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Praspekt Francyska Skaryny
Minsk's main thoroughfare impresses in its sheer girth. Hectic and huge, it tripled in width when it was rebuilt after WWII and extends over 11km from the train station to the outer city. The busiest section - with the best architectural examples of Soviet monumentalism - is sandwiched between pl Nezalezhnastsi and pl Peramohi, with the block between vul Lenina and vul Enhelsa doubling as a popular evening youth hangout.
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Praspekt Nezalezhnastsi
After it was obliterated in WWII, Minsk was rebuilt from the ground up, under the direction of Stalin. A walk down Praspekt Nezalezhnastsi is a testament to the grandiose monumentalism the Soviets were so famous for.
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Presidential Administrative Building
Beyond the Officer's Building is the lifeless-looking, seriously guarded Presidential Administrative Building, where Lukashenko practises his bully routine.
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St Mary Magdeline Church
The attractive little St Mary Magdeline Church was built in 1847 in the ancient Orthodox style, with a pointed octagonal bell tower over the entrance and a single sweeping dome over the cruciform plan. It's the nicest church in the city and is located near Hotel Belarus.
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State Puppet Theatre
The State Puppet Theatre is one of the few places you can bring your children.
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Sts Peter & Paul Church
Across the vulitsa Lenina overpass is the attractively restored 17th-century Sts Peter & Paul Church, the city's oldest church (built in 1613, looted by Cossacks in 1707 and restored in 1871). Now it is awkwardly dwarfed by the surrounding morose concrete structures.
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Town Hall
A new town hall was constructed in 2003 on the square using old photographs and drawings to replicate the long-destroyed original. A general reconstruction plan for the Upper Town has been drawn up which will see many buildings in the area repaired, restored or rebuilt.
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Trade Unions' Culture Palace
The classical, multi-columned Trade Unions' Culture Palace can be found on Oktyabrskaya ploshchad.
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Traetskae Prodmestse
A minuscule area on the eastern bank of the Svislach River, bordered by vul Maxima Bahdanovicha, has been rebuilt in 17th- and 18th-century style to recreate the look and feel of what much of Minsk once looked like. This Old Town is known as Traetskae Prodmestse (Trinity Suburb). It's the city's most photographed area, and there are a few cafés, bars, restaurants and craft-gift shops to tempt you for a lazy hour.
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