The main city of Belarus

Minsk celebrated its 955th anniversary last weekend. During its history, the city burned to the ground 18 times and rose from the ashes as many times through the efforts of hardworking citizens. Today, about 2,000,000 people live here, which makes the capital of Belarus one of the largest cities in Europe. According to various ratings, Minsk ranks 8th in terms of population on our continent. Perhaps there is something you don’t know about the main city of Belarus yet?

Photo by Vitaly Pivovarchik

Minsk is older than Moscow

The first written mention of Minsk dates back to 1067. At that time, the united grandsons of Rogneda, the sons of Yaroslav the Wise — the princes of Kiev Izyaslav, Svyatoslav and Vsevolod Yaroslavich — came with an army near the city of Menesk in retaliation for the campaign of the Polotsk prince Vseslav Bryachislavich against Pskov in 1065. They captured the city-fortress Menesk and defeated the troops of Vseslav in the memorable battle on Nemiga, described in The Tale of Igor’s Campaign. Judging by the date of the first mention, the capital of Belarus is older than many European cities, including Moscow and Stockholm.

The oldest temple

The Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (Peter and Paul Church) is one of the most ancient buildings in Minsk that have survived to this day. The people called the church ‘yellow’ because of the colour of the walls. The cathedral was founded in 1612 on voluntary donations. The temple was erected as the church of the Minsk Peter and Paul Orthodox Monastery. The cathedral survived wars and revolutions, miraculously avoided demolition in Soviet times and today is the oldest temple and at the same time the oldest surviving building of the Belarusian capital. 

The longest street

Independence Avenue is the longest street not only in Minsk, but also in the whole Republic of Belarus, as well as one of the longest streets in Europe. The length of the avenue is about 16 kilometres. The central part of the avenue is the most valuable element, which was built in the 1940-1960s. Buildings located here in the Stalinist Empire style and a similar integral architectural ensemble are a true rarity in the space of Central and Eastern Europe. It is here where the smallest details of the era have been preserved (cast-iron fences, balustrades, benches, lighting masts, classical Greek-Roman vases, original oak doors with forged elements, bas-reliefs on the facades of buildings).

The most accurate watch 

The building of the Main Post Office, built in 1949–1953, is often called the ‘capital letter’ of Independence Avenue in Minsk. Its architects were Vladimir Korol and Abram Dukhan. The post office is very reminiscent of the Palazzo Poli — a magnificent baroque palace built in the 16th century in Rome. 
In the central hall of the post office there is a sign indicating the distance to the cities of Belarus and Europe. And right above the entrance there is an unusual clock that shows the most accurate time in Minsk and in many cities of the world, which is why they are called ‘clocks of the world.’ A unique fact: this clock has never stopped in the entire history of its existence.

Green city

The Central Botanical Garden in Minsk ranks third in terms of area among similar parks in Europe, second only to the Royal Botanical Garden in London and the park in Madrid.
Rare plants are collected on an area of 93 hectares. The collection of garden plants includes more than 15,000 items. As for landscaping, Minsk is called one of the most ‘natural’ cities. In total, over 900,000 trees grow in our capital. The most common is linden, that is, approximately every fourth plantation.

Monument to programmers

Leonid Zilber’s sculpture Labour (also called Science) was installed near the building of the Central Research Institute of Control Engineering on Partizansky Prospekt in 1975. This six-metre composition made of forged copper depicts a young man and a girl holding an oscilloscope and punched tape with a programme in their hands. This sculpture is considered the world’s first monument to programmers.

Capital of the mists

London is considered to be the fog capital of the world. However, Minsk can argue with that. According to the results of long-term observations, 47 days with fog are recorded annually in the British capital, and as many as 67 in the Belarusian capital! Most often we have fogs in November.

The Earth moves

The Foucault pendulum was installed in Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank in September 2004. The pendulum clearly proves that the Earth rotates. The structure is a glazed pyramid with a total height of 7.5 metres, a ball is suspended inside the pyramid. In total, there are about twenty such pendulums in the world, including in France, the USA, Australia, Romania and Kuwait.

Legendary painting

The legendary painting Unequal Marriage by Vasily Pukirev is kept in Minsk. The painting is on permanent display at the National Art Museum. This is not a fake or a copy, the painting belongs to the brush of Pukirev himself and is a repetition of the masterpiece, the first version of which is located in the Moscow Tretyakov Gallery. The artist painted it in 1875.

The first fountain in the city

In 1874, a water supply system with pure artesian water was launched in Minsk. In memory of this event, the first fountain in the city was installed in Alexander Square. The fountain has survived to this day. This composition is called Boy with a Swan.







  By Irina Sergeeva