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Home  >  Trip Reports  >  The Soviet Union Lives On in Minsk, Belarus (Trip Report)
Trip Reports

The Soviet Union Lives On in Minsk, Belarus (Trip Report)

Matthew Klint Posted onMay 24, 2021May 25, 2021 13 Comments

As details emerge about the brazen interception of a Ryanair passenger jet traveling from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday by Belarusian forces, memories of my own visit to Minsk in 2011 vividly resurfaced. Visiting Belarus remains a fascinating memory, not the least because of the problems I ran into (of my own making) getting out of the country. Granted, my visit was a decade ago, but I was amazed then at how much the country felt “Soviet” (versus Russian) and the Cold War iconography that dotted the metropolis.

Below, I’ve republished a photo essay I published on Live and Let’s Fly shortly after my trip.


> Read More: Detained in Belarus!


Stuck In A Different Era: Soviet Union In Minsk, Belarus


Originally published August 23, 2011

I had a fascinating visit to Belarus last weekend, including another incident at the border which you need to check back tomorrow to read about (trust me, it is a great story…). Rather than providing a lengthy written review of my time in Minsk, I want to share some of the photographs I took.

While the Soviet Union may have dissolved two decades ago, you sure would not know it in Minsk. Enjoy the pictures:

MINSK BELARUS 01

MINSK BELARUS 02

MINSK BELARUS 04

MINSK BELARUS 05

MINSK BELARUS 06

MINSK BELARUS 07

MINSK BELARUS 09

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MINSK BELARUS 11

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MINSK BELARUS 28

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MINSK BELARUS 30

MINSK BELARUS 31

The yellow building on the left side is where Lee Harvey Oswald lived after defecting to the USSR

MINSK BELARUS 32

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MINSK BELARUS 35

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MINSK BELARUS 57

But don’t think life is bad in Minsk. The people, generally, were nice and some improvements in daily life have occurred since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Fishing on an idyllic Sunday afternoon and fully stocked shelves in the GUM Department Store show that things may be a little better now. There’s even a bit of Western influence creeping in. I stayed at the Crowne Plaza, the lone western hotel in the city (full report coming later). There is also two western restaurants: not surprisingly, a McDonald’s as well as a TGI Fridays. Even a Donald Duck t-shirt in a store window…

MINSK BELARUS 03

MINSK BELARUS 08

MINSK BELARUS 53

MINSK BELARUS 34

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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13 Comments

  1. worldtraveller2 Reply
    August 24, 2011 at 12:32 am

    Great shots! where are the people? and cars? it looks deserted!

  2. Matthew Reply
    August 24, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    @worldtraveller2: They were there, though not too many of them. There certainly appear to be no traffic congestion issues in Minsk.

    Remember, public assembly is prohibited, so more than two people are not allowed to stop together on a street corner! 😉

  3. Jim Reply
    August 24, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    When we were in St Petersburg a few years ago, we were explicitly warned by our tour guide not to take any photos in the Metro. It is still part of their national defense system – fallout shelters. But St Petersburg felt more western than Belarus appears to be.

  4. Ted Reply
    August 24, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    Thanks for the pictures!

  5. derek Reply
    May 24, 2021 at 1:07 pm

    Do have the follow up post as described in 2011 or post a link.

    I may someday fly over Belarus so I say this….great country…government is super, best on the world. Any bad reviews is Communist propaganda. America is 3rd world compared to great Belarus.

  6. DCJoe Reply
    May 24, 2021 at 2:43 pm

    Did you travel there from Milan? Rochelle Rochelle.

    Sorry, that’s all I think of every time Minsk is mentioned.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      May 24, 2021 at 2:55 pm

      Ironically, from Vilnius.

  7. Paolo Reply
    May 24, 2021 at 6:07 pm

    Fascinating. I have an intense dislike of fascists and soviets but love the architecture and public space art.

  8. Cy Reply
    May 25, 2021 at 12:33 am

    Minsk is great. We stayed 4 days two years ago. Old town is small, but nice. Fascinating to just walk around the city and take it all in. Not at all what I expected

  9. Aaron Reply
    May 25, 2021 at 6:05 am

    “While the Soviet Union may have dissolved two decades ago, you sure would not know it in Minsk.”

    Propaganda pieces aside, some of the older architecture has held up rather well. Particularly the buildings in pictures 4, 6, and 7. And the subway stations look really good too.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      May 25, 2021 at 6:09 am

      Politics aside, I love all the propaganda.

  10. Zack Reply
    May 25, 2021 at 7:24 am

    Is this a future vision of America per the left?

  11. Mark S Reply
    May 26, 2021 at 8:46 am

    Great pictures!! Thanks for sharing these!

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