| Fast Facts |
Full Name
Republic of Belarus
Capital City
Minsk
Area
207,600 sq km
80,154 sq miles
Population
10,400,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC + 2 ()
Languages
Belarusian (official)
Russian (official)
Both Belarusian and Russian are official languages, Russian is more widely spoken.
Religion
Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholic
Currency
Belarusian Ruble (BR)
Electricity
220V 50HzHz
Electric Plug Details
European plug with two circular metal pins
Country Dialing Code
375
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| General Information |
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The republic of Belarus is situated in the center of Europe on the watershed of the Baltic and Black Seas. The capital is the city of Minsk. Belarus borders on Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Ukraine. The total length of the state border makes up 2,969 km. Geographic and climatic conditions favor the development of transport and economic relations.
The distance between Minsk and the capitals of neighboring states is as follows:
- Vilnius -180 km
- Riga - 470 km
- Warsaw - 550 km
- Kiev – 580 km
- Moscow - 700 km
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| Hrodna |
Hrodna, 280km (175mi) west of Minsk, is probably the most picturesque city in all of Belarus, simply because it survived the war better than anywhere else and has more historic buildings intact to prove it. These days it's an industrial and cultural centre with a decidedly cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Settled since ancient times, Hrodna was absorbed by Lithuania in the 14th century, when it became a major defensive fort, and later by Poland, which built a palace and several churches. Hrodna fell easily during WWII, suffering little structural damage but losing most of its population. |
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| Brest Fortress |
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If you are going to see only one Soviet WWII memorial in your life, make it Brest Fortress. As if the scale of the fortress and the heroism of its defenders weren't enough, the Soviet additions of a giant stone face and glistening obelisk show everything that was wrong and right with the Soviet Union. |
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| Dudutki Open Air Museum |
Near the sleepy, dusty village of Dudutki, is an open-air museum, where 19th-century Belarusian country life comes to life. If you only make one day trip from Minsk let this be the one. Traditional crafts, such as carpentry, pottery, handicraft-making and baking are on display in old-style wood-and-hay houses.
You can wander around the grounds, taking in the fresh air, spying on a working farm as it was a century ago. Nearby is a working windmill which you can climb. You can also go horse riding or just rest on bales of hay.
Best of all though is the meal you can order, prepared on site using traditional recipes and techniques. Homemade cheeses, bread, draniki(potato pancakes), kolduni (stuffed potato dumplings), and pork sausages all go down so well, especially with a shot of local samagon (moonshine) - make sure you're not the one driving home! A scrumptious meal will cost very little. |
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| Museum of the Great Patriotic War |
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This sobering museum (Great Patriotic War is the Soviet name for WWII) is an excellent place to understand the most devastating event affecting the region. Twenty-eight rooms graphically display the horrors of WWII and go a long way towards explaining Belarus' apparent obsession with the Great Patriotic War, which claimed the life of one in four Belarusians. |
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Reservation: reservation@lmho.net 
