safe and lovely place to travel, but an element of discretion is advisable.

Flash forward: When I left Belarus, I had no issue whatsoever. They didn’t ask me any questions; they just stamped my passport, and I was on my way back to Dubai.

I don’t know if Belarus is always this tight with its security and immigration, or if it was more so just because of the war, but it would not deter me from going back. I loved Minsk and the trip I did outside of Minsk. I would certainly go back to Belarus; I would just plan an earlier arrival.

On to the posts about Minsk…

Tag: Minsk

Roadtrip!

Nesvizh

Village Life

Mir