Belarus

Introducing Belarus

Few people consider venturing into this hermetically sealed Soviet time capsule, notoriously ruled with an iron fist by its moustachioed megalomaniac, Alexander Lukashenko. But that’s exactly why you should visit. Only in Belarus – where the KGB still listens in to phone calls and people keep their politics to a low whisper – will you feel as if the Cold War never ended. Although getting a visa isn’t a problem, the government isn’t crazy about foreign influences and encourages xenophobia with all-pervasive propaganda. Westerners cool enough to come here are living, breathing examples that the world outside Belarus is not going to hell in a hand basket – at least not in the near future, anyway.

The capital city of Minsk – with its staunch, Stalinist buildings and orderly streets – is a testament to Soviet ideology, but sprouting up like stubborn weeds in the cracks of communism you’ll find enough chic boutiques, cafés and nightclubs to keep you entertained and get you connected with the lovable locals, who are shy at first but intrigued and flattered by foreign visitors. Brest, on the border with Poland, is one of the country's more Western cities, while the novelty of Hrodna lies in just how un-Western it is. Vitsebsk is notable for being the birthplace of Marc Chagall, as well as for its strong sense of the past. But Belarus's attractions are not limited to its cities: Pripyatsky National Park is a swampy and wildlife-rich expanse of land that provides an interesting contrast to the country's predominantly dry, flat landscape.

With almost no street crime, you are probably safer here than anywhere else in Eastern Europe, and foreign tourists are untouched the government’s repressive ways. So why waste a visa application on a country that’s trying to be like yours anyway? If you were born post-perestroika or never got to visit before the Wall came crumbling down, now’s your chance to be back in the USSR. Until then, you won’t know how lucky you are.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009