My thoughts based on four days in Minsk (one day in Polotsk) in January 2018, travelling with my partner (in Belarus for work).
Brief summary of surprises/characteristics of Minsk
Friendly, welcoming, clean, Soviet yet western European-feeling, cheaper than most European countries, efficient, trees, Soviet blocks, modernist, Brutalist, statues, memorials, parks, trams, trolley buses, Metro, wide boulevards, trendy restaurants, lots of independent shops, fur, hip cafes, an industrial street art zone, riverside paths.
Impressions of Minsk
I expected a slightly drab, grey city with an air of sadness around. Somehow, the fact it was almost completely flattened during WWII and rebuilt with an emphasis on blocks, concrete and muted colours doesn’t make it the depressing place I’d expected. It’s not overall beautiful though.
My first surprise was that it is very clean and the roads and pavements were cleared of snow very quickly and efficiently. It then became apparent that Belarusians do not come across anywhere near as unfriendly as my experience in other former Soviet countries had demonstrated the people could be, in fact the people were one of the reasons I enjoyed it as much as I did. I had some truly memorable encounters with Belarusians, from my partner’s teacher colleagues to a lady who helped me choose cheeses to buy.
There is a surprising sense of being in a western European city in the central area (though not one of the prettiest) and I had some delicious food and coffee, the culinary delights also not being expected. On a recommendation from a local, I even visited an industrial hipster area, complete with street art (graffiti is illegal but this was a project between the nearby Brazilian embassy and Minsk to create a colourful area of collaborative murals). There were some fairly hip cafes and eateries in the area and it was an interesting place to walk around, even on a cold, snowy day.
There are a lot of statues and memorials, largely because Belarus has endured some unforgivable brutality. The abundance of memorials does give an air of solemnity, yet it’s not a maudlin place to visit. There are even some statues of Lenin around.
If you read up about Belarus (not while you’re in Belarus, do that at home; there is no press or internet freedom), there is a lot – really – to put you off ever wanting to visit, but to focus solely on that is to miss out on a chance to visit a charming and welcoming country with few tourists.
A lot of articles I have read about Belarus mention how the writer wanted to speak to locals to find out more about life in Belarus, which in a dictatorship is a controversial and taboo subject. I was fortunate enough to have spoken to quite a few locals but I didn’t want to ask direct questions. Reading between the lines, my very anecdotal and limited understanding from a local’s perspective is that people seem to want change and for the patriotic Soviet/Russian spirit to be translated more into a modern day, post-Soviet Belarusian patriotism. As a few Belarusians pointed out at a chatty and relaxed lunch, complete with spiced vodka toasts by all of us, our lunch/socialising (with two Brits and an Italian) would not have been possible 20 years ago. A lot has changed in Belarus in the past 20 years, I hope and think a lot will change in the next 20 years.