Zaslavsky Jewish Monument

Minsk


This extremely moving sight, rather hidden away in a sunken gully amid trees off vul Melnikayte, commemorates the savage murder of 5000 Jews from Minsk at the hands of the Nazis on 2 March 1942. It is made up of sculptures of scared men, women and children lining up to be shot, one person even carrying their violin.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Minsk attractions

1. Island of Courage & Sorrow

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2. Museum of the Great Patriotic War

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Housed in a garish new building, Minsk's best museum houses an excellent display detailing Belarus' suffering and heroism during the Nazi occupation. With…

3. SS Peter & Paul Church

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Off the vul Lenina overpass is the attractively restored 17th-century SS Peter & Paul Church. The city's oldest church, it was built in 1612, looted by…

4. Trinity Hill

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5. Cathedral of the Holy Spirit

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Off the northern edge of pl Svabody is the baroque, twin-towered Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, built in 1642. It was once part of a Polish…

6. Pl Svabody

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In the heart of the Old Town just off central vul Lenina is charming pl Svabody, lorded over by the white medieval Ratusha (town hall). Off the northern…

7. Ratusha

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8. Kastrychnitskaya Pl

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The city's main square is referred to universally by its Russian name, Oktyabrskaya Ploshchad (October Sq). Here you'll find the impressive, severe Palats…