Minsk, Belarus – A Place For Strange Erotic Journeys

minsk tourism
Lenin – communist revolutionary and former leader of the Soviet Union, stands cap in hand outside the Belarus House of Government, Minsk.

Here, stand by the fire and take off those wet clothes, you’ll catch cold…” Back in 1993, the world was introduced to a film about life, love, and becoming a woman. “Rochelle Rochelle”, a young girl’s strange erotic journey from Milan to Minsk, was a movie said to be at least half as good as Ponce de Leon. For many people in the West, Rochelle Rochelle was the entire extent of our knowledge on Minsk, the capital city of Belarus. Decades later, Minsk continues to remain somewhat unchartered and unknown to most tourists, nobody is sure if the lead character of Rochelle Rochelle was actually Italian or Belarusian, and finally, I got to partake in my own strange erotic journey – into the very heart of Minsk, Belarus.

Minsk is an ancient city, founded almost one-thousand years ago. Unfortunately, during the recent historical period, Minsk has experienced an appallingly full roster of unspeakable terror. Under the Soviet Union, hundreds-of-thousands of Belarusians were “repressed” by the Communist regime, for committing crimes such as being an “intellectual”. Punishment included imprisonment, deportation to other areas of the Soviet Union, and of course death. Currently, the KGB archives in Minsk remain off-limits to researchers, and the true extent of the Soviet repressions – which lasted for most of the first half of the 20th century (until the end of Joseph Stalin’s reign) – is not yet fully known.

German bombing raids destroyed more than eighty-percent of the capital city’s buildings during World War II. More than two million Belarusians lost their lives – in total, a quarter of the entire population of Belarus. Many were soldiers, but the majority were civilians. Outside of Minsk, nine-thousand villages and more than one-million homes were obliterated.

Belarus was occupied by Nazi Germany for three years. Minsk was ruled by an unfathomably brutal regime dedicated to the complete annihilation of the entire Jewish population. Prior to World War II, approximately forty percent of Minsk citizens were Jewish. Today, it’s just a fraction of one-percent. After the Nazi occupation, the worst game of Pass-the-Parcel ever meant it was time for Belarus to return to Soviet control.

In 1986, the worst nuclear accident in history occurred, just seven miles from the Ukraine/Belarus border. Due to weather conditions at the time of the Chernobyl nuclear power station explosion, radioactive fallout came to rest over much of Belarus. Large swathes of farmlands were rendered useless for at least another ten thousand years, countless villages were abandoned forever, and severe medical problems continue to this day. Belarus received more than sixty percent of the destructive Chernobyl fallout – much more than Ukraine itself.

 

communist architecture minsk
Minsk is home to the world’s best KFC, inside the “House of Fashion” (Vasilizh Iosifovich Gerashenko, 1962-1967). Featuring the sculpted relief “Solidarity” (Anatol Yafimovich Arcimovich), this whole scene is a Poli-Sci freshers dream, and you can find almost exactly the same photo over on the Bohemian Blog – only it was minus-forty when Darmon foolishly visited Minsk earlier this year.

Minsk has carried the burden of the Belarusian economy since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The now independent nation of Belarus has suffered on-and-off economic turmoil, with the life savings of an entire nation practically eliminated. If you were fortunate enough to have somehow saved 10 million Belarusian Ruble’s in 1992, after Zimbabwe-levels of inflation you could exchange that entire wheelbarrow of old notes, for just one single Ruble today.

During most of the time since declaring independence, Belarus has been ruled by Alexander “Daddy” Lukashenko – a man who is often referred to as “Europe’s last dictator”. When the German Foreign Minister repeated the dictator-accusation in 2012, President Lukashenko responded with “better to be a dictator than gay“. However, Lukashenko may actually have a soft-spot for well-known German political figures.

On Adolf Hitler, and given the atrocious history of Nazi’s in Minsk and Belarus, Lukashenko opined “Germany was raised from ruins thanks to firm authority, and not everything connected with that well-known figure Hitler was bad. German order evolved over the centuries, and attained its peak under Hitler.” Lukashenko’s methods of “firm authority” include a recent initiative which introduced a tax on the unemployed. However, the “parasite-tax” proved to be unpopular with many Belarusians, and it was soon decided to suspend collection of the tax until the government had some time to review the policy.

Sparked in part by this parasite-tax, street protests against the Lukashenko government occurred in Minsk during March this year (2017). Large numbers of protesters, journalists, and even passersby were arrested by authorities, often in brutal fashion. When concerned citizens rallied and called for the release of those people they considered unjustly arrested, they too were arrested.

But, it’s not all bad news.

Indeed, there is much about Minsk, and Belarus, that is truly remarkable.

 

communist architecture belarus minsk
Cinema Moscow, architects Viktor Kramarenko, Mikhail Vinogradov, and Vladimir Shcherbina. 1980, Minsk, Belarus.
minsk belarus tourism
Svislach River, with Janki Kupaly Park in the background. Downtown Minsk, Belarus.
communist minsk architecture
Underneath a red flag featuring a hammer and sickle – the symbol of Communism – a bride and groom embrace. Great Patriotic War Museum, Minsk.

In 2015 Belarus officially became the drunkest country in the world, recording the highest alcohol consumption per-capita of any nation in our known universe. The Belarusian Government denied the honor and suggested the method of ranking was flawed, as the World Health Organisation didn’t include infants and children in their statistics.

Although Belarus rarely tops the world rankings for anything, being crowned “Drunkest Nation #1” wasn’t exactly a coveted PR coup. In response, the Lukashenko government introduced new anti-alcohol initiatives. This year the 170,000 officially recorded alcoholics of Belarus (almost 2% of the entire population) have been paying higher taxes on alcoholic beverages, and Belarus has fallen down the drunken-ness rankings, all the way to number two. Notably, I’m fairly sure the young man that asked me to purchase a litre of Vodka for him in a downtown Minsk supermarket, was almost certainly a child.

Minsk is, of course, primarily known for being one of the largest centers of Tractor production on the planet. The Minsk Tractor Works employs 30,000 of the local proletariat, producing such popular and renowned tractor models as the “Belarus Belarus 1025.2 1220.3”. Gloriously, the Minsk Tractor Works was once awarded the prestigious Soviet-era “Order of Lenin” award – and the medal, of course, featured a gold tractor. Being such a community-minded company, Minsk Tractor Works were the main sponsors of a local football team “Partisan Minsk”, a club born from the ashes of “Football Club Tractor Minsk”. Football matches were played at Tractor Stadium. Locally, Partisan Minsk fans were known for their anarchist, anti-government, anti-fascist, and pro-LGBT rights stances. And I say “were”, because strangely there seems to be no evidence of the team’s existence after 2015.

An aside: sadly, the day after I left Minsk, I had to watch The Belarus National Day parade on television. Featuring actual Tractors performing synchronised tractor-ballet down the main city street, adorned with giant sparkled top-hats and cardboard lips on the front, one tractor even had a moustache. The proud fleet of dancing tractors were being followed by flat-bed trucks, featuring elaborate displays of made-in-Belarus preserved meat, bread, dairy products, toilets, and household electrical appliances. Obviously, I’m absolutely gutted to have missed out on seeing, what I assume, is a popular Soviet-era children’s-story come to life.

 

architecture of communists minsk
Detail of “Cinema October”, Valentin Malyshev, 1975. Minsk, Belarus.
lee harvey apartment minsk
Lone-wolf Lee Harvey Oswald, with no help from the CIA or the Mafia whatsoever, assassinated US President John F. Kennedy in 1963. In the lead-up to this tragedy, after defecting to the Soviet Union, Oswald lived for three years inside the apartment building directly behind this Russian Lada in Minsk, Belarus.
communist metro architecture minsk
A stark reminder of Communism and the Soviet Union remains on the platform of Lenin Square metro station, Minsk.
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Communist-era apartment building in Minsk, Belarus.

Minsk is the cleanest city I have ever visited. There is no litter. Wide-boulevards are perfectly maintained, squeaky clean, and washed regularly. Graffiti is almost non-existent. I saw a smattering of “street art” on a wall behind a statue of Lenin next to a board proudly displaying large portrait photos of recent “employees of the month” (I assume it was a tractor factory). Street kiosks selling coffee, snacks, and other bric-a-brac, so prevalent in other former-Soviet nations, barely exist in Minsk. Cars are mostly gleaming, people are neatly dressed and follow the law at all times. There are no homeless people or beggars to be seen.

Of course, these unsullied urban vistas are great for lovers of pure Soviet-era architecture. Often referred to as “Communist Architecture“, or “Soviet Modernism”, Minsk is a truly a Sov-Mod wonderland, sporting a remarkable collection of mid-century buildings. Truly, Minsk is the perfect embodiment of post-war Soviet-urbanism. Almost absolute destruction during World War II necessitated the rebuilding of the city, adhering to Soviet Socialist principles – mostly standardised high-rise apartment buildings, tightly controlled projects with simplified concrete-construction and only small facade details differing between each. In between the residences, some truly cosmic mid-century architectural styles were used for important community buildings such as cinemas, theatres, libraries, and sports-halls.

On a self-guided tour, thanks to Soviet-era infrastructure, travelling around the city is efficient and inexpensive. I noticed the Minsk metro system is identical in most ways to the Kiev metro system, only with many more symbols of Communism. My Ukrainian friends, visiting Minsk for the weekend, marveled at the fully-functioning light globes with wonder as we explored “clean Kiev” from one metro stop to another.

Notably, our visit to the modernist “Hotel Belarus” required interactions with three staff, four keys, cash payment, an A4 printed receipt, officially stamped, just to be able to visit the roof-top cafe and buy a coffee. Totally worth it, for the view, and to enjoy a profoundly personal experience of good old-fashioned Communist-era inefficiency.

 

minsk city view
Minsk, Belarus.
minsk lenin statue belarus
Well maintained Lenin statue next to the proud employees of MZOR Republican Unitary Production Enterprise, established 1908. Establishing a company website is planned to commence in the year 2032.

click to see an interactive map showing the location of this article

 

Some people say Minsk may not have any soul. I’m not so sure it’s completely soul-less, but I would say there’s a surreal sterility the likes of which I haven’t seen in any other city. For a metropolis of two million, it’s very quiet. In the city center there’s an alarming lack of elderly people. An unnerving array of nationalistic flags, posters, and billboards. Many lush green city-parks – where every tree is in place and no humans may ever touch the grass. But, what Minsk may lack in vitality and spirit, it makes up for with authoritarian levels of Russification and industrial strength Soviet-nostalgia.

Perhaps, Minsk is the logical conclusion of the post-modern Soviet-city. Habitual cleanliness. Relentless bureaucracy. Law and order. An abyss of Authoritarian governments, holding questionable elections. Maybe, Minsk is truly a “future city”, where residents no longer worry, as the comfort and security they once desired, is now mandatory.

Or maybe, it’s all going to change, very soon.

Nate

PS, Belarus was 65th country, and 13th former Soviet Republic I have visited. I’m currently in Kiev, Ukraine, and today is day number 1822 I’ve been living from my backpack travelling the world.

BTW, I would love to send you the next dispatch, posted from some-where random around this planet (and you'll soon find out why YOMADIC email followers are my favourite followers):

23 thoughts on “Minsk, Belarus – A Place For Strange Erotic Journeys

  1. I enjoy Minsk as a city- clean, safe and efficient. It can be difficult for non-Russian speakers but definitely worth a visit (or two).

    1. Hey Ele – I found it not difficult (I only speak the very, very, basics of Russian – although I can read Cyrillic). I didn’t mention in the post – but I found the locals to be really friendly, and many could speak English. I’m planning on a second visit for next year.

    2. As a Westerner I’d love to visit the city. I missed it on our Eastern/Western 1971 European adventure in a 1970 VW Westfalian Camper.

  2. Given the recent change in the Visa laws, did you notice many tourists? I’m really keen to use the free 5 day visa next year, it seems a really intriguing country.

    1. Hey Aaron – first, it was pretty easy to get five-day visa-free on arrival. I think my case was helped by answering “IT WAS FUCKING EXPENSIVE!”, when the border guard asked me “what does your travel insurance cost”. He actually said “what does your travel insurance *cover*. Truly, an ice-breaker.

      But, to answer your question – I hardly saw any tourists (I can’t actually recall seeing another tourist).

  3. I so need to go back to Minsk! I loved it back then when I visited in 2014 but since then my interests change a bit so I assume I’d love it even more!

    See you in Kiev soon! :)

  4. I visited Minsk in 2008 to watch England play Belarus in a world cup qualifier. We stayed at the Hotel Belarus which was notable for the huge collection of prostitutes gathered in the lobby!

    Is the Westworld nightclub still next door? Now that was an interesting night out!

    I also remember the McDonalds on the main street which instead of having a drive through had a ‘walk through’ which involved climbing a set of stairs outside the building to 1st floor level, ordering your food, collecting it from the next window and then descending another set of stairs to street level, very strange.

    Worst airport I’ve ever flown through too, and I’ve visited a few.

    1. Hi Gordon – the airport must have been upgraded. It certainly has it’s “quirks”, but, it’s actually pretty decent these days. I didn’t notice the Westworld nightclub, unfortunately, nor the McDonalds…

  5. I didn’t expect Minsk to be that clean, as you described. But I guess the city really epitomizes the ideals of a Communist city, no? Well, minus KFC and McDonald’s. Surprisingly Belarus’ new visa regulation includes Indonesia, making it easier for Indonesians to travel there — there are not that many countries Indonesians can travel to without getting a visa in advance, so it was quite a nice surprise. So what will be your next former USSR country to visit?

    1. Hey Bama – good news for Indonesians (and many other nationalities – five day visa-free in Belarus is quite easy now). As for the next former USSR country, well, I’m in Ukraine now. Love it here. There are only two former USSR countries to go for me – Turkmenistan, and Russia itself. They’re both on my list…

  6. Truly an incredibly well researched and diplomatic article Mate. Respect !
    That KFC is mind blowing.
    (Now that’s a statue *directed at the ‘Tumeric Trumpet’ causing WW distress and panic*).
    Keep on reporting Nate, you are recording History and your clarifications are deemed of highest regards in my eye’s.
    I.e. Oswald’s assassination being a lone wolf attack. J.F.K the target of one crazed mind. Respect. Conspiracy theories need a counter. And a trustworthy one you are.
    Take care guys and I’m so proud you still brave enough to reveal. . .
    Han

    1. Cheers Han! Agree, the KFC is so freakin’ cool, I made sure to book an apartment in the same building.

      Take care yourself love, see you sooner or later… somewhere…

      1. Haha, nice. What kind of furnishings were inside, would be first question ????.
        (Miles of shag she prays). . .
        The architectural history blows my mind.
        I’ve a keen interest in all things constructed by humans as you know.
        Just keep reporting and know your analysis is Brilliant !
        I’ll send ya a private message or two aye ???? haha …

  7. Nate, How has covid effected entry? How much does a month in the Minsk Hotel cost? Cheapest, I mean.

    1. Hey Glenn – this is a changing story! Until recently, Belarus was completely open to tourists. Right now, I’m not so sure. I have been told all borders are blocked, apart from the border with Russia. Honestly, you would need to search for up-to-date info. RE: the hotel, I stayed in an apartment, I’m not sure of the hotel prices. Cheers!

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