Dig deep to discover the fun and charm of Minsk. You will think you have stepped back to Soviet times with its Communist-era blocks and statue of Lenin in Independence Square but this is part of Minsk’s attractions. Follow a route from Independence Square to October Square and get your fill of Stalin-era grandiose gems including the Post Office, GUM Department Store and Palace of Culture. Take a tour to the intriguing Stalin Line, fortifications to protect the Soviet Union from Western aggression. The city comes alive at night where you will be pleasantly surprised by its fine restaurants and buzzing live music venues.
Visiting Belarus is like stepping back into the Soviet Union. After total destruction during the Second World War, Minsk, the Belarussian capital, was reconstructed in the 1950s as a model Soviet city. Located on the banks of the Svisloch River, Minsk passed up its post-war chance to Europeanise like its Baltic neighbours, and visitors can judge for themselves how effective their neo-communist model was. Lenin still stands proudly in the main square. If the Soviet style becomes too much, you can seek refuge in more classical attractions.
A visit to the Line of Stalin and the recently opened museum. The Line of Stalin was a fortification line built in 1933 to protect the western borders of the U.S.S.R. It stretched for more than 2000 km from the Barents to the Black sea and consisted of 21 fortified regions.
Taste regional specialities such as Belarussian Borshch (beetroot soup served with sour cream) and Draniki (potato pancakes), washed down with Belovezhskaya Bitter, the local beer made with 100 different herbs.
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