115 cities, 88 townships, 706 villages and one country — the Republic of Belarus. The country is divided into 6 regions and the capital Minsk which has special status and is not a part of any region. The regions are divided into 118 districts. Each region has its central city: Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, Grodno, Vitebsk, Brest — 6 in total. As you see now, this article will be full of numbers.

The tourism in Belarus can’t be imagined without “Fantastic Six”. We have gathered the brief information, peculiar facts and main sights of these Belarusian cities.

Minsk — the capital of Belarus

   * the Primary Chronicle or The Tale of Past Years — a fundamental source in the interpretation of the history of the Eastern Slavs fr om about 850 to 1110, originally compiled in Kiev.

Now about attractions and places to visit in Minsk. It is useless to enumerate all interesting sights of the Belarusian capital, so we have chosen the objects to be seen first (hint: the tube is one of them):

• Independence Avenue, which is 15 km long (one of Europe’s longest arterial streets). Besides there are a lot of sights along it. So walkathon is the only option in this case.

• Church of Saints Simon and Helen, or Red Church. Yes, it is red and looks awesome inside and out.

• National Library of Belarus, or the “Diamond of Knowledge”.The library has the shape of diamond which makes it the biggest diamond in the world. Open-air and indoor sky decks and regular events are at your service.

• Trinity Suburb and Upper Town are most vivid and attractive places in Minsk. Street festivals are regularly held there, and the architecture grabs the attention of visitors.

Gomel — the city of dreams

Suffering the absence-of-metro syndrome Gomel has something more interesting offering the great opportunity for walking and enjoying the beauties of the city:

• Rumyantsev-Paskevich Residence and Park around it. If you have only one day for Gomel, visit this place first. Discover all paths in the park, take pleasure of the main city river Gomel and unveil all secrets of the palace.

• Circus (one of 2 existing, the second in Minsk). You may miss circus acts in summer, but the fountain with illumination near the circus will save the situation.

• Gomel Regional Museum of Military Glory. The Belarusian people still remember devastating WW2 (for us it is The Great Patriotic War) and commemorate the military glory of ancestors.

Mogilev — the capital of culture

The Belarusian city didn’t succeed in getting the Status of the Capital. Nevertheless Mogilev has become CIS’ Capital of Culture. And here are some reasons why:

• Lenin Square as the monument of the soviet-era architecture + the House of the Soviets mentioned in the Fast Fact.

• Lenin Street is one of the most inviting pedestrianized street with sights along it.

• Town Hall built in 1698 and the museum of the city in it. There is a scenic view point nearby, and the unusual clocks with small figure of mechanic trumpet player who plays on the pipe according to the schedule under the tower.

Grodno — the city of tolerance

Grodno is not only multinational city in Belarus. It’s the city of history, culture and tourism in Belarus. Provements:

• Old and New Castles. Feel medieval atmosphere of Belarus.

• Unique churches of all types, for example, Kolozha Church, Farny Church, Basilian convent and others.

• Unusual museums, such as Museum of the history of religion, Museum of jewish history, Museum of iron and much more.

Vitebsk — the most Slavic city

The Belarusian tourism can’t be imagined without seeing Vitebsk. Some people call it “mini-St. Petersburg” — and they have reasons for it:

• The city of artists has 2 museums to be proud of — Marc Chagall Home-Museum and Repin manor dedicated to these famous painters (the other museums are also worth seeing).

• Governor’s Palace is a real gem of the city. A brilliant opportunity to explore the architecture of Belarus in the Russian Empire.

• Boathouse on the Vitba — the river which gave the name to Vitebsk. The park and the boathouse are the convenient mix of active recreation and passive rest.

Brest — the city of will

The same names and the same story — both of them were military towns during their history. Besides this fact Brest was the first city in Belarus to obtain Magdeburg rights (1390), to create hospitals (1495; 1503), to build the print shop (1553), to show its attractions:

• Brest Fortress — the fortification which stood the Nazi aggression and became the symbol of unconquerable will of the Soviet nation.

• Sovetskaya Street (or the Brest Arbat) with a wonderful tradition of lighting lanterns and Gogol Street (or The Street of Lanterns) with lanterns fitting every taste.

• Brest Railway Museum and Brest Railway Station (which was honoured the best one in 1883 in the Russian Empire).

We hope that after this short summary you will know where to go while visiting Belarus. At least, you could start with these cities and then discover new ones. Besides we have prepared the article about the best summer hotels, so you will even know wh ere to stay. It seems you are ready for journey!

Check VETLIVA Blog

Read also

Belarus — country of unique nature, fresh air and health tourism

Famous people from Belarus who conquered the world

All roads lead here: what to see in Belarus

Ghosts and mills: unusual excursions around Minsk and whole Belarus

A brief history of Belarus: back to the past