About Belarus

You will be forgiven for thinking that the Soviet Union is alive and well in Belarus, but that is the charm of the place. Minsk may still proudly show its Communist-era buildings and statues of Lenin but you will notice that smart shops, good restaurants and live music venues have popped up across the city.

Still a largely rural economy, Belarus is a land of picturesque villages, forests, lakes  and national parks where bison, bears and wolves can be found. Polotsk, the oldest city in the country, boasts an ancient cathedral, fortress and convent. In Nesvizh the former palace home of the Radzivills is surrounded by formal gardens and Mir is home to a fairytale castle.

Belarus may not be the most talked about of countries but it does have its place in history. Twentieth-century artist, Marc Chagall, was born in Vitebsk; Brest, on the border with Poland, has hero city status as it withstood the onslaught from Germany in World War II and the leaders of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia signed the agreement to bring the dissolution of the USSR in Viskouli.