According to ethnicityology, the age of the modern capital of Belarus – Minsk, is 900 years. During its existence, it was completely destroyed and burned down many times, but it was restored all the time. The last time, huge destruction here was during the Great Patriotic War, when the retreating Nazis destroyed almost all the buildings of the city. It is best to start your trip around Minsk from its historical center – Trinity Suburb. The settlement of this territory began in the 12th century, and in the 16th century in this area, on a hill, the Trinity Church was built. This high hill was used as a defensive point on the outskirts of the city. In 1630, near the Trinity Church, the Trinity Convent was built. From the very beginning, all the buildings of the monastery complex, except for the church, were made of wood, but in the 18th century, architect Fyodor Kramer began to build new buildings of the monastery already from stone. A little later, a large provincial hospital began to operate on the site of the monastery, which is located here to this day. An interesting monument of pre-war architecture is the modern House of Soviets, which is a traditional communal house, which were numerous at that time. Now it is one of the structures that survived the war. Before the revolution, this place was the headquarters of the Minsk anarchists, where they made a bomb to assassinate the director of the Minsk prison. Since Minsk is considered the cultural capital of Belarus, it is not surprising that a significant part of museums is located on its territory. The most interesting museums are: the Ya. Kupala Literary Museum, located in a cozy park, the Belarusian Museum of History and Culture, the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. The city of Zaslavl is also rich in historical sights. The Stalin Line historical complex best conveys the atmosphere of the war years. The complex is a whole system of engineering and technical systems that were used during the war period on this territory. According to military drawings, machine-gun pillboxes, the location of trenches and trenches, dugouts and much more were restored. Here everything is in the same form as during the war. This historical open-air museum is famous for having the most complete collection of equipment in the country that was in service during all the years of the war. The best architectural landmark of Zaslavl is the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, the construction of which, according to historical data, began in 1577, on the territory of the former castle. In the 17th century, the church was rebuilt again, and in the middle of the 19th century it was transferred to the Orthodox Church. In the Soviet years, the church building was used as a museum of local lore, and only after 1991, after restoration, the building was returned to the church. Mogilev is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The official history of the city dates back to 1267, when the construction of fortifications began at the confluence of the Dnieper and Dubrovenka. Characteristic of Mogilev is that various religious buildings are very well preserved here. The most notable of them is the church of St. Stanislaus, dating from the middle of the 18th century. This church is primarily interesting for its frescoes. Undoubtedly, the city hall is the best historical and architectural monument of Mogilev. The initial construction of the City Hall began the following year after how the city received a charter for Magdeburg rights. However, due to the fact that the building was made of wood, it burned down very often, and only in 1679, the inhabitants of the city decided to build a new Town Hall from stone, and local craftsmen were involved for this. Vitebsk is a city with a rich and eventful history. Many objects telling about the history of this city have been preserved here. One of the oldest buildings in the city is the Church of the Annunciation, built in the 12th century. It also became the first stone temple in the city. The building of the church is made in the traditional style of ancient Russian architecture. In 1772, the governor’s palace was built on the territory of Vitebsk, on the picturesque left bank of the Western Dvina. The palace consists of two parts, one, rectangular, faces a small square, on which there is an obelisk in honor of the heroes of the war of 1812.
National cuisine of Belarus
Despite the popular belief that Belarusian cuisine consists mainly of potatoes and vegetables, this is actually not the case, and the culinary traditions here are among the most diverse on the continent. For all the time of its existence, the Balts, Russians, Germans, and in Soviet times, all the peoples of the USSR managed to leave an imprint on the Belarusian cuisine. The main difference between local cuisine and other Slavic culinary schools is a complex food processing system, sometimes frying can alternate with boiling or stewing, etc. Products for a long time of processing are quite boiled soft. Very often, local culinary specialists use a variety of flours, ranging from ordinary wheat and corn, ending with pea and buckwheat, sometimes several types of flour are mixed together. The symbol of national cuisine, of course, are potato pancakes “pancakes”, which are made from flour and potatoes. In Belarus, there are a huge number of vegetable dishes. For a long time, meat on the table of Belarusians was a rare occurrence and most often it was cooked for the holidays, but at the beginning of the 20th century, a huge number of meat dishes appeared here, primarily from pork, beef and poultry. All kinds of homemade sausages, “prizhanna” – cold cuts and borscht deserve the most attention. Many rivers and lakes lying on the territory of the country made it possible to supply huge quantities of fish and crayfish to the table of Belarusians. Usually, fish is simply fried or boiled, but it is not uncommon to use it as an ingredient for a more complex dish.
Transport
The transport system of the country is quite developed. The most economical and fastest mode of transport for moving around the country is the rail and bus service. Domestic flights are not very common. City transport of the capital is represented by buses, trams, trolleybuses, as well as two subway lines, which is considered the fastest way to travel around the city.
