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Belarus National Museum of History & Culture
Most visitors leave here with their head spinning (Belarusian-only explanation panels don't help). It takes you on a journey into the turbulent history of the nation, and features a replica of the printing press used by national hero Francyska Skaryny.
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Belarusian Government Building
Ploshcha Nezalezhnastsi (also called ploshcha Lenina) is dominated by the Belarusian Government Building on its northern side.
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Belarusian State Art Museum
The Belarusian State Art Museum is a very interesting place. Here you'll find the country's largest collection of Belarusian art, in two rooms devoted to works depicting the depopulated agrarian bliss of the 1920s and 1930s. There are also impressive works by Arkhip Kuindji, Nikolai Ghe, Ilya Repin, Isaak Levitan and Konstantin Makovsky.
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Belarusian State University
The proletarian Belarusian State University is on the south side of Ploshcha Nezalezhnastsi.
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Botanical Gardens
These are a bit ho-hum, really, but they cover a 96-hectare expanse.
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Bust of Felix Dzerzhynsky Statue
On one side of Ploshcha Nezalezhnastsi is a long narrow park with a bust of Felix Dzerzhynsky, the founder of the KGB's predecessor (the Cheka) and a native of Belarus.
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Church of St Aleksandr Nevsky
Church of St Aleksandr Nevsky. Built in 1898, it was closed by the Bolsheviks, opened by the Nazis, closed by the Soviets and now it's open again. It's said that during WWII, a bomb crashed through the roof and landed plum in front of the altar, but never detonated.
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Church of Sts Simon & Elena
Breaking the theme of Soviet classicism that dominates ploshcha Svabody is the red-brick catholic Church of Sts Simon & Elena, built in 1910. Its tall, gabled bell tower and attractive detailing are reminiscent of many brick churches in the former Teutonic north of Poland.
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Dom Ofitserov
The dark-grey Dom Ofitserov, which has a tank memorial in front, is devoted to the soldiers who freed Minsk from the Nazis.
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Dudutki
Near Dudutki, 40km (25mi) south of Minsk, is an open-air museum where 19th-century Belarusian country life comes to life. Traditional crafts, such as carpentry, pottery, handicraft-making and baking are on display in wood-and-hay houses. Best of all is the traditional meal you can order, washed down with a shot of local samagon (moonshine).
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Former Residence of Lee Harvey Oswald
Just across the bridge over the Svislach River, on the west bank, is the former residence of Lee Harvey Oswald; it's the bottom left apartment. The alleged assassin of former US president John F Kennedy lived here for a couple of years in his early 20s. He arrived in Minsk in January 1960 after leaving the US Marines and defecting to the USSR. Once here, he truly went native: he got a job in a radio factory, married a Minsk woman, had a child - and even changed his name to Alek.
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Holy Spirit Cathedral
The baroque, twin-towered orthodox Holy Spirit Cathedral, built in 1642, stands confidently on a small hill. It was once part of a Polish Bernardine convent, along with the former Bernardine Church next door, which now houses city archives.
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Island of Tears
At the end of a little footbridge near the Old Town is the evocative Afghan war memorial, Island of Tears. Standing on a small island connected by a walking bridge, it's built in the form of a tiny church, with four entrances, and is surrounded by towering gaunt statues of sorrowful mothers and sisters of Belarusian soldiers who perished in the war between Russia and Afghanistan (1979-89). Look for the small statue of the crying angel, off to the side - it is the guardian angel of Belarus.
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KGB Building
This yellow neoclassical building occupies an entire block and its ominous, temple-like Corinthian portal looks down over Independence Square (ploshcha Nezalezhnastsi). On the opposite side of the street is a long, narrow park with a bust of terror-monger Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the KGB's predecessor, the Cheka.
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KGB Headquarters
An entire block at No 17 is occupied by a yellow neoclassical building with an ominous, temple-like Corinthian portal - the KGB Headquarters .
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Lee Harvey Oswald Apartment Building
The Lee Harvey Oswald Apartment Building is where Lee Harvey Oswald - the alleged assassin of US president John F Kennedy - lived for a few years in his early 20s. Few locals know or are interested in this fact, though the building - and Oswald's stay in the city - remains a curiosity for most tourists. He was lucky enough to have lived on one of the city's prettiest streets, excellent for riverside strolling.
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Mastatsky Salon
The Mastatsky Salon features rotating exhibits of local artists and overpriced souvenirs.
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Metro Entrance Memorial
The congested overpass that now carries vul Lenina over vul Njamiha near the Njamiha metro station was the site of Minsk's main marketplace in the 12th century. In May 1999 the metro entrance was the site of a brutal stampede in which 53 people died. The tragedy occurred when hundreds of young people ran into the pedestrian tunnel to escape a sudden thunderstorm at a beer festival. There is now a touching memorial at the metro entrance, with a bronze rose for each of the people who died.
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Museum of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party
The Museum of the First Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party is where the Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party - Russia's original Marxist party - held its illegal founding congress in 1898. Today, you can wander around the small museum inside, just as Fidel Castro did in 1972.
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Museum of the Great Patriotic War
Don't leave town without visiting the Museum of the Great Patriotic War, where Belarus' horrors and heroism during WWII are exhibited in photographs, huge dioramas and other media. Particularly harrowing are the photographs of partisans being executed in recognisable central Minsk locations. The big sign above the building (ПОДВИГУ НАРОДА ЖИТЬ В ВЕКАХ) means 'The Feats of Mankind Will Live On for Centuries'.
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National Scientific Academy
This is an impressive, multicolumned building and is a faculty of the state university.
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Palats Mastatsva
A cool place to hang out in is Palats Mastatsva. There are several exhibition halls showing modern art, used book and antique stalls and a general buzz of free-spirited activity.
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Palats Mastatsva (Art Palace)
While it doesn't necessarily hold the largest or most impressive collection of Belarusian art, Palats Mastatsva is a cool place to hang out. There are several exhibition halls showing modern art, used book and antique stalls and a general buzz of free-spirited activity.
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Palats Respubliki
Between vulitsa Enhelsa and vulitsa Janki Kupaly is a square that is still referred to by its Russian name, Oktyabrskaya ploshchad (in Belarusian, it's ploshcha Kastrychnitskaja). This is where opposition groups gather to protest against Lukashenko from time to time, and it's where they attempted the Denim Revolution in March 2006. Here you'll find the impressive, severe Palats Respubliki, which is a concert hall.
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Ploshcha Svabody
Ploshcha Svabody, to the southeast of the overpass, bordered by vul Lenina, became the new city centre in the 16th century. The surrounding area is known as Upper Town (Verkhny Garad). The baroque, twin-towered Orthodox Holy Spirit Cathedral, off the northern end of the small square, stands on a small hill and was once part of a Polish Bernardine convent (founded in 1628) along with the former Bernardine Church next door.
