The first thing you pay attention to when you are in Minsk is the ideal cleanliness and order. With wide, beautiful avenues; groomed parks; tidy flower-beds; perfect roads; and lack of traffic jams, regular business goes on in the city. Minsk is the capital of Belarus, so it should meet all the requirements set for the administrative and economic center of the state. Besides, Minsk is where the government and the administration of the President are located.

Minsk weather conditions are typically gloomy in fall and winter when fog reduces the visibility to 1 kilometer or even less. On average, there are 67 foggy days each year in Minsk.

Minsk (or Mensk as people used to call it in the ancient times) was founded at the confluence of Svislosch and Nemiga more than 900 years ago. No one knows where the name of the city comes from – it’s probably related with the word “mena” (meaning “exchange or trade”) – since a lot of tradespeople used to get together to conduct business in Minsk a long time ago. Another assumption: old Minks appeared on the bank of river Menka (which is almost completely dried-out today) and was moved 16 kilometers to the east in the Eleventh Century –where it’s currently situated. Minsk was first mentioned as a city belonging to the Polotsk Kingdom in a chronicle dated 1067. This year was marked by a savage battle that took place near Nemiga. This battle (as well as numerous internal wars) resulted in total demolition of Minsk. However, every time the city would rise from the ashes like the legendary bird – the phoenix. Eighty percent of Minsk was ruined during the Russian period of World War II (1941-1944). There aren’t too many ancient historical monuments and sites left in Minsk, even though the ones that are left continue to amaze people with their beauty and the history surrounding them in a veil of mystery.

It’s time to start our virtual trip.

The Church of the Holy Trinity was originally built of wood, but the fire of 1409 completely destroyed it. The church was rebuilt in the Nineteenth Century. The main objects of interest located there is the ancient iron-framed icon of the Virgin Mary and Jesus and the wonder-working statue of Saint Roch. After the reconstruction, the church was turned into the hall of chamber music of Belarusian State Philharmonic Society.

Among the other surviving religious buildings is the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit that was built in Seventeenth Century. The Minsk icon of the Virgin Mary is kept here.

The Church of Saint Simeon and Helen (Red Church) is a real adornment of Minsk. It was built on the Square of Independence in the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Legend says that a dying girl saw the image of the church in her dream and drew it. After her death, her parents built the church according to her drawings. From 1946 to 1990 it was the home of the “Belarusfilm” studio, but now the Red Church is active again.

Newly-erected ultramodern edifices such as the Dome of Sports, the National Library, and numerous business centers look quite impressive too.

Among the sculptural sites really worth noticing is the monument devoted to the soldiers of the Soviet Army and the monument erected in the name of guerilla fighters killed during World War II.

Those of you who want to get a degree of higher education will always be welcomed in the capital of Belarus: there are 13 universities located here - including the University of Belarus - and The University of Arts and Theatre, which is the conservatory. The Belarusian Academy of Science is also located in Minsk together with some of its subsidiaries and universities. There are more than 200 public libraries in the city.

The capital is the home of 12 museums: the Museum of Art, the Museum of World War II, the Zoological Museum, The Museum of Old Belarusian Art, the Museum of National Architecture and Life, among others.

Minsk has also got its own active Philharmonic Society, circus, and a huge number of clubs and movie theatres.