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Minsk
*** Shopping-Tip: Minsk
{{dablink|For things named after Minsk, see
Minsk (disambiguation)}}
----
Image:Coat of Arms of Minsk, Belarus.png right|Minsk's city coat of arms
'''Minsk''' {{IPA|/mʲinsk/}} or '''Miensk''' {{IPA|/mʲensk/}} ({{lang-be|МінÑ?к (official spelling in Belarus), МенÑ?к}}; {{lang-ru|МинÑ?к}} {{IPA|/mʲinsk/}}; {{lang-pl|MiÅ„sk}} {{IPA|/miɲsk/}}) is the
capital and a major city of
Belarus with a population of 1,780,000 (2006 estimate}. Minsk is also a headquarters of the
Commonwealth of Independent States. As a capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is also the capital of
Minsk voblast (
province) and Minsk
raion. Minsk is situated by the
Svislach River Svislach and
Niamiha rivers, at {{coor dm|53|55|N|27|33|E|region:BY_type:city(1,800,000)}}. Minsk's area is 266,8 sq km; highest point is 280.4 m above
sea level. The timezone in Minsk is GMT +2.
The oldest mentions of Minsk date back to the
11th century (1067). In
1242 Minsk became a part of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and received its
town privileges in
1499. From
1569 it was a capital of the
Minsk Voivodship in the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was annexed by Russia in
1793 as a consequence of the
Second Partition of Poland. During
1919–
1991 Minsk was the capital of the
Byelorussian SSR.
Image:Victory-square.jpg right|300px|thumb|Victory Square, the central place of Minsk
Geography
History
Image:minsk 2002.jpg right|thumb|The Mariinsky Cathedral, 1732
(''See main article'': '''
History of Minsk''')
Early history
The area of today's Minsk was settled by the
Early East Slavs by the
9th century. The valley of
Svislach River was settlement boundary between two
Early East Slavs' tribal unions -
Krivich and
Dregovichs. By
980 the area was incorporated into the early medieval
Principality of Polatsk, one of the earliest East Slav states. Minsk was first mentioned (as ''Mensk'') in the
Primary Chronicle in
1067.
1067 is now widely attributed as a founding year of Minsk, though the town (by then fortified by wooden walls) should had existed for some time.
In the early
12th century Principality of Polatsk disintegrated into smaller fiefs.
Principality of Minsk was established by one of the
Polatsk dynasty princes. In
1129 Principality of Minsk was annexed by
Kiev, the dominant city of
Kievan Rus, however in 1146 the Polatsk dynasty regained control of the principality. By
1150 Minsk has rivaled
Polatsk as the major city in the former
Principality of Polatsk. Princes of Minsk and
Polatsk were engaged in years of struggle trying to unite all lands previously under the rule of
Polatsk.
Lithuanian and Polish rule
Minsk escaped the
Mongol invasion of Rus in 1237-1239. However, in later years it was attacked by nomadic invaders from the
Golden Horde, who turned many principalities of disintegrated
Kievan Rus into their vassal states. Trying to avoid the
Tatar yoke, the Principality of Minsk sought protection from
Lithuanian princes further north, who had been consolidating their power in the region. In
1242 Minsk became a part of the expanding
Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was annexed peacefully and local elites enjoyed high ranking in the society of the Grand Duchy. In
1413 the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569) Kingdom of Poland entered a personal union. Minsk became centre of Minsk
Voivodship (province). In
1441 Lithuanian prince
Kazimierz IV Jagiellon included Minsk into a list of cities enjoying certain privileges. During the reign of his son
Aleksander Jagiellon Minsk received its
town privileges (
Magdeburg law) in
1499. In
1569 after the
Union of Lublin the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569) Kingdom of Poland merged into a single state, the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Since then, a Polish community settled in Minsk - government clerks, officers and craftsmen.
Image:minsk 1840s.jpg thumb|250px|left|The High Square as painted in the 1840s
By the middle of the
16th century Minsk was an important economic and cultural centre of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Minsk was an important centre for
Eastern Orthodox Church. After the
Union of Brest there was a rise of influence of both
Uniate church and
Roman Catholic Church.
In
1654 Minsk was conquered by troops of
Aleksey I of Russia Tsar Alexei of
Russia. Russians governed the city until
1667, when it was regained by
John II Casimir of Poland Jan Kasimir, King of
Poland. By the end of the Polish-Russian war Minsk had only about 2,000 residents and just 300 houses. The second wave of devastation occurred during the
Great Northern War when Minsk was occupied in
1708 and
1709 - by the Swedish army of
Charles XII and then by the Russian army of
Peter the Great. The last decades of the Polish rule were indicated by decline or very slow development. Minsk was a small provincial town of little economic or military significance. By
1790 it had population of 6,500-7,000 and was slowly rebuilding to the city limits of
1654. Most of Minsk residents were
Jews and
Poles, while
Belarusians where a minority.
Russian rule
Minsk was annexed by Russia in
1793 as a consequence of the
Second Partition of Poland. In
1796 it became centre of the Minsk
guberniya (province). All Polish street names have been changed to Russian ones, however spelling of the city name remained unchanged.
Throughout the
19th century the city grew and significantly improved. In the
1830s major streets and squares of Minsk have been cobbled and paved. A first public library was opened in
1836, a fire brigade was put into operation in
1837. In
1838 first local newspaper, ''Minskie gubernskie vedomosti'' (“Minsk province news�) went into circulation. First theatre was established in
1844. By
1860 Minsk was an important trading city with population of 27,000. There was a construction boom which led to building 2- and 3-storey brick and stone houses in ''Upper Town''.
Development of the city was boosted by improvements in transportation. In
1846 Moscow-
Warsaw road was laid though Minsk. In
1871 railway link between
Moscow and
Warsaw ran via Minsk, and in
1873 a new railway from Romny in
Ukraine to the Baltic Sea port of Libava (
Liepaja). Thus Minsk became an important rail junction and a manufacturing hub. Municipal water supply was introduced in
1872, telephone - in
1890, horse tram - in
1892, and first power generator - in
1894. By
1900 Minsk had 58 factories employing 3,000 workers. The city had theatres, cinemas, newspapers, schools and colleges, as well as numerous monasteries, churches, synagogues and a mosque. According to the
1897 Russian census the city had 91,494 inhabitants, about one third of them
Jews.
20th century
In the early years of the
20th century Minsk was a major centre for worker's movement in
Belarus. It was also one of the major centres of
Belarusian national revival, alongside with
Vilnius Vilnia. The
World War I affected development of Minsk tremendously. By
1915 Minsk was a battle-front city. Some factories were closing down, residents began evacuating to the east. Minsk became headquarters of the Western Front of the Russian army. It also housed military hospitals and military supply bases.
The
Russian Revolution of 1917 Russian Revolution had immediate effect in Minsk. A Worker's
Soviet was established in Minsk in October
1917 and it draw its support from the disaffected soldiers and workers. After the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk German forces occupied Minsk in February
1918. On 25 March
1918 Minsk was proclaimed capital of
Belarusian People's Republic. The republic was short-lived: in December
1918 Minsk was taken over by the
Red Army. In January
1919 Minsk was proclaimed the capital of
Byelorussian SSR. In
1919 and again in
1920 the city was controlled by the
Second Polish Republic in the course of the
Polish-Bolshevik war. Under the terms of the
Peace of Riga Minsk was handed to
Soviet Russia and became the capital of the
Byelorussian SSR, one of the constituent republics of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
A programme of reconstruction and development was started in
1922. By
1924 there were 29 factories in operation; schools, museums, theatres, libraries were opening. Throughout the
1920s and the
1930s Minsk has seen rapid development with dozens of new factories built, new schools, colleges, higher education establishments, hospitals, theatres and cinemas opened. Throughout the
1920s and the early
1930s Minsk was centre for development of both
Belarusian language and culture.
Before the
World War II Minsk had population of 300,000 people. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June
1941 in the
Operation Barbarossa Minsk was immediately under attack. The city was bombed on the first day of the war and taken over by Germans four days later. However, some factories, museums and dozens of thousands of civilians have been evacuated to the east. Germans made Minsk to the administrative centre of ''Reichskomissariat Ostland'' and repressed against the local population. Communists and sympathisers were killed or imprisoned; thousands were forced into slave labour, both locally and in
Germany. Homes were expropriated to house German occupying forces. Thousands have starved as rations were expropriated and paid work was scarce. At the same time, some residents supported the Germans, especially in the earlier years. By
1942 Minsk became a major centre of
Soviet partisans Soviet partisan resistance movement against German occupation during the ''
Great Patriotic War''. For this role Minsk was awarded the title ''
Hero City'' in
1974. Minsk was the site of one of the largest Nazi-run ghettos in the
World War II, the Minsk
ghetto, which held over 100,000
Jews.
Image:minsk 1912.jpg thumb|right|250px|The jesuit collegium in 1912
Minsk was re-taken by the Soviet troops on 3 July 1944 during the ''Operation Bargation''. The city was the centre of
Germany German resistance to the
Soviet advance and was a sight of heavy fighting between the German and Soviet troops. Factories, municipal building, power stations, bridges, most roads and 80% of housing were reduced to rubble. In
1944 Minsk's population was down to mere 50,000.
After the
World War II Minsk was re-built, but not re-constructed. The historical centre was substituted in the
1940s and
1950 by
Stalinist architecture, which favoured grand buildings, broad avenues and wide squares. In the following years the city grew rapidly as a result of massive industrialisation. Since the
1960s Minsk's population has grown rapidly, reaching 1 million in
1972 and 1.5 million in
1986. Rapid population growth was primarily driven by mass migration of young unskilled workers from from rural areas of
Belarus as well as by migration of skilled workers from other parts of the
Soviet Union. To house the expanding population, Minsk grew dramatically. Its surrounding villages were absorbed and rebuilt as ''mikroraions'', districts of high-density apartment housing.
Recent developments
Throughout the
1990s the city has continued to change. Becoming capital of a newly independent country required obtaining attributes of a capital city. Embassies have been opened, a number of administrative buildings have been turned over into government buildings. During the early and mid-1990s Minsk was hit by the economic crisis - many development projects have been halted, unemployment and underemployment was high. Since the late
1990s there have been improvements in transport infrastructure and arrival of a housing boom, especially after
2002. On the outskirts of Minsk new ''mikrorayons'' of residential development have been built. Metro lines have been extended, road system (including the Minsk ring road) have been renovated. Due to small proportion of the private sector in Belarus most of the development has been financed by the government.
Historical names
* '''Mensk''', '''Miensk''' ('''МенÑ?к'''), the historical name the Belarusian opposition tends to use.
*
Polish language Polish: '''Mińsk''', '''Mińsk Litewski''', '''Mińsk Białoruski''', used when Belarus was under the
History of Poland Polish rule.
Demographics
Population growth
{| border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10"
| valign="top" |
{|
! style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;" | Year
! style="background:#efefef;text-align:right;" | Population
|-
|
1450 || align="right" | 5 000
|-
|
1654 || align="right" | 10 000
|-
|
1667 || align="right" | 2 000
|-
|
1790 || align="right" | 7 000
|-
|
1811 || align="right" | 11 000
|-
|
1813 || align="right" | 3 500
|-
|
1860 || align="right" | 27 000
|-
|
1897* || align="right" | 91 500
|-
|
1917* || align="right" | 134 500
|-
|
1941 || align="right" | 300 000
|-
|
1944 || align="right" | 50 000
|-
|
1959* || align="right" | 509 500
|-
|
1970* || align="right" | 907 100
|-
|}
| valign="top" |
{|
! style="background:#efefef;text-align:left;" | Year
! style="background:#efefef;text-align:right;" | Population
|-
|
1972 || align="right" | 1 000 000
|-
|
1979* || align="right" | 1 276 000
|-
|
1986 || align="right" | 1 500 000
|-
|
1989* || align="right" | 1 607 000
|-
|
1999* || align="right" | 1 680 000
|-
|
2006 || align="right" | 1 780 000
|-
|}
|}
* - census
Ethnic groups
For the first centuries of its existence, Minsk was a city with
Early East Slavs population (forefathers of modern-day
Belarusians). After the
1569 Polish-Lithuanian union, the city became a destination for migration of
Poles (who worked as administrators, clergy, teachers and soldiers) and
Jews (who were mainly employed in trade and crafts). During the final centuries of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth many locals have been
polonized and abandoned their
Belarusian culture. After the
Partitions of Poland Minsk became part of the
Russian Empire, it became a destination for
Russians who basically substituted the social of role of Poles in the previous centuries. By the end of the
19th century Minsk was undergoing increasing
Russification. Many locals became
russified and have chosen
Russians Russian ethnicity.
According to
1897 census,
Jews were largest ethnic group in Minsk (51.2% of population) at the end of the
19th century. Other substantial ethnic groups were
Russians (25.5%),
Poles (11.4%) and
Belarusians (9%). The latter figure may be not accurate as some local
Belarusians were likely to be counted in as
Russians. There was also a small traditional community of
Lipka Tatars living in Minsk for centuries.
Both
World War I and
World War II affected demographics of the city. The Jewish community suffered major loss during the
Nazi occupations - very few survived. In the after-war years Minsk's population grew primarily through bringing rural migrants from other parts of Belarus to the city.
In
1959 Belarusians made up 63.3% of city's residents. Other ethnic groups included Russians (22.8%), Jews (7.8%), Ukrainians (3.6%), Poles (1.1%) and
Tatars (0.4%). Migration of rural migrants from other parts of Belarus in the
1960s and
1970s changed the ethnic constitution. In
1979 Belarusians made up already 68.4% of city's residents. Other ethnic groups included Russians (22.2%), Jews (3.4%), Ukrainians (3.4%), Poles (1.2%) and
Tatars (0.2%).
According to
1999 census, Belarusians make up 79.3% of city's residents. Other ethnic groups include Russians (15.7%), Ukrainians (2.4%), Poles (1.1%) and Jews (0.6%). Russian and Ukrainian populations of Minsk peaked in the late
1980s (at 325,000 and 55,000 respectively). After the break-up of the
Soviet Union many of them have chosen to move to their respective countries. Jewish population of Minsk peaked in the early
1970s at 50,000 (according to official figures; independent estimates put the figure at 100-120,000) and then declined because of emigration to
Israel, the
USA and
Germany. Now there are only about 10,000 Jews living in Minsk. The traditional Minsk's minorities of
Poles and
Tatars kept their size (17,000 and 3,000 respectively). There was migration of rural Poles from western part of
Belarus to Minsk, and many
Tatars moved to Minsk from
Tatarstan.
Now there are some new ethnic minority communities emerging in the city. The most prominent are migrants from the
Caucasus countries -
Georgians,
Armenians and
Azerbaijanis each numbering about 2,000-5,000. They began migration to Minsk back in the
1970s, and more migrants have joined them later. Many of them are employed in retail trade in the open-air markets. There is also a small community of
Roma, numbering about 2,000.
Languages
Throughout its history Minsk was a city of many languages. Initially most of its residents spoke
Ruthenian language (which later developed into modern
Belarusian language Belarusian). However, after
1569 the official language was
Polish language Polish. By the end of the
18th century most residents of Minsk were Polish- or
Yiddish-speakers (among the Jewish community).
Yiddish remained a major language in Minsk until the early
20th century. In the
19th century Russian language Russian became the official language and by the end of the century it became the language of administration, schools and newspapers.
Belarusian national revival increased interest to
Belarusian language - its use grew since the
1890s, especially among the national
intelligentsia. In the
1920s and early
1930s Belarusian language Belarusian was major language of Minsk, including administration and education (both secondary and university). However, since late
1930s Russian language Russian again began gaining dominance. The process accelerated after the
World War II - by mid
1980s Minsk was almost exclusively Russian-speaking. There was a short period of Belarusian national revival again and in the early
1990s more and more people chose to speak
Belarusian language Belarusian. However, after
1994 when
Lukashenka was elected president of
Belarus, he reversed the trend. Most residents of Minsk now use exclusively Russian as their everyday language at home and at work. Most, however, understand
Belarusian language Belarusian as well, can read and speak it.
The most common international language spoken in Minsk, especially among the younger generation, is
English. The second widely spoken international language is
German language German.
French language French,
Spanish language Spanish and
Italian language Italian are understood by very few.
Government and administrative division
In 1938 Minsk was divided into smaller administrative units (districts) due to rapid population growth. On 17 March 1938 three districts were established: Stalinski (Zavodzki since
1961), Varashylauski (Savetski since
1961) and Kahanovichski (Kastrychnitski since
1957).
Districts
Now there are 9 administrative districts:
* Frunzenski
* Kastrychnitski
* Leninski
* Maskouski
* Partyzanski
* Pershamayski
* Savetski
* Tsentralny
* Zavodzki
Microraions
There are also ''
microraions'' -
bedroom community areas of housing development outside the historical centre. Many of them are named after the suburb villages swallowed by the city.
*Aeradromnaya
*Akademharadok
*Anharskaya
*Azyaryshcha
*Chyrvony Bor
*Chyzhouka
*Drazdy
*Drazhnya
*Kharkauskaya
*Kuntsaushchyna
*Kurasoushchyna
*Loshytsa
*Malinauka
*Maly Trastsyanets
*Masyukoushchyna
*Paudnyovy Zahad
*Paunochny Pasyolak
*Serabranka
*Shabany
*Sokal
*Sosny
*Stsypyanka
*Suhkarava
*Syarova
*Uruchcha
*Uskhod
*Uskhodni
*Vyalikaya Slyapyanka
*Vyasnyanka
*Zahad
*Zyalyony Luh
Economy
Minsk is economic capital of
Belarus. It has developed
industry and
services sectors which serve the needs not only of the city, but of the entire nation.
Industry
Minsk is major industrial centre of
Belarus. The city has over 250 factories and plants. Its industrial development started in the
1860s and was facitilated by the railways built in the
1870s. However, much of the industry was destroyed during
World War I and especially during
World War II. After the war the development of the city was linked to the development of the industry, especially of R&D-intensive sectors. Minsk was turned into a major production site of trucks, tractors, gears, optical equipment, refrigerators, television sets and radios, bicycles, motorcycles, warches, metal-processing equipment, etc. Outside machine-building and electronics, Minsk also had textiles, construction materials, food processing, and printing industries. Unlike many other cities in the
CIS and
Eastern Europe Minsk was not heavily de-industrialised in the
1990s. About 40% of labour force are employed in the manufacturing sector. Over 70% of produced goods are exported from Belarus, especially to
Russia and other key markets in the
CIS.
Services
As current government economic policies of Belarus favour neo
socialist path of development, services sector is underdeveloped in Minsk. In terms of development of
services sector Minsk lags not only behind cities of comparable size and history (
Warsaw,
Prague,
Kiev,
Sofia) but even behind much smaller
Vilnius,
Riga or
Tallinn. Large part of services sector is controlled by the government and has been showing sluggish growth. Key areas of services are
finance and
banking, national and local
government, and
transportation.
Transport and infrastructure
Local Transport
Minsk has an extensive public transport system. Passengers are served by 8
tramway lines, over 70
trolleybus lines, and over 100 bus lines.
Minsk is the only city in
Belarus with an undergound railway system (''See main article'': '''
Minsk Metro'''). Constuction of the metro began in
1977 and the first line with 8 stations was opened in
1984. Now there are two lines: Line 1 (
Moskovskaya Line Maskouskaya) with 9 stations and 9.5 km of track and Line 2 (
Avtozavodskaya Line Autazavodskaya) with 14 stations and 18.1 km of track. Currently a 7.9 km extention of Line 1 is under construction with 2 stations due to open in
2007 and further 3 stations in
2011. There are plans for a basic network of 58.3 km and 45 stations on three lines. Line 3 should become a north-south line crossing the existing two.
Railway and intercity bus
Minsk is the largest transportation hub in Belarus. It is located on the juncton of
Warsaw-
Moscow railway (built in
1871) running from the south-west to the north-east of the city and
Liepaja-
Romny railway (built in
1873) running from the north-west to the south. The first railway connects Russia with Poland and Germany, the second connects Ukraine with Lithuania and Latvia. They cross at the Minsk-''Passazhyrski'' railway station, main railway station of Minsk. The station was built in 1873 as ''Vilenski vakzal''. The initial wooden building was demolished in
1890 and rebuilt in stone. During
World War II Minsk railway station was completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in
1945-
1946 and served until
1991. The new building of Minsk-''Passazhyrski'' railway station was built in
1991-
2002. Its construction was delayed due to financial difficulties. However now Minsk boasts one of the most modern and up-to-date railway stations in the
CIS. There are plans to move all suburban rail traffic from Minsk-''Passazhyrski'' to smaller stations Minsk-
''Uskhodni'' (East), Minsk-''Paudnyovy'' (South) and Minsk-''Paunochny'' (North) by 2020.
There are three intercity bus stations, linking Minsk with suburbs, other cities in
Belarus and in the neighbouring countries.
Airports
In 1982-2006 Minsk had two airports. '''
Minsk-1''' opened in
1933 few kilometres to the south from the historical centre. In
1955 it became an international airport and by
1970 served over 1 million passengers a year. Since
1982 it mainly served domestic routes in
Belarus and short-haul routes to
Moscow,
Kiev and
Kaliningrad. In February
2006 it was closed as its runway could not be modernised for use by modern aircraft. 320 ha of its land will be transferred to the city authorities for real estate development.
Airport
Minsk International Airport '''Minsk-2''' is located 42 km to the east of the city. It opened in
1982 (passenger terminal - in
1987. It is an international airport undergoing modernisation with flights to
Austria,
Cyprus,
France,
Germany,
Ireland,
Israel,
Italy,
Poland,
Russia,
Turkey,
United Kingdom, and other countries, operated by the national carrier
Belavia and the German
Lufthansa.
Media
Education
Minsk is major educational centre of Belarus. It has over 500 nursery schools, 258 schools, 28 further education colleges, and 36 higher education instututions, including 12 major national universities (most specialise in certain areas of science and research).
Major universities
#
Belarusian State University. Major Belarusian universal university, founded in 1921. In 2006 had 15 major departments (Applied Mathematics and Infoscience; Biology; Chemistry; Geography; Economics; International Relations; Journalism; History; Humanitarian Sciences; Law; Mechanics and Mathematics; Philology; Philosophy and Social Sciences; Physics; Radiophysics and Eletronics). It also included 5 R&D institutes, 24 Research Centres, 114 R&D laboratories. The University employes over 2,400 lecturers and 1,000 research fellows; 1,900 of these hold Ph.D. or Dr.Sc. degrees. There are 16,000 undergraduate students at the university, as well as over 700 Ph.D. students.
#
Belarusian State University of Agricultural Technology. Specialised in agricultural technology and agricultural machinery.
#
Belarusian National Technical University. Specialised in technical disciplines.
#
Belarusian State Medical University. Specialised in Medicine and Dentistry. Since 1921 - Medicine Department of the Belarusian State University. In 1930 becomes separate as ''Belarusian Medical Institute''. In 2000 upgraded to university level. Currtnely has 6 departments.
#
Belarusian State Economic University. Specialised in Finance and Economics. Founded in 1933 as ''Belarusian Institute for National Economy''. Upgraded to university level in 1992.
#
Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. Specialised in cultural studies, visual and performing arts.
#
Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University. Specialised in teacher training for secondary schools.
#
Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics. Specialised in IT and radioelectronic technologies. Established in 1964 as ''Minsk Institute for Radioelectronics''.
#
Belarusian State University of Physcal Training. Specialised in sports, coaches and PT teachers training.
#
Belarusian State Technological University. Specialised in chemical and pharmaceutical technology, in printing and forestry. Founded in 1930 as ''Forestry Institute'' in
Homel. In 1941 evacuated to Sverdlovsk, now
Yekaterinburg. Returned to Gomel in 1944, but in 1946 relocated to Minsk as ''Belarusian Institute of Technology''. Upgraded to university level in 1993. Currently has 9 departments.
#
Minsk State Linguistic University. Specialised in foreign languages. Founded in 1948 as ''Minsk Institute for Foreign Languages''. In 2006 had 8 departments. Major focus on English, French, German and Spanish.
#
Andrei Sakharov International State Environmental University. Specialised in environmental sciences. Established in 1992 with the support from the
United Nations. Focus on study and research of radio-ecological consequences of the
Chernobyl nuclear power station
Chernobyl accident accident in 1986, which havily affected
Belarus.
Culture and recreation
Minsk is major cultural centre of
Belarus. Its first theatres and libraries have been established in the middle of the
19th century. Now it has 11 theatres and 16 museums. There are 20 cinemas and 139 libraries.
Theatres
Major theatres are:
* Belarusian Musical Comedy Theatre
* Belarusian Opera and Ballet Theatre
*
Maxim Gorky National Drama Theatre (performances in
Russian language Russian)
*
Yanka Kupala National Drama Theatre (performances in
Belarusian language Belarusian)
Museums
Major museums include:
* Belarusian
Great Patriotic War Museum
* Belarusian National Arts Museum
* Belarusian National History and Culture Museum
* Belarusian Nature and Environment Museum
* Ethnography and Folklore Museum
*
Maksim Bahdanovich Literary Museum
* Old Belarusian History Museum
*
Yanka Kupala Literary Museum
Recreation areas
*
Park Chalyuskintsau
**
Children Railroad
*
Maxim Gorky Park
*
Forest Park (Minsk) Forest Park
Sport
Religion
Sister cities
Minsk maintains cultural links to a number of
town twinning twin cities in various countres:
*
Bangalore,
India
*
Detroit,
USA
*
Eindhoven,
Netherlands
*
Lyon,
France
*
Murmansk,
Russia
*
Nottingham,
United Kingdom UK
*
Novosibirsk,
Russia
*
Sendai,
Japan (1973)
External links
{{Commons|Category:Minsk}}
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Pictures of Minsk
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Minsk City Executive Committee
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Photos on Radzima.org
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Minsk hotels
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Budget travel guide to Minsk
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Minsk telephone directory
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ACI Minsk. Info Guides
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Minsk In The Fifties
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Minsk Outdoor
{{Belarusvoblasci}}
Category:Capitals in Europe
Category:Towns in Belarus
Category:Cities destroyed during World War II
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