Museum of the Great Patriotic War
Minsk
Copyright: saiko3p/Shutterstock.comMuseum of the Great Patriotic War
Next to the classical-style Trade Union’s Culture Palace lies the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. This museum tells of Belarus during World War II. It also tells the story of Minsk’s Jewish population following the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Behind the building is a park filled with vintage tanks and planes.
Do & See
With its grand boulevards and big squares, Minsk is all about monumental excess, but its Old Town is tiny and not particularly old at all - most of the city had been rebuilt following the demolition in WWII. The best place to start exploring Minsk is at the Independence Square with its statue of Lenin and the Belorussian University building. Some of the best views over the city unfold from atop the futuristic structure of Belarus' National Library.