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USURPR.

Eastern Europe

Belarus

Discover Białowieża Forest, Białowieża Forest — Belarus, Minsk’s Red Church and more.

Explore 6 illustrated places, read the stories behind them and look closer on the globe.

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Illustration of National Library of Belarus
National Library of Belarus

Places to discover in Belarus

architecture

Minsk’s Red Church

The Church of Saints Simon and Helena is widely known as the Red Church. Completed in 1910, its red brickwork and unequal towers give it a distinctive silhouette. A rounded apse and steep tiled roofs reward a closer look.

Source: religiana.com

architecture

Mir Castle

Construction at Mir began in the late fifteenth century in a Gothic style. Later extensions brought Renaissance and Baroque features, while nineteenth-century restoration added further elements and a landscaped park. Its present appearance therefore records repeated adaptation rather than a single moment of medieval construction.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

architecture

National Library of Belarus

The National Library of Belarus opened its present building in 2006. Its faceted upper volume was conceived as a diamond, expressing the value of knowledge, and stands above a low podium containing public spaces and reading rooms. The library preserves publications while connecting readers with information resources. Its unusual silhouette makes a place for books and study into one of Minsk's most distinctive modern buildings.

Source: National Library of Belarus

architecture

Nesvizh Castle courtyard

At Nesvizh, the Radziwills developed a fortified residence into a richly decorated palace. Its connected buildings surround a courtyard, where pale walls, arcades and a sculpted central pediment turn the enclosure into a formal setting. The castle belongs to a larger cultural landscape that also includes parks and the Corpus Christi Church. This courtyard offers a closer look at the residence itself, rather than the whole estate.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre

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