Minsk — The Baltican

January 2018

Small things can say a lot about a country. An example are the crisps people buy. In Ireland the most common crisps include “salt & vinegar”, while a Dutch store will usually have a taste called “Bolognese”. My girlfriend Nicole is from the country where they like salt and vinegar, I’m from the country where a mix of tomato-powder and pepper is seen as an Italian recipe. Bolognese crisps were my favourite when I was a kid. In Januari 2018 Nicole and I went to Belarus where, like in Russia, “crab crisps” are sold everywhere. Nicole likes crab, but the crab crisps she bought in Minsk almost made her feel sick. In Minsk I tried Syrok (Сырок), a cheese (Tvorog) snack covered in chocolate. After moving to Moscow later that year, we would usually have Syrok in our fridge.

It’s not a surprise that Belarusian and Russian shops look so similar. Belarus was part of the USSR, and still has strong ties with Russia. There are no border checkpoints between both countries, and for EU citizens the Belarusian visa-process is quite similar to getting a Russia visa. In 2018 Belarus made an exception for EU citizens flying in and out of Minsk, allowing them to get a visa on arrival. We fixed our visa on arrival flying in and out from Riga.

With its concrete palaces and communistic symbols, the Soviet era left a clear mark on the city. Long underpasses are used to cross its wide avenues. Minsk is centuries old, but the Second World War left much of the city destroyed. It was rebuilt in a Stalinist way, and granted the status of “Hero City” due to its resistance. War memorials can be found around the city, like the 45 meters tall “Minsk Hero City Obelisk”.

An exception is the small old town, where historical buildings were recently reconstructed in their original style. Another place to escape all the brutalist architecture is around Oktyabrskaya (Октябрьская), where we grabbed drinks. This former industrial area is now covered by colourful graffiti, and offers a couple of trendy restaurants and bars.

Though a city of 2 million people, Minsk has fewer attractions compared to other capitals in Europe. Yet it brings together interesting elements you can find all over Eastern Europe and North Asia. It has Soviet architecture similar to Novosibirsk, a rebuilt old town reminiscent of Warsaw, war memorials like Park Pobedy in Moscow, and an industrial area turned hipster like Fabrika in Tbilisi. For people unfamiliar with this region, Minsk is an interesting introduction. And a good place to try crab crisps and Syrok.