Things to do in Brest
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Brest Fortress
If you are going to see only one Soviet WWII memorial in your life, make it Brest Fortress. The scale of the fortress itself is so massive and the heroism of its defenders so vast, even the giant stone face and glistening obelisk are dwarfed in comparison.
Between 1838 and 1842 the entire town of Brest was moved east to make way for this massive fort. During the interwar period it was used mainly for housing soldiers and had lost most of its military importance. Nevertheless, two regiments bunking here at the time of the sudden German invasion in 1941 defended the aged fort for an astounding month. The whole structure withstood incredible attacks, including at least 500 c…
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Jules Verne
Despite the maritime décor and seafood slant at this fabulous restaurant, the menu is a dizzying and odd combination of Indian and Chinese - but it works. Best is that everything from nan bread to dim sum is mouthwatering and sumptuous. A highly attentive staff (who appear from nowhere to refill your water glass) adds to the dining pleasure. Vegetarians will find plenty to purr about.
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Nikalaivsky Church
Behind the Valour rock in the Brest Fortress complex is the attractive Byzantine Nikalaivsky Church, the oldest in the city, which dates from when the town centre occupied the fortress site. Once part of a large monastery before being turned into a soldier's garrison club, it was gutted during the 1941 siege but has been restored and now holds regular services.
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Valour monument
The centrepiece of the Brest Fortress ensemble is the huge Valour monument, a stone soldier's head projecting from a massive rock. Adjacent is a sky-scraping obelisk, with an eternal flame and stones bearing the names of those who died. There are often men and women in period military uniforms marching to sombre orchestral music.
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Museum of Confiscated Art
The city's most interesting museum is the Museum of Confiscated Art, a display of valuable international art pieces (paintings, sculptures, ceramics) seized by Brest border guards as they were being smuggled out of the country. It is no doubt the most eclectic art collection in Belarus. It often has great temporary exhibits.
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History of Brest Museum
In the History of Brest Museum there's a small exhibit on the city in its different guises throughout history. Check the painting of Brest-Litovsk in medieval times to see what a vibrant European city it was then. The quiet neighbourhood around the museum, lined with quaint wooden houses, is worth strolling through.
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Magellan
Where Soviet cafeteria meets modern fast-food bistro. A slick and comfortable place where you can point to what you want before ordering. Nothing fancier here than meat kotlety (cutlets) and salads but all perfectly tasty. Come evening, it's a barlike hangout for young people before they hit the clubs.
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Brest Art Museum
Heading south inside the Brest Fortress, there's the Brest Art Museum, which showcases local arts and crafts. To the right is the unmistakable Kholmskie Gate; its bricks are decorated with crenulated turrets and its outer face is riddled with hundreds of bullet and shrapnel holes.
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Traktir U Ozera
This wins hands-down for best location, perched as it is by a pond in the city's prettiest park. The terrace sits under willow trees. Inside the spacious, country-style dining hall, you can feast on simple shashlyks as well as tasty, more elaborate fish and grilled meat meals.
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Café Rondo
An exotic trip back to the USSR is assured in this café, where there's a shot glass set at every place, waiting to be filled with cheap vodka. A great place for an inexpensive, quick fill-up on standards like pelmeni (Russian-style ravioli), bliny and borsch.
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Zio Pepe
One of the country's many all-purpose hangouts, this is a nightclub (after 21:00), bowling alley, bar, casino and eatery all rolled into one. If the chrome-and-black lights don't give you indigestion, the thin-crust pizzas are very good, as are the other Italian dishes.
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Matrixa
In a gleaming, hypermodern building is this entertainment complex, with a huge pool hall and hyperhip nightclub, expertly decorated to recall every second person's favourite film, The Matrix.
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Bars
Good bars in Brest are few and far between; most locals chill at the many all-purpose places listed here and under Eating - restaurants or clubs which also double as bars (or casinos, or cinemas...).
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St Nikolaiv Church
With its gold cupolas and yellow-and-blue façades shining gaily in the sunshine, the finely detailed 200-year-old Orthodox St Nikolaiv Church is one of several lovely churches in Brest.
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St Simon Orthodox Cathedral
Just a block west of Hotel Intourist is the peach-and-green St Simon Orthodox Cathedral, built in 1865 in the Russian Byzantine style (the gold on the cupolas was added in 1997).
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St Christopher's Polish Catholic Church
On pl Lenina, a statue of Lenin faces east towards Moscow, but it appears to be pointing accusatorily across the street to the 1856 St Christopher's Polish Catholic Church.
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Lenin Statue
On pl Lenina, a statue of Lenin faces east towards Moscow, but it appears to be pointing accusatorily across the street to the 1856 St Christopher's Polish Catholic Church.
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Park of Culture and Leisure
Just behind the History of Brest Museum is the sprawling Park of Culture and Leisure, with a few children's rides, scupltures and a great restaurant.
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Defence of Brest Fortress Museum
Inside Brest Fortress is the Defence of Brest Fortress Museum . Its extensive and dramatic exhibits demonstrate aptly the plight of the defenders.
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Bereste Archaeological Museum
Beyond the Kholmskie Gate in the Brest Fortress is the small Bereste Archaeological Museum which exhibits several log cabins found on land nearby.
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Regional Museum
The Regional Museum, has an odd exhibit on the history of science, and a small display on the Chornobyl disaster.
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