Belarus Vacations, Belarus Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide
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Belarus Vacation Guide
As a city seemingly still trapped in the cold war years, Belarusian capital Minsk is an often cold but invariably fascinating experience for foreign visitors. The 21st century is slowly creeping into this eastern European oddity, with nightclubs playing the latest in fashionable indie rock and branded coffee shops vying for space amongst the blocky buildings of the soviet occupation. Huge open streets, columned buildings and an oppressive feel keep the communist vibes strong, but don’t take away from the sense that underneath it all, this simple city is a lot of fun.
While the city of Brest is a bubbly town, blessed with appealing wood-framed buildings and unorthodox art, Brest Fortress is a depressing taste of WWII Belarusian resistance. The red-brick fortress marks the location of a single heroic garrison’s stand off against advancing German armies, holding firm until the frontline had passed right through to Moscow. Eventually the resistance succumbed to the German siege, dying alongside an estimated 25% of all Belarusians: war museums and memorials are an unsurprisingly common site here. The national parks - pine covered beauty spots full buffalo-like Zoobrhas, tranquil fishing spots and wild, swimmable lakes - are also compulsory Belarusian viewing.
The oversized-village feel of Hrodna – one of Belarus’ largest cities – gives the impression that modernity has entirely passed it by, with aging cars, wide-open streets and a hefty statue of Lenin standing proudly in the centre. To the east, Vitsebsk lies at the point where three major rivers join, and has a notable artistic heritage. Having once lost all but 118 of its 170,000 population to Ivan the Terrible, Vitsebsk has since rebuilt into a relaxed border town heavily influenced by neighboring Russia.
The appeal of Belarus lies in how different it is: unwilling to conform to the ‘new Europe’ that slowly engulfs it, and operating at its own unique pace. A far cry from the modernity of the states to the west, visitors get a taste of the old-time east, and hints of a painful past that both educate and intrigue.
While the city of Brest is a bubbly town, blessed with appealing wood-framed buildings and unorthodox art, Brest Fortress is a depressing taste of WWII Belarusian resistance. The red-brick fortress marks the location of a single heroic garrison’s stand off against advancing German armies, holding firm until the frontline had passed right through to Moscow. Eventually the resistance succumbed to the German siege, dying alongside an estimated 25% of all Belarusians: war museums and memorials are an unsurprisingly common site here. The national parks - pine covered beauty spots full buffalo-like Zoobrhas, tranquil fishing spots and wild, swimmable lakes - are also compulsory Belarusian viewing.
The oversized-village feel of Hrodna – one of Belarus’ largest cities – gives the impression that modernity has entirely passed it by, with aging cars, wide-open streets and a hefty statue of Lenin standing proudly in the centre. To the east, Vitsebsk lies at the point where three major rivers join, and has a notable artistic heritage. Having once lost all but 118 of its 170,000 population to Ivan the Terrible, Vitsebsk has since rebuilt into a relaxed border town heavily influenced by neighboring Russia.
The appeal of Belarus lies in how different it is: unwilling to conform to the ‘new Europe’ that slowly engulfs it, and operating at its own unique pace. A far cry from the modernity of the states to the west, visitors get a taste of the old-time east, and hints of a painful past that both educate and intrigue.