MINSK TODAY.
Why is Minsk worth visiting? Share your ideas.
Minsk is the country’s major industrial and cultural centre and one of the most beautiful cities. It is growing and prospering. Life in the capital is acquiring new qualities, becoming nicer with every passing year. The city has acquired its peculiar look and colouring thanks to the well-planned avenues and squares, to the green of the parks stretching along the Svisloch River. Now both old and new interlace in the city, attracting lots of visitors.
The Upper Town, a vast area of the old Minsk with the centre in Cathedral Square, which was the most important part of the city, was built in the 16th century. The City Hall, St. Bernard monastery and St. Basil convent, the 17th-18th centuries Catholic Church were all situated there.
Let us take a walk along the streets and lanes of the old town and plunge into the atmosphere of the past.
The recently restored mansion in Internatsional’naya street that once belonged to the artist V. Vankovich now is a part of the National Fine Arts Museum. The Rakov and St.Trinity townships date back to still older times. At the corner of Nemiga and Rakov streets the cathedral of Peter and Paul is found it’s an architectural monument of the 17th centuries. The old survivor buildings also make part of the renovated Rakov, Osvobozhdeniya and Zamkovaya streets. An old block has survived in the St. Trinity Township in Bogdanovich and Starovilenskaya streets. In the 80s it was rebuilt and modernized to make a single historical and architectural ensemble of the Old Minsk with its typical 19th century buildings.
One of the main thoroughfares in Minsk bears the name Independence Avenue. In the middle of it a square called Oktyabrskaya and Tsentral’ny park (earlier called Alexandrovski) are located. The city’s second largest avenue Pobeditelej with its public buildings and dwelling blocks rising along the Svisloch River was chiefly built in the 70-80s centuries. The multi-storeyed hotels “Planeta” and “Yubilejnaya”, the House of Trade Unions were among the first to grow up here. In 1985, the Minsk-Hero City monument was erected in the Victory Park. The multi-storeyed residential blocks area and the originally shaped Minsk-EXPO exhibition pavilion do not spoil the architectural design of the entire district.
The pride of the city is its parks – Gorky Park, Chelyuskintsy Park, the Central Botanical Gardens and the water-and-park Svisloch Reserve. Not far from the Gorky Park one can have a view of the central square of the city called Victory Square. A lofty monument commemorating the war victory was erected in Victory Square in 1954.
Minsk is the country’s centre of science and culture. A great number of research institutes, Academy of Sciences institutes, design and engineering institutions function in Minsk. Republic’s specialists are trained at Minsk’s 26 higher educational establishments. There are many professional theatres and museums in Minsk.
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Minsk today is the capital of the sovereign state, which means that broad possibilities for development are open before the city. Embassies, banks, business centers, offices and other public institutions have been springing up in the city.
The people of Minsk have been living through a spiritual renaissance. Sermons are now heard in the numerous restored temples of the orthodox, catholic, muslim and other confessions.
Besides that, Minsk has become an important railway junction after the Moscow-Brest and Libavo-Romno railroads were laid across the town.
Match the words with their Russian translations:
1.Interlace- a)переплетаться
2.Convent- b)главная улица
3.Lane- c) весь район
4.Plunge into- d)независимый
5.Thoroughfare- e) возвышенный, величественный
6.Bear the name- f) проповеди
7.Dwelling block- g)монастырь
8.Erect- h) место соединения
9.Entire district- j)узкая улочка, переулок
10.Lofty- k)появляться
11.Sovereign- l)вероисповедание
12.Spring up- m)носить имя
13.Spiritual renaissance- n)”погружаться в”
14.Sermons- o) возводить
15.Confessions- p) духовное возрождение
16.Junction- q)жилой район
SIGHTSEEING IN MINSK.
Victory Square
With its lofty obelisk and elegant surroundings it’s the most beautiful square in the Belarusian capital. In the shadow of its obelisk burns the Eternal Flame in honour of those who died in the defence of their land against foreign invaders. With the surrounding apartment buildings, the greenery of the Svislach riverside, the square and its obelisk make up a finely proportioned ensemble and one of the most impressive sights of the city.
Yanka Kupala Park is situated opposite the Circus. The main entrance of the park leads to a monumental statue of the poet Yanka Kupala cast in bronze. From the granite base grows the mystical fern-flower of happiness which is said to bloom once a year on a midsummer night. The Wreath fountain also symbolizes the old pagan tradition of fortune telling during the holiday of Kupalle.
Zamchische (site of a castle)
The only trace of the once mighty fortress founded in the 11th century to remain is a small-sized hill. The castle had a moat (ров)and defensive mound (насыпь, холм) to 10 metres high running around it. Tall wooden walls and towers stood on the ridge (водораздел)of the mound. For a long time the castle was the residence of dukes (герцоги). Then it became the seat of the Tribunal, the highest judicial instance of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Zamchische is believed to be the original center of ancient Minsk.
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Yakub Kolas Square
The Square is named after Yakub Kolas, a classic of Belarusian literature and people’s poet of Belarus. The center of the Square is occupied by a monument to Yakub Kolas (1972, sculptor Z. Azgur). He is captured in a pensive pose sitting on a stone and surrounded by characters from his books. On the left of him is Simon the Musician with his loyal friend, Ganka. On the right is the legendary old man Talash with his grandson, young scout (слуга) Panas. These two groups of characters reflect two lines in Kolas’ works – lyricism and patriotism.
The St. Peter and St Paul Cathedral
Built in 1613 the “yellow church” is the oldest surviving church in Minsk. During the course of 2 centuries the cathedral was the only Orthodox church in then largely catholic Minsk. In the second half of the 18th century the cathedral fell into despair after the fire but with the generous funding of Cathrine II of Russia the cathedral was restored to its former glory. In the 1930s the cathedral shared the fate of many other churches in Minsk – it was closed down by the Soviet authorities. During WWII the building served as a bomb shelter, and later for a long time it was used as an archive. In the 1970s the cathedral was restored. After detailed investigation it has been discovered that the cathedral walls have retained fresco paintings from the 17-19th centuries.
Kirill and Mefodiy Cathedral of the Holy Spirit
Built in 1642 to serve Bernadine nuns, it was used as a convent for many years. In 1741 the original structure was damaged by fire but later reconstructed. The convent (монастырь) was liquidated in 1852 and the building was given to the Russian church for use as a monastery – but half a century later it was closed by the Bolsheviks. Today after ongoing renovations, the church is a pleasant stop.
St Simeon and St Helen Catholic Church
The history of the Red church traces back to the tragedy of the Vaynilovichs family. After the death of his 12-year old son and 18-year old daughter Edward Vaynilovich sacrificed all of his estate for the building of a new catholic church in Minsk. The church was christened in honour of St. Simeon and Helen, that were the names of the children. In 1996 a bronze sculpture of Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Belarus, was placed in front of the entrance to the Red Church.
Great Patriotic War Museum.
The full horrors of the GPW are highlighted here. The most shocking and impressive part of the exhibition is the Black Hall, devoted to the Nazi concentration camps. The museum has original gallows (виселица) and a diorama of the Maly Trostenets death camp, where over 200,000 died.
Trinity Suburb
Today under its tiled (крытые черепицей) roofs there is a multitude of bars and cafes, that’s why the suburb is crowned as “the wining and the dining city”. The suburb also accommodates Belarusian Literary Museum, Maxim Bogdanovich Museum, House of Nature, National Souvenirs Gallery. In the centre of the suburb there is an Isle of Tears. In the hub of it on a small slope made up from the lumps (бугры) of earth brought to this place by Belarusian mothers whose sons died during the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan stands a chapel (часовня). It is the main part of the memorial “To the children of their Motherland who died beyond its borders”.
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The National Library of Belarus opened its doors in June, 2006. The library is a unique building, a gorgeous engineering and architectural construction. This is an access point to the worldwide information resources, a place for long-term preservation of past and modern scientific and cultural achievements, publications, manuscripts, electronic materials, etc. The NLB’s collection totals 8,6 million items in over 50 languages developed both in Belarus and abroad.
Diorama -- a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in miniature or as a large-scale museum exhibit.
Explain the words:
Pagan-
Fern-flower-
Fortune telling-
Pensive-
Fall into despair-
Gorgeous-
What landmarks of Minsk from above would you include in your personal tour? Why? Add some of your favourite sights not mentioned here.