The Atlas Obscura Guide To Belarus

29 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Belarus

Updated September 30, 2024

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Cities

Unusual Attractions in Belarus

Brest Hero-Fortress

Brest, Belarus

Brest Hero-Fortress

Thanks to its heroic service during WWII this Soviet castle has been turned into a monument towered over by a brutalist titan.

Minsk, Belarus

Minsk KFC

Remnants of the city's Soviet history hover over this modern fast-food outlet.

The museum contains two halls, with different types of exhibits.

Hrodna, Belarus

Museum of Malformations of the Human Body

This rare collection of human deformities displays fetuses with two faces, one eye, and "mermaid" legs.

Museum of Confiscated Art

Brest, Belarus

Museum of Confiscated Art

A small museum in this border city displays the contraband art that has been stolen back from smugglers.

The Cat Museum.

Minsk, Belarus

Cat Museum

This Minsk museum has cat coffee, cat chess, cat art, and even a cat "staff," which visitors are free to take home.

A Yuri Gagarin mural inside the café.

Brest, Belarus

Kafe Gagarin

Take Soviet nostalgia to new heights by toasting the first man in space over a full spread of Belarusian and Soviet fare.

It is a memorial marking the success of Operation Bagration.

Smaliavicki rajon, Belarus

Mound of Glory

A striking Soviet memorial commemorates the liberation of Belarus from the Nazis.

See All 29 Things To Do in Belarus

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Belarus

Minsk, Belarus

Minsk KFC

Remnants of the city's Soviet history hover over this modern fast-food outlet.

A Yuri Gagarin mural inside the café.

Brest, Belarus

Kafe Gagarin

Take Soviet nostalgia to new heights by toasting the first man in space over a full spread of Belarusian and Soviet fare.

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Museums 9

Soviet History 7

Architecture 5

Military 4

Monuments 4

World War Ii 3

Soviet Architecture 3

Sculptures 3

Military History 3

Collections 2

Water 2

Communism 2

History 2

Christianity 2

Sacred Spaces 2

Parks 2

Politics 2

Memorials 2

War History 2

History & Culture 2

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Stories About Belarus

Few folk figures have endured like Baba Yaga, who has been described as witch, mentor, villain, trickster, and now, perhaps, a feminist icon.

Who Is Baba Yaga?

Trickster, mentor, probable goddess—Slavic folklore's most famous villain is so much more than a witch.

by Kris Spisak, Atlas Obscura

September 30, 2024

The Chernobyl Disaster Created an Unexpected Predator Paradise

In a corner of Belarus, wolves and lynx thrive as a new and surprising ecosystem evolves in the wake of disaster.

by Wojciech Mikołuszko, Atlas Obscura

August 30, 2023

Ubiquitous throughout the USSR, Palaces of Culture, such as this one in Pogonnoe, were used to host theater, concerts, and films. The events usually contained explicit Soviet political messages.

Exploring Chernobyl's Imprint on Neighboring Belarus

The Polesie State Radioecological Reserve is close to Ukraine's Exclusion Zone, but a world away.

by Darmon Richter, Atlas Obscura

September 22, 2020