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Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
, located on the
Svislach Svislach or Śvislač ( be, Свiслач, ; russian: Сви́слочь, Svisloch; pl, Świsłocz; yi, סיסלעוויטש or ''Sislevitch''; lt, Svisločius) is a town in the South-West of Grodno Region, Belarus, an administrative center o ...
and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administrative centre of
Minsk Region Minsk Region or Minsk Oblast or Minsk Voblasts ( be, Мі́нская во́бласць, ''Minskaja voblasć'' ; russian: Минская о́бласть, ''Minskaya oblast'') is one of the regions of Belarus. Its administrative center is Minsk ...
( voblast) and Minsk District (
raion A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is c ...
). As of January 2021, its population was 2 million, making Minsk the 11th most populous city in Europe. Minsk is one of the administrative capitals of the
Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010 ...
(CIS) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). First documented in 1067, Minsk became the capital of the Principality of Minsk before being annexed by the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
in 1242. It received
town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
in 1499. From 1569, it was the capital of the
Minsk Voivodeship , la, Palatinatus Minscensis) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1566Stanisław Kutrzeba: Historia ustroju Polski w zarysie, Tom drugi: Litwa. Lwów i Warszawa: 1921, s. 88. and later in Pol ...
, an administrative division of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. It was part of a region annexed by the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
in 1793, as a consequence of the
Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian W ...
. From 1919 to 1991, after the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...
, Minsk was the capital of the
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...
, in the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
.


Etymology and historical names

The
Old East Slavic Old East Slavic (traditionally also Old Russian; be, старажытнаруская мова; russian: древнерусский язык; uk, давньоруська мова) was a language used during the 9th–15th centuries by East ...
name of the town was Мѣньскъ (i.e. ''Měnsk'' < Early Proto-Slavic or Late Indo-European ''Mēnĭskŭ''), derived from a river name ''Měn'' (< ''Mēnŭ''). The resulting form of the name, ''Minsk'' (spelled either Минскъ or Мѣнскъ), was taken over both in Russian (modern spelling: Минск) and Polish (''Mińsk''), and under the influence of Russian this form also became official in Belarusian. The direct continuation of the name in Belarusian is Miensk (, ), which some Belarusian-speakers continue to use as their preferred name for the city. When Belarus was under Polish rule, the names Mińsk Litewski ("Minsk of
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
") and Mińsk Białoruski ("Minsk of Belarus") were used to differentiate this place name from
Mińsk Mazowiecki Mińsk Mazowiecki () "''Masovian Minsk''") is a town in eastern Poland with 40,999 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999) and is a part of the Warsaw Agglomeration. It is the capital of Mińsk County. Loca ...
'Minsk in
Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...
'. In modern Polish, ''Mińsk'' without an attribute usually refers to the city in Belarus, which is about 50 times bigger than Mińsk Mazowiecki; (cf.
Brest-Litovsk Brest ( be, Брэст / Берасьце, Bieraście, ; russian: Брест, ; uk, Берестя, Berestia; lt, Brasta; pl, Brześć; yi, בריסק, Brisk), formerly Brest-Litovsk (russian: Брест-Литовск, lit=Lithuanian Br ...
and
Brześć Kujawski Brześć Kujawski (Polish pronunciation: ; or ''Kujawisch Brest''; often anglicized to Kuyavian Brest) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. Once a royal seat of Kuyavia, the town has been the seat of one of two small du ...
for a similar case).


History


Early history

The area of today's Minsk was settled by
Lithuanians Lithuanians ( lt, lietuviai) are a Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another million or two make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Unite ...
in the 9th and 10th centuries AD. The
Svislach River The Svislach or Svislač ( be, Свіслач, ), or Svisloch (russian: Свислочь), is a river in Belarus, a right tributary of the river Berezina. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Krivichs The Krivichs (Kryvichs) ( be, крывічы, kryvičý, ; rus, кри́вичи, p='krʲivʲɪtɕɪ, kríviči) were a tribal union of Early East Slavs between the 6th and the 12th centuries. It is suggested that originally the Krivichi were na ...
and Dregovichs. By 980, the area was incorporated into the
early medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
Principality of Polotsk The Principality of Polotsk ( be, По́лацкае кня́ства, ''Polackaje kniastva''; la, Polocensis Ducatus), also known as the Duchy of Polotsk or Polotskian Rus', was a medieval principality of the Early East Slavs. The origin and ...
, one of the earliest East Slavic principalities of
Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas o ...
. Minsk was first mentioned in the name form ''Měneskъ'' (Мѣнескъ) in the
Primary Chronicle The ''Tale of Bygone Years'' ( orv, Повѣсть времѧньныхъ лѣтъ, translit=Pověstĭ vremęnĭnyxŭ lětŭ; ; ; ; ), often known in English as the ''Rus' Primary Chronicle'', the ''Russian Primary Chronicle'', or simply the ...
for the year 1067 in association with the
Battle on the River Nemiga The Battle on the Nemiga River ( be, Бітва на Нямізе, russian: Сраже́ние на Неми́ге) was a battle of the Kievan Rus' feudal period that occurred on March 3, 1067 on the Niamiha River. The description of the battle i ...
. 1067 is now widely accepted as the founding year of Minsk. City authorities consider the date of 3 March 1067 to be the exact founding date of the city, though the town (by then fortified by wooden walls) had certainly existed for some time by then. The origin of the name is unknown but there are several theories. In the early 12th century, the
Principality of Polotsk The Principality of Polotsk ( be, По́лацкае кня́ства, ''Polackaje kniastva''; la, Polocensis Ducatus), also known as the Duchy of Polotsk or Polotskian Rus', was a medieval principality of the Early East Slavs. The origin and ...
disintegrated into smaller fiefs. The Principality of Minsk was established by one of the
Polotsk Polotsk (russian: По́лоцк; be, По́лацк, translit=Polatsk (BGN/PCGN), Polack (official transliteration); lt, Polockas; pl, Połock) is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina River. It is the center of the Polotsk Dist ...
dynasty princes. In 1129, the Principality of Minsk was annexed by
Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
, the dominant principality of
Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas o ...
; however in 1146 the Polotsk dynasty regained control of the principality. By 1150, Minsk rivalled Polotsk as the major city in the former Principality of Polotsk. The princes of Minsk and Polotsk were engaged in years of struggle trying to unite all lands previously under the rule of Polotsk.


Late Middle Ages

Minsk escaped the
Mongol invasion of Rus The Mongol Empire invaded and conquered Kievan Rus' in the 13th century, destroying numerous southern cities, including the largest cities, Kiev (50,000 inhabitants) and Chernihiv (30,000 inhabitants), with the only major cities escaping de ...
in 1237–1239. In 1242, Minsk became a part of the expanding
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
. It joined peacefully and local elites enjoyed high rank in the society of the Grand Duchy. In 1413, the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
and
Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...
entered into a union. Minsk became the centre of Minsk Voivodship (province). In 1441, as
Grand Duke of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power— Ho ...
, Casimir IV included Minsk in a list of cities enjoying certain privileges, and in 1499, during the reign of his son, Alexander I Jagiellon, Minsk received
town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...
under Magdeburg law. In 1569, after the
Union of Lublin The Union of Lublin ( pl, Unia lubelska; lt, Liublino unija) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the per ...
, the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...
and the
Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...
merged into a single state, the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. By the middle of the 16th century, Minsk was an important economic and cultural centre in the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
. It was also an important centre for the
Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
. Following the Union of Brest, both the
Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...
and the Roman Catholic Church increased in influence. In 1655, Minsk was conquered by troops of
Tsar Alexei Aleksey Mikhaylovich ( rus, Алексе́й Миха́йлович, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ; – ) was the Tsar of Russia from 1645 until his death in 1676. While finding success in foreign affairs, his reign saw several wars ...
of Russia. Russians governed the city until 1660 when it was regained by
John II Casimir John II Casimir ( pl, Jan II Kazimierz Waza; lt, Jonas Kazimieras Vaza; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 until his abdication in 1668 as well as titular King of Sweden from 1648 ...
, Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. By the end of the
Polish-Russian War Armed conflicts between Poland (including the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) and Russia (including the Soviet Union) include: Originally a Polish civil war that Russia, among others, became involved in. Originally a Hungarian revolution b ...
, Minsk had only about 2,000 residents and just 300 houses. The second wave of devastation occurred during the
Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swe ...
, when Minsk was occupied in 1708 and 1709 by the army of
Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of ...
and then by the army of
Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
. The last decades of the Polish rule involved decline or very slow development, since Minsk had become a small provincial town of little economic or military significance.


Russian rule

Minsk was annexed by Russia in 1793 as a consequence of the
Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian W ...
. In 1796, it became the centre of the
Minsk Governorate The Minsk Governorate (russian: Минская губерния, Belarusian: ) or Government of Minsk was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. The seat was in Minsk. It was created in 1793 from the land acquired in the partiti ...
. All of the initial
street names A street name is an identifying name given to a street or road. In toponymic terminology, names of streets and roads are referred to as hodonyms (from Greek ‘road’, and ‘name’). The street name usually forms part of the address (th ...
were replaced by Russian names, though the spelling of the city's name remained unchanged. It was briefly occupied by the
Grande Armée ''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Em ...
during
French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...
in 1812. Throughout the 19th century, the city continued to grow and significantly improve. In the 1830s, major streets and squares of Minsk were cobbled and paved. A first public library was opened in 1836, and a fire brigade was put into operation in 1837. In 1838, the first local newspaper, ''Minskiye gubernskiye vedomosti'' ("Minsk province news") went into circulation. The first theatre was established in 1844. By 1860, Minsk was an important trading city with a population of 27,000. There was a construction boom that led to the building of 2 and 3-story brick and stone houses in ''Upper Town''. Minsk's development was boosted by improvements in transportation. In 1846, the Moscow-
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
road was laid through Minsk. In 1871, a railway link between Moscow and Warsaw ran via Minsk, and in 1873, a new railway from Romny in Ukraine to the Baltic Sea port of Libava (
Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an important ice-f ...
) was also constructed. Thus Minsk became an important rail junction and a manufacturing hub. A
municipal water supply A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following: # A drainage basin (see Water purification#Sources of ...
was introduced in 1872, the telephone in 1890, the horse tram in 1892, and the first power generator in 1894. By 1900, Minsk had 58 factories employing 3,000 workers. The city also boasted theatres, cinemas, newspapers, schools and colleges, as well as numerous monasteries, churches, synagogues, and a mosque. According to the 1897
Russian census A Russian census is a census of the population of Russia. Such a census has occurred at various irregular points in the history of Russia. Introduced in 1897 during the Russian Empire, the census took place decennially since 2010 according to the ...
, the city had 91,494 inhabitants, with some 47,561 Jews constituting more than half of the city population.


20th century

In the early years of the 20th century, Minsk was a major centre for the worker's movement in Belarus. The
1st Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party The 1st Congress of the RSDLP (Russian: Российская социал-демократическая рабочая партия, РСДРП) was held between 13 March – 15 March (1 March–3 March O.S.) 1898 in Minsk, Russian Empire (n ...
, the forerunner to the
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
s and eventually the
CPSU "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...
, was held there in 1898. It was also one of the major centres of the
Belarusian national revival The Belarusian national revival ( be, Беларускае нацыянальнае адраджэнне) is a social, cultural and political movement that advocates the revival of Belarusian culture, language, customs, and the creation of the Be ...
, alongside
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
. However, the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
significantly affected the development of Minsk. By 1915, Minsk was a battlefront city. Some factories were closed down, and residents began evacuating to the east. Minsk became the headquarters of the Western Front of the Russian army and also housed military hospitals and
military supply A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
bases. The
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...
had an immediate effect in Minsk. A Workers' Soviet was established in Minsk in October 1917, drawing much of its support from disaffected soldiers and workers. After the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russia and the Central Powers ( Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire), that ended Russi ...
, German forces occupied Minsk on 21 February 1918. On 25 March 1918, Minsk was proclaimed the capital of the
Belarusian People's Republic The Belarusian People's Republic (BNR; be, Беларуская Народная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Narodnaja Respublika, ), or Belarusian Democratic Republic, was a state proclaimed by the Council of the Belarusian Democratic R ...
. The republic was short-lived; in December 1918, Minsk was taken over by the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
. In January 1919 Minsk was proclaimed the capital of the
Belorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...
, though later in 1919 (see
Operation Minsk Operation Mińsk was a military offensive of the Polish Army during the Polish–Soviet War. It resulted in the capture of Minsk from the Red Army around 8 August 1919. The victory allowed the Polish troops to advance further into Russian-contro ...
) and again in 1920, the city was controlled by the
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...
during the course of the Polish-Bolshevik War between 8 August 1919 and 11 July 1920 and again between 14 October 1920 and 19 March 1921. Under the terms of the
Peace of Riga The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga ( pl, Traktat Ryski), was signed in Riga on 18 March 1921, among Poland, Soviet Russia (acting also on behalf of Soviet Belarus) and Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended the Polish–Soviet Wa ...
, Minsk was handed back to the
Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
and became the capital of the
Belorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...
, one of the founding republics of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. A programme of reconstruction and development was begun in 1922. By 1924, there were 29 factories in operation; schools, museums, theatres and libraries were also established. Throughout the 1920s and the 1930s, Minsk saw rapid development with dozens of new factories being built and new schools, colleges, higher education establishments, hospitals, theatres and cinemas being opened. During this period, Minsk was also a centre for the development of Belarusian language and culture. Before the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Minsk had a population of 300,000 people, but this had fallen to around 50,000 by 1944. The Germans captured Minsk in the
Battle of Białystok–Minsk The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock during the penetration of the Soviet border region in the opening stage of Operation Barbarossa, ...
, as part of
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...
; after it had been devastated by the
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...
. However, some factories, museums, and tens of thousands of civilians had been evacuated to the east. The Germans designated Minsk the administrative centre of '' Generalbezirk Weißruthenien''. Communists and sympathisers were killed or imprisoned, both locally and after being transported to Germany. Homes were requisitioned to house invading German forces. Thousands starved as food was seized by the German Army and paid work was scarce. Minsk was the site of one of the largest Nazi-run
ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished ...
s in the Second World War, temporarily housing over 100,000 Jews (see
Minsk Ghetto The Minsk Ghetto was created soon after the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was one of the largest in Belorussian SSR, and the largest in the German-occupied territory of the Soviet Union.Donald L. Niewyk, Francis R. Nicosia, ''The Co ...
). Some anti-Soviet residents of Minsk, who hoped that Belarus could regain independence, did support the Germans, especially at the beginning of the occupation, but by 1942, Minsk had become a major centre of the Soviet partisan
resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...
against the invasion, in what is known as the ''
German-Soviet War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...
''. For this role, Minsk was awarded the title ''
Hero City Hero City may refer to: * Hero City (Soviet Union), awarded 1965–1985 to cities now in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine * Hero City of Ukraine, awarded 2022 * Hero Cities of Yugoslavia, awarded 1970–1975 * Leningrad Hero City Obelisk, a monument ...
'' in 1974. Minsk was recaptured by Soviet troops on 3 July 1944 in Minsk Offensive as part of
Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...
. The city was the centre of German resistance to the Soviet advance and saw heavy fighting during the first half of 1944. Factories, municipal buildings,
power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many ...
s, bridges, most roads, and 80% of the houses were reduced to rubble. In 1944, Minsk's population was reduced to a mere 50,000. The historical centre was replaced in the 1940s and 1950s by Stalinist architecture, which favoured grand buildings, broad avenues and wide squares. Subsequently, the city grew rapidly as a result of massive industrialisation. Since the 1960s Minsk's population has also grown apace, reaching 1 million in 1972 and 1.5 million in 1986. Construction of
Minsk Metro The Minsk Metro ( be, Мінскі метрапалітэн, russian: Минский метрополитен) is a rapid transit system that serves Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Opened in 1984, it presently consists of 3 lines and 33 stations ...
began on 16 June 1977, and the system was opened to the public on 30 June 1984, becoming the ninth metro system in the Soviet Union. The rapid population growth was primarily driven by mass migration of young, unskilled workers from rural areas of Belarus, as well as by migration of
skilled worker A skilled worker is any worker who has special skill, training, knowledge which they can then apply to their work. A skilled worker may have attended a college, university or technical school. Alternatively, a skilled worker may have learned thei ...
s from other parts of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. To house the expanding population, Minsk spread beyond its historical boundaries. Its surrounding villages were absorbed and rebuilt as ''mikroraions'', districts of high-density apartment housing.


Recent developments

Throughout the 1990s, after the fall of Communism, the city continued to change. As the capital of a newly independent country, Minsk quickly acquired the attributes of a major city. Embassies were opened, and a number of Soviet administrative buildings became government centres. During the early and mid-1990s, Minsk was hit by an
economic crisis An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...
and many development projects were halted, resulting in high unemployment and underemployment. Since the late 1990s, there have been improvements in transport and infrastructure, and a housing boom has been underway since 2002. On the outskirts of Minsk, new '' mikroraions'' of
residential development A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family resi ...
have been built. Metro lines have been extended, and the road system (including the Minsk BeltWay) has been improved. In recent years Minsk has been continuously decentralizing, with a third line of the
Minsk Metro The Minsk Metro ( be, Мінскі метрапалітэн, russian: Минский метрополитен) is a rapid transit system that serves Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Opened in 1984, it presently consists of 3 lines and 33 stations ...
opening in 2020. More development is planned for several areas outside the city centre, while the future of the older neighborhoods is still unclear.


Geography

Minsk is located on the southeastern slope of the Minsk Hills, a region of rolling hills running from the southwest (upper reaches of the river Nioman) to the northeast– that is, to Lukomskaye Lake in northwestern
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
. The average altitude above sea level is . The physical geography of Minsk was shaped over the two most recent ice ages. The
Svislach River The Svislach or Svislač ( be, Свіслач, ), or Svisloch (russian: Свислочь), is a river in Belarus, a right tributary of the river Berezina. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .urstromtal An ''urstromtal'' (plural: ''Urstromtäler'') is a type of broad glacial valley, for example, in northern Central Europe, that appeared during the ice ages, or individual glacial periods of an ice age, at the edge of the Scandinavian ice sheet and ...
'', an ancient river valley formed by water flowing from melting
ice sheet In glaciology, an ice sheet, also known as a continental glacier, is a mass of glacial ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than . The only current ice sheets are in Antarctica and Greenland; during the Last Glacial Period at La ...
s at the end of the last Ice Age. There are six smaller rivers within the city limits, all part of the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
basin. Minsk is in the area of
mixed forests Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions. These fo ...
typical of most of Belarus. Pinewood and mixed forests border the edge of the city, especially in the north and east. Some of the forests were preserved as parks (for instance, the
Chelyuskinites Park Chelyuskinetes Park or Park Čaliuskincaŭ ( be, Парк Чалюскiнцаў, russian: Парк Челюскинцев) is an urban forest park in Minsk, Belarus. The park's area is 78 hectares. The park contains an amusement park. Other attr ...
) as the city grew. The city was initially built on the hills, which allowed for defensive fortifications, and the western parts of the city are the most hilly. In 5 km from the northwestern edge of city lies large Zaslawskaye reservoir, often called the Minsk sea. It is the second largest reservoir in Belarus, constructed in 1956.


Climate

Minsk has a warm summer
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...
( Köppen ''Dfb'') though unpredictable many a times, owing to its location between the strong influence of the moist air of the Atlantic Ocean and the dry air of the
Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...
n landmass. Its weather is unstable and tends to change relatively often. The average January temperature is , while the average July temperature is . The lowest temperature was recorded on 17 January 1940, at and the warmest on 8 August 2015 at . Fog is frequent, especially in the autumn and spring. Minsk receives annual
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
of , of which one third falls during the cold period (as snow and rain) and two-thirds in the warm period. Throughout the year, most winds are westerly and northwesterly, bringing cool and moist air from the Atlantic.


Ecological situation

The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Centre of Radioactive and Environmental Control. During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400
tons Tons can refer to: * Tons River, a major river in India * Tamsa River, locally called Tons in its lower parts (Allahabad district, Uttar pradesh, India). * the plural of ton, a unit of mass, force, volume, energy or power :* short ton, 2,000 poun ...
. The change from gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened the ecological situation. However, the majority of overall air pollution is produced by cars. Belarusian traffic police ''DAI'' every year hold operation "Clean Air" to prevent the use of cars with extremely polluting engines. Sometimes the maximum normative concentration of
formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) ( systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section ...
and
ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous ...
in air is exceeded in Zavodski District. Other major contaminants are
Chromium Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hard ...
-VI and
nitrogen dioxide Nitrogen dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is one of several nitrogen oxides. is an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of which are produced each year for use primarily in the productio ...
. Zavodski, Partyzanski and Leninski districts, which are located in the southeastern part of Minsk, are the most polluted areas in the city.


Demographics


Population growth


Ethnic groups

During its first centuries, Minsk was a city with a predominantly Early East Slavic population (the forefathers of modern-day
Belarusians , native_name_lang = be , pop = 9.5–10 million , image = , caption = , popplace = 7.99 million , region1 = , pop1 = 600,000–768,000 , region2 = , pop2 ...
). After the 1569
Polish–Lithuanian union Polish–Lithuanian can refer to: * Polish–Lithuanian union (1385–1569) * Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795) * Polish-Lithuanian identity as used to describe groups, families, or individuals with histories in the Polish–Lithuanian ...
, the city became a destination for migrating Poles (who worked as administrators, clergy, teachers and soldiers) and Jews (
Ashkenazim Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
, who worked in the retail trade and as craftsmen, as other opportunities were prohibited by discrimination laws). During the last centuries of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
, many Minsk residents became polonised, adopting the language of the dominant Poles and assimilating to its culture. After the second partition of Poland-Lithuania in 1793, Minsk and its larger region became part of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
. The
Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...
dominated the city's culture as had the Poles in the earlier centuries. At the time of the
1897 census The first general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897 ( pre-reform Russian: ) was the first and only nation-wide census performed in the Russian Empire (the Grand Duchy of Finland was excluded). It recorded demographic data as ...
under the Russian Empire, Jews were the largest ethnic group in Minsk, at 52% of the population, with 47,500 of the 91,000 residents. Other substantial ethnic groups were Russians (25.5%), Poles (11.4%) and Belarusians (9%). The latter figure may be not accurate, as some local Belarusians were likely counted as Russians. A small traditional community of
Lipka Tatars The Lipka Tatars (Lipka – refers to ''Lithuania'', also known as Lithuanian Tatars; later also – Polish Tatars, Polish-Lithuanian Tatars, ''Lipkowie'', ''Lipcani'', ''Muślimi'', ''Lietuvos totoriai'') are a Turkic ethnic group who origina ...
had been living in Minsk for centuries. Between the 1880s and 1930s, many Jews, as well as peasants from other backgrounds, emigrated from the city to the United States as part of a
Belarusian diaspora The Belarusian diaspora refers to emigrants from the territory of Belarus as well as to their descendants. According to different researchers, there are between 2.5 and 3.5 million Belarusian descendants living outside the territory of the Rep ...
. The high mortality of the First World War and the Second World War affected the demographics of the city, particularly the destruction of Jews under the
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
occupation of the Second World War. Working through local populations, Germans instituted deportation of Jewish citizens to concentration camps, murdering most of them there. The Jewish community of Minsk suffered catastrophic losses in
the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europ ...
. From more than half the population of the city, the percentage of Jews dropped to less than 10% more than ten years after the war. After its limited population peaked in the 1970s, continuing anti-Semitism under the Soviet Union and increasing nationalism in Belarus caused most Jews to emigrate to Israel and western countries in the 1980s; by 1999, less than 1% of the population of Minsk was Jewish. In the first three decades of the post-war years, the most numerous new residents in Minsk were rural migrants from other parts of Belarus; the proportion of ethnic
Belarusians , native_name_lang = be , pop = 9.5–10 million , image = , caption = , popplace = 7.99 million , region1 = , pop1 = 600,000–768,000 , region2 = , pop2 ...
increased markedly. Numerous skilled
Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...
and other migrants from other parts of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
migrated for jobs in the growing manufacturing sector.Zimmerman (2004), ''Poles, Jews, and Politics'' In 1959 Belarusians made up 63.3% of the city's residents. Other ethnic groups included Russians (22.8%), Jews (7.8%), Ukrainians (3.6%), Poles (1.1%) and
Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary
is an umbrella term for different Turki ...
(0.4%). Continued migration from rural Belarus in the 1960s and 1970s changed the ethnic composition further. By 1979 Belarusians made up 68.4% of the city's residents. Other ethnic groups included Russians (22.2%), Jews (3.4%), Ukrainians (3.4%), Poles (1.2%) and Tatars (0.2%). According to the 1989 census, 82% percent of Minsk residents have been born in Belarus. Of those, 43% have been born in Minsk and 39% – in other parts of Belarus. 6.2% of Minsk residents came from regions of western Belarus (Grodno and Brest Regions) and 13% – from eastern Belarus (Mogilev, Vitebsk and Gomel Regions). 21.4% of residents came from central Belarus (Minsk Region). According to the 1999 census, Belarusians make up 79.3% of the city's residents. Other ethnic groups include Russians (15.7%), Ukrainians (2.4%), Poles (1.1%) and Jews (0.6%). The Russian and Ukrainian populations of Minsk peaked in the late 1980s (at 325,000 and 55,000 respectively). After the break-up of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
many of them chose to move to their respective mother countries, although some families had been in Minsk for generations. Another factor in the shifting demographics of the city was the changing self-identification of Minsk residents of mixed ancestry – in independent Belarus they identify as Belarusians. The
Jewish population As of 2020, the world's "core" Jewish population (those identifying as Jews above all else) was estimated at 15 million, 0.2% of the 8 billion worldwide population. This number rises to 18 million with the addition of the "connected" Jewish pop ...
of Minsk peaked in the early 1970s at 50,000 according to official figures; independent estimates put the figure at between 100,000 and 120,000. Beginning in the 1980s, there has been mass-scale emigration to Israel, the US, and Germany. Today only about 10,000 Jews live in Minsk. The traditional minorities of Poles and Tatars have remained at much the same size (17,000 and 3,000 respectively). Rural Poles have migrated from the western part of Belarus to Minsk, and many Tatars have moved to Minsk from
Tatarstan The Republic of Tatarstan (russian: Республика Татарстан, Respublika Tatarstan, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə tətɐrˈstan; tt-Cyrl, Татарстан Республикасы), or simply Tatarstan (russian: Татарстан, tt ...
. Some more recent
ethnic minority The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...
communities have developed as a result of immigration. The most prominent are immigrants from the
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...
countries –
Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
,
Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most nume ...
and
Georgians The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and indigenous Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia and the South Caucasus. Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, ...
each numbering about 2,000 to 5,000. They began migrating to Minsk in the 1970s, and more immigrants have joined them since. Many work in the retail trade in open-air markets. A small but prominent Arab community has developed in Minsk, primarily represented by recent economic immigrants from
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
,
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
,
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
, etc. (In many cases, they are graduates of Minsk universities who decide to settle in Belarus and bring over their families). A small community of
Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
, numbering about 2,000, are settled in suburbs of north-western and southern Minsk.


Languages

Throughout its history Minsk has been a city of many languages. Initially most of its residents spoke Ruthenian (which later developed into modern Belarusian). However, after 1569 the
official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
was Polish. In the 19th-century Russian became the official language and by the end of that century it had become the language of administration, schools and newspapers. The Belarusian national revival increased interest in the Belarusian language – its use has grown since the 1890s, especially among the
intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...
. In the 1920s and early 1930s Belarusian was the major language of Minsk, including use for administration and education (both secondary and tertiary). However, since the late 1930s Russian again began gaining dominance. A short period of Belarusian national revival in the early 1990s saw a rise in the numbers of Belarusian speakers. However, in 1994 the newly elected president
Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luk ...
slowly reversed this trend. Most residents of Minsk now use Russian exclusively in their everyday lives at home and at work, although Belarusian is understood as well. Substantial numbers of recent migrants from the rural areas use Trasyanka (a Russo-Belarusian mixed language) in their everyday lives.


Religion

There are no reliable statistics on the religious affiliations of those living in Minsk, or among the population of Belarus generally. The majority of Christians belong to the
Belarusian Orthodox Church The Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC; be, Беларуская праваслаўная царква, russian: Белорусская православная церковь) is the official name of the Belarusian Exarchate ( be, Беларуск� ...
, which is the exarchate of the
Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...
in Belarus. There is a significant minority of
Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. As of 2006, there are approximately 30 religious communities of various denominations in Minsk. The only functioning
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...
in the city is St Elisabeth Convent; its large complex of churches is open to visitors.


Crime

Minsk has the highest crime rate in Belarus – 193.5 crimes per 10,000 citizens. 20–25% of all serious crimes in Belarus, 55% of bribes and 67% of mobile phone thefts are committed in Minsk. However, attorney general Grigory Vasilevich stated that the homicide rate in Minsk in 2008 was "relatively fine". The crime rate grew significantly in 2009 and 2010: for example, the number of corruption crimes grew by 36% in 2009 alone. Crime detection level varies from 13% in burglary to 92% in homicide with an average 40.1%. Many citizens are concerned for their safety at night and the strongest concern was expressed by residents of Chizhovka and Shabany
microdistrict Microdistrict, or micro raion (russian: микрорайо́н, ''mikrorajón''), is a residential complex—a primary structural element of the residential area construction in the Soviet Union and in some post-Soviet and former Socialist ...
s (both in Zavodski District).Рейтинг всех служб и подразделений ГУВД Мингорисполкома вырос
''National Law Portal of Belarus'' (10 February 2006).
The SIZO-1 detention center, IK-1 general prison, and the KGB special jail called "''Amerikanka''" are all located in Minsk.
Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luk ...
's rivals in the 2010 presidential election were imprisoned in the KGB jail along with other prominent politicians and civil activists.
Ales Michalevic Ales (Alaksiej) Anatoljevich Michalevic ( be, Але́сь Мiхале́вiч, Aleś Michalevič, Ales Mikhalevich, born 15 May 1975 in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR) is a Belarusian public figure and politician, candidate in the 2010 Belarusian presid ...
, who was kept in this jail, accused the KGB of using torture. On 15 November 2020, more than 1,000 protesters were arrested during an anti-government protest. Protesters took to the streets in the capital, Minsk, following the death of an opposition activist, Roman Bondarenko. The activist died after allegedly being beaten up by the security forces. The protesters put flowers at the site where he was detained before succumbing to his injuries.


Economy

Minsk is the
economic capital In finance, mainly for financial services firms, economic capital (ecap) is the amount of risk capital, assessed on a realistic basis, which a firm requires to cover the risks that it is running or collecting as a going concern, such as market ...
of Belarus. It has developed industrial and services sectors which serve the needs not only of the city, but of the entire nation. Minsk's contributions form nearly 46% of Belarusian budget. According to 2010 results, Minsk paid 15 trillion BYR to state budget while the whole income from all other regions was 20 trillion BYR. In the period January 2013 to October 2013, 70.6% of taxes in the budget of Minsk were paid by non-state enterprises, 26.3% by state enterprises, and 1.8% by individual entrepreneurs. Among the top 10 taxpayers were five oil and gas companies (including two
Gazprom PJSC Gazprom ( rus, Газпром, , ɡɐzˈprom) is a Russian majority state-owned multinational energy corporation headquartered in the Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg. As of 2019, with sales over $120 billion, it was ranked as the large ...
's and one
Lukoil The PJSC Lukoil Oil Company ( stylized as LUKOIL or ЛУКОЙЛ in Cyrillic script) is a Russian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Moscow, specializing in the business of extraction, production, transport, and sale of petrol ...
's subsidiaries), two mobile network operators ( MTS and A1), two companies producing alcoholic beverages (Minsk-Kristall and Minsk grape wines factory) and one producer of tobacco goods. In 2012,
Gross Regional Product Gross regional product (GRP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all final goods and services produced in a region or subdivision of a country in a period (quarterly or yearly) of time. A metropolitan area's GRP (gross metropolitan prod ...
of Minsk was formed mainly by industry (26.4%), wholesale (19.9%), transportation and communications (12.3%), retail (8.6%) and construction (5.8%). GRP of Minsk measured in Belarusian rubles was 55 billion(€22 billion) or around 1/3 of Gross domestic product of Belarus. Minsk city has highest salaries in Belarus. As of July 2022 average gross salary in Minsk was 2,265 BYN per month or around €900 per month.


Industry

Minsk is the major industrial centre of Belarus. According to 2012 statistics, Minsk-based companies produced 21.5% of electricity, 76% of trucks, 15.9% of footwear, 89.3% of television sets, 99.3% of washing machines, 30% of chocolate, 27.7% of distilled alcoholic beverages and 19.7% of tobacco goods in Belarus. Today the city has over 250 factories and plants. Its industrial development started in the 1860s and was facilitated by the railways built in the 1870s. However, much of the industrial infrastructure was destroyed during World War I, especially during World War II. After the last war, the development of the city was linked to the development of industry, especially of R&D-intensive sectors (heavy emphasis of R&D intensive industries in
urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...
in the USSR is known in Western geography as 'Minsk phenomenon'). Minsk was turned into a major production site for trucks, tractors, gears, optical equipment, refrigerators, television sets and radios, bicycles, motorcycles, watches, and metal-processing equipment. Outside machine-building and electronics, Minsk also had textiles, construction materials, food processing, and printing industries. During the Soviet period, the development of the industries was linked to suppliers and markets within the USSR. The break-up of the union in 1991 led to a serious economic meltdown in 1991–1994. However, since the adoption of the neo-Keynesean policies under
Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luk ...
's government in 1995, much of the gross industrial production was regained. Unlike many other cities in the CIS and Eastern Europe, Minsk was not heavily de-industrialised in the 1990s. About 40% of the workforce is still employed in the manufacturing sector. Major industrial employers include: *
Minsk Tractor Plant Minsk Tractor Works ( be, Мінскі трактарны завод, Minski traktarny zavod; russian: Минский тракторный завод; MTZ) is a Belarusian agricultural machinery manufacturer with headquarters in Minsk, Belarus. M ...
 – specialised in manufacturing tractors. Established in 1946 in eastern Minsk, is among major manufacturers of wheeled tractors in the CIS. Employs about 30,000 staff. *
Minsk Automobile Plant Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) ( be, Адкрытaе Акцыянэрнaе Таварыства «Мінскі аўтамабільны завод», ''Open JSC Minski Autamabilny Zavod'', russian: Минский автомобильный зав� ...
 – specialising in producing trucks, buses, and mini-vans. Established in 1944 in south-eastern Minsk, is among major vehicle manufacturers in the CIS. *
Minsk Refrigerator Plant ) – closed joint-stock company , industry = Household appliances , founded = in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR , founder = Council of Ministers of the Byelorussian SSR , hq_location_city = Minsk , hq_location_country = Belarus , key_people = Vi ...
(also known as Atlant) – specialised in manufacturing household goods, such as refrigerators, freezers, and recently also of
washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...
s. Established in 1959 in the north-west of the city. *Horizont – specialised in producing TV-sets, audio and video electronics. Established in 1950 in north-central Minsk.


Unemployment

In 2011 official statistics quote unemployment in Minsk at 0.3%.Сколько реально безработных в Минске?
During the 2009 census 5.6% of Minsk residents of employable age called themselves unemployed. The government discourages official unemployment registration with tiny unemployment benefits and obligatory public works. Until 2018 there was an 'unemployment tax' taken from those who were suspected of loitering.


Government and administrative divisions

Minsk is subdivided into nine ''
raion A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is c ...
s'' (districts): # , russian: link=no, Центральный), or "Central District" # , russian: link=no, Советский, Sovetsky), or "
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
District" # , russian: link=no, Первомайский, Pervomaysky), named after
1 May Events Pre-1600 * 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor. * 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches. *1169 &ndash ...
# , russian: link=no, Партизанский, Partizansky), named after the
Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ...
# , russian: link=no, Заводской, Zavodskoy), or "Factory district" (initially it included major plants, Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ) and
Minsk Automobile Plant Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) ( be, Адкрытaе Акцыянэрнaе Таварыства «Мінскі аўтамабільны завод», ''Open JSC Minski Autamabilny Zavod'', russian: Минский автомобильный зав� ...
(MAZ), later the Partyzanski District with MTZ was split off it) # , russian: link=no, Ленинский, Leninsky), named after
Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
# , russian: link=no, Октябрьский, Oktyabrsky), named after the
October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...
# , russian: link=no, Московский, Moskovsky), named after Moscow # , russian: link=no, Фрунзенский, Frunzensky), named after Mikhail Frunze In addition, a number of residential neighbourhoods are recognised in Minsk, called
microdistrict Microdistrict, or micro raion (russian: микрорайо́н, ''mikrorajón''), is a residential complex—a primary structural element of the residential area construction in the Soviet Union and in some post-Soviet and former Socialist ...
s, with no separate administration.


Culture

Minsk is the major cultural center of Belarus. Its first theatres and libraries were established in the middle of the 19th century. Now it has 11 theatres and 16 museums. There are 20 cinemas and 139 libraries.


Churches

*The Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is actually the former church of the Bernardine convent. It was built in the simplified
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
style in 1642–87 and went through renovations in 1741–46 and 1869. *The Cathedral of Saint Mary was built by the Jesuits as their principal church in 1700–10, restored in 1951 and 1997; it overlooks the recently restored 18th-century city hall, located on the other side of the Liberty Square; *Two other historic churches are the cathedral of
Saint Joseph Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers ...
, formerly affiliated with the Bernardine monastery, built in 1644–52 and repaired in 1983, and the fortified church of Sts. Peter and Paul, originally built in the 1620s and recently restored, complete with its flanking twin towers. *The impressive Neo-Romanesque Roman Catholic Red Church (Cathedral of Sts. Simeon and Helene) was built in 1906–10 immediately after religious freedoms were proclaimed in Imperial Russia and the tsar allowed dissidents to build their churches; *The largest church built in the Russian imperial period of the town's history is dedicated to St.
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...
; *Many Orthodox churches were built after the
dissolution of the USSR The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
in a variety of styles, although most remain true to the Neo-Russian idiom. A good example is St. Elisabeth's Convent, founded in 1999. File:Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.jpg, Church of Sts. Peter and Paul (Russian Orthodox). File:Belarus-Minsk-Church of Mary Magdalene-8.jpg, Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Russian Orthodox). File:Belarus-Minsk-Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross-8.jpg, Church of
Exaltation of the Holy Cross In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Unlike Good Friday, which is dedicated to the passion of Christ and the crucifixion, these ...
(Roman Catholic). File:Belarus-Minsk-Holy Trinity Church-1.jpg, Church of
Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
(Saint Rochus) (Roman Catholic). File:Vsekh svyatykh sobor 1998.jpg, Church of All Saints (Russian Orthodox). File:Евфросиниевская церковь.jpg, Church of St.Yevfrosinya of Polotsk (Russian Orthodox). File:St Elizabeth Monastery 1997 1.jpg, Church of St. Elisabeth Convent (Russian Orthodox) File:Красный костёл - panoramio (1).jpg, The Red Church (Roman Catholic). File:Костёл Святого Иосифа ночью - panoramio.jpg, Church of St.Joseph (formerly Uniate, used as an archive). File:Miensk-Archikatedralny kaścioł Imia Najśviaciejšaj Panny Maryi-7.jpg,
Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary Cathedral of the Holy Name of Mary ( be, Архікатэдральны касцёл Найсвяцейшага Імя Найсвяцейшай Панны Марыі, pl, Archikatedra Najświętszego Imienia Najświętszej Maryi Panny, ''Archika ...
(Roman Catholic). File:Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk.jpg, Minsk Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (
Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...
).


Cemeteries

*
Kalvaryja Kalvaryja (Belarusian: Кальварыя, ) is a Catholic Calvary cemetery in Minsk, Belarus. The cemetery contains a small Catholic chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term h ...
(Calvary Cemetery) is the oldest surviving cemetery in the city. Many famous people of Belarus are buried here. The cemetery was closed to new burials in the 1960s. *
Military Cemetery A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed force A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by ...
*
Eastern Cemetery Eastern Cemetery is a historic cemetery at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Congress Street in the East Bayside neighborhood of Portland, Maine. Established in 1668, it is the city's oldest historic site, and has more than 4,000 marke ...
* Čyžoŭskija Cemetery * Northern Cemetery


Theatres

Major theatres are: * National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus * Belarusian State Musical Theatre (performances in Russian) *
Maxim Gorky National Drama Theatre Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
(performances in Russian) *
Janka Kupala National Theatre Janka Kupala National Academic Theatre ( be, Нацыянальны акадэмічны тэатр імя Янкі Купалы, Minsk) is the oldest existing theatre in Belarus. It is included in the list of the cultural heritage of Belarus. ...
(performances in Belarusian)


Museums

Major museums include: *
Belarusian National Arts Museum The National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Нацыянальны мастацкі музей Рэспублікі Беларусь) is the largest art museum in Belarus and is located in Minsk. The museum comprises more than thirty ...
* Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum *
Belarusian National History and Culture Museum Belarusian National History and Culture Museum is a museum in Minsk, Belarus. The leading Museum of the historic profile of the Republic of Belarus is the biggest collection of the monuments of material and spiritual culture of the Belarusian pe ...
*
Belarusian Nature and Environment Museum The Museum of Nature and Environment of the Republic of Belarus is a museum in Minsk, Belarus, founded in 1991 at Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach an ...
* Maksim Bahdanovič Literary Museum *
Old Belarusian History Museum Old Belarusian History Museum is a museum in Minsk, Belarus. The museum was founded in 1977 as a center for the study and promotion of the Belarusian artistic heritage. The basis of the museum collection includes unique exhibits collected for ...
* Art galleries include: * Ў gallery


Recreation areas

*
Chelyuskinites Park Chelyuskinetes Park or Park Čaliuskincaŭ ( be, Парк Чалюскiнцаў, russian: Парк Челюскинцев) is an urban forest park in Minsk, Belarus. The park's area is 78 hectares. The park contains an amusement park. Other attr ...
* Children's Railroad * Gorky Park (Minsk) *
Yanka Kupala Park Janka Kupała Park is a park in Minsk, Belarus located along Śvisłač river. This park is named after Janka Kupała, one of the classics of Belarusian literature of early 20th century. Before World War II at this place there was the house ...


Tourism

There are more than 400 travel agencies in Minsk, about a quarter of them provide agent activity, and most of them are tour operators.


Sports


Football

*
FC Dinamo Minsk FC Dinamo Minsk ( be, ФК Дынама Мінск, ''FK Dynama Minsk''; russian: link=no, ФК Динамо Минск) is a professional football club based in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk. It was founded in 1927 as part of the Sovi ...
*
FC Minsk FC Minsk ( be, ФК Мінск) is a professional football club based in Minsk, Belarus. They play in the Belarusian Premier League, the highest tier of Belarusian football. Their colours are red and navy blue. History The club was established ...
*
FC Energetik-BGU Minsk FC Energetik-BGU Minsk is a Belarusian association football, football club based in Minsk. History The team was founded in 1996 as Zvezda Minsk. BGU is a Russian abbreviation and stands for the Belarusian State University. Zvezda-VA-BGU made its ...
*
FC Krumkachy Minsk NFC Krumkachy Minsk ( be, HФК Крумкачы Мінск, russian: НФК Крумкачы) is a Belarusian professional football club based in the capital city of Minsk. History The club was founded in 2011 by a group of football fans. T ...


Ice hockey

* HC Dinamo Minsk * HC Yunost Minsk


Handball

* SKA Minsk


Basketball

*
BC Tsmoki-Minsk Basketball Club Minsk ( be, Мінск) is a professional basketball club that is based in the city of Minsk, Belarus. They play in the Belarus Premier League and the VTB United League. The team plays its home games at the Minsk Arena. Establis ...


International sporting events

In 2013, Minsk hosted the European Junior Rowing Championships at the Republican Center of Olympic Training for Rowing And Canoeing to the north-west of the city. Minsk hosted the
2014 IIHF World Championship The 2014 IIHF World Championship was hosted by Belarus in its capital, Minsk, held from 9–25 May 2014. Sixteen national teams were competing in two venues, the Minsk-Arena and Chizhovka-Arena. It was the first time Belarus hosted the tournamen ...
at the Minsk Arena. In January 2016, the
2016 European Speed Skating Championships The 2016 European Speed Skating Championships were held in Minsk, Belarus, from 9 to 10 January 2016. Skaters from 17 countries participated. Sven Kramer and Ireen Wüst of the Netherlands were the defending champions. Kramer successfully defende ...
were held in the Minsk Arena. Minsk Arena is the only indoor speed skating rink in Belarus. Minsk hosted the
2019 European Games , translation: Time for bright victories! , nations participating = 50 , athletes participating = 4,082 , events = 200 in 15 sports , opening ceremony = 21 June , closing ceremony = 30 June , officially opened ...
in June. The
2019 European Figure Skating Championships The 2019 European Figure Skating Championships took place in Minsk, Belarus. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pairs, and ice dancing. Records The following new ISU best scores were set during this ...
were held in the Minsk Arena from the 21 to 27 January.


Transportation


Local transport

Minsk has an extensive public transport system. Passengers are served by 8 tramway lines, over 70 trolleybus lines, 3 subway lines and over 100 bus lines. Trams were the first public transport used in Minsk (since 1892 – the horse-tram, and since 1929 – the electric tram). Public buses have been used in Minsk since 1924, and trolleybuses since 1952. All public transport is operated by Minsktrans, a government-owned and -funded transport
not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
company. As of November 2021, Minsktrans used 1,322 buses (plus 93 electric buses), 744 trolleybuses and 135 tramway cars in Minsk. The Minsk city government in 2003 decreed that local transport provision should be set at a minimum level of 1 vehicle (bus, trolleybus or tram) per 1,500 residents. The number of vehicles in use by Minsktrans is 2.2 times higher than the minimum level. Public transport fares are controlled by the ''city's executive committee'' (city council). Single trip ticket for bus, trolleybus or tramway costs 0.75 BYN (≈ USD 0.3),Тарифы / Минсктранс
0.80 BYN for metro and 0.90 BYN for express buses. Monthly ticket for one kind of transport costs 33 BYN and 61 BYN for all five. Commercial marshrutka's prices varies from 1.5 to 2 BYN.


Rapid transit

Minsk is the only city in Belarus with an underground metro system. Construction of the metro began in 1977, soon after the city reached over a million people, and the first line with 8 stations was opened in 1984. Since then it has expanded into three lines: Maskoŭskaja, Aŭtazavodskaja, and Zielienalužskaja which are long with 15, 14 and 4 stations, respectively. On 7 November 2012, three new stations on the Moskovskaya Line were opened and another on 3 June 2014.. Construction of the third line began in 2011 and the first stage opened in 2020. Some layout plans speculate on a possible fourth line running from Vyasnyanka to Serabranka micro-rayons. Trains use 243 standard Russian metro-cars. On a typical day Minsk metro is used by 800,000 passengers. In 2007 ridership of Minsk metro was 262.1 million passengers, in 2017 ridership of Minsk metro was 284,1 million passengers, making it the 5th busiest metro network in the
former USSR The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
(behind Moscow,
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
and
Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.
). During peak hours trains run each 2–2.5 minutes. The metro network employs 3,200 staff. Most of the urban transport is being renovated to modern standards. For instance, all metro stations built since 2001 have passenger lifts from platform to street level, thus enabling the use of the newer stations by disabled passengers.


Railway and intercity bus

Minsk is the largest transport hub in Belarus. Minsk is located at the junction of the
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
-Moscow railway (built in 1871) running from the southwest to the northeast of the city and the Liepaja-
Romny Romny ( uk, Ромни́, ) is a city in northern Ukrainian Sumy Oblast. It is located on the Romen River. Romny serves as the administrative centre of Romny Raion. It is administratively incorporated as a city of oblast significance and does ...
railway (built in 1873) running from the northwest to the south. The first railway connects Russia with Poland and Germany; the second connects Ukraine with Lithuania and Latvia. They cross at the Minsk-''Pasažyrski'' railway station, the main railway station of Minsk. The station was built in 1873 as '' Vilenski vakzal''. The initial wooden building was demolished in 1890 and rebuilt in stone. During World War II the Minsk railway station was completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1945 and 1946 and served until 1991. The new building of the Minsk-''Pasažyrski'' railway station was built during 1991–2002. Its construction was delayed due to financial difficulties; now, however, Minsk boasts one of the most modern and up-to-date railway stations in the CIS. There are plans to move all
suburban rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are co ...
traffic from Minsk-''Pasažyrski'' to the smaller stations, Minsk- ''Uschodni'' (East), Minsk-''Paŭdniovy'' (South) and Minsk-''Paŭnočny'' (North), by 2020. There are three intercity bus stations that link Minsk with the suburbs and other cities in Belarus and the neighboring countries. There are frequent services to Moscow,
Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...
,
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urba ...
,
Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the ...
,
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
and
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
.


Cycling

According to the 2019 survey of 1934 people, Minsk had around 811,000 adult bicycles and 232,000 child and adolescent bicycles. In Minsk there is one bike for every 1.9 people. The total number of bicycles in Minsk exceeds the total number of cars (770,000 personal automobiles). 39% of Minsk residents have a personal bike. 43% of Minsk residents ride a bicycle once a month or more. As of 2017, the level of bicycle use is about 1% of all transport movements (for comparison: 12% in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
, 50% in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...
). Since 2015, an annual bicycle parade / bicycle carnival is held in Minsk, during which vehicles are blocked for several hours along Pobediteley (Peramohi) Avenue. The number of participants in 2019 was more than 20,000 and the number of registrations was about 12,000. In 2017, the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
funded the project "Urban cycling in Belarus" at a cost of €560,000, within the framework of which the public association Minsk Cycling Society together with the Council of Ministers created the regulatory document National Concept for the Development of Cycling in Belarus. In 2020, Minsk entered the top 3 most cycling cities in the CIS – after Moscow and
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
.


Airports

Minsk National Airport Minsk National Airport, formerly known as Minsk-2 (, ; russian: Национальный аэропорт Минск), is the main international airport in Belarus, located 42 km (26 mi) to the east of the capital Minsk, geographica ...
is located to the east of the city. It opened in 1982 and the current railway station opened in 1987. It is an
international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...
with flights to Europe and the Middle East. Prior to 1982, the main airport was
Minsk-1 Airport Minsk-1 Airport was a Belarusian airport located within the city limits of Minsk, just a few kilometres south from the centre. History Minsk-1 was built in 1933. It was the major airport of Minsk until the new airport ''Minsk-2'', now named M ...
, opened in 1933 a few kilometres to the south of the historical centre. In 1955 it became an international airport and by 1970 served over 1 million passengers a year. After 1982, it mainly served domestic routes in Belarus and short-haul routes to Moscow,
Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
and
Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
. Minsk-1 was closed in December 2015 because of the noise pollution in the surrounding residential areas. The land of the airport is currently being redeveloped for residential and commercial real estate, branded as Minsk-City, as well as the new Zelenaluzhskaya line of the
Minsk Metro The Minsk Metro ( be, Мінскі метрапалітэн, russian: Минский метрополитен) is a rapid transit system that serves Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Opened in 1984, it presently consists of 3 lines and 33 stations ...
.
Minsk Borovaya Airfield Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
(UMMB) is located in a suburb north-east of the city, next to Zaliony Luh Forest Park, housing
Aero Club Minsk Aero is a Greek prefix relating to flight and air. In British English, it is used as an adjective related to flight (e.g., as a shortened substitute for aeroplane). Aero, Ærø, or Aeros may refer to: Aeronautics Airlines and companies * Aero ( ...
and
Minsk Aviation Museum Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the adm ...
.


Education

Minsk has about 451 kindergartens, 241 schools, 22 further education colleges, and 29 higher education institutions, including 12 major national universities.


Major higher educational institutions

* Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus. The Academy was established in 1991 and it acquired the status of a presidential institution in 1995. The Academy has 3 institutes: ''Institute of Administrative Personnel'' which has 3 departments, ''Institute of Civil Service'' which has 3 departments and ''Research Institute of the Theory and Practice of
Public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment ( public governance), management of non-profit es ...
''. *
Belarusian State University Belarusian State University (BSU) ( be, links=no, Белару́скі дзяржа́ўны ўніверсітэ́т, ; russian: links=no, Белору́сский госуда́рственный университе́т) is a university in Min ...
. Major Belarusian universal university, founded in 1921. In 2006 had 15 major departments (Applied Mathematics and Informatics; Biology; Chemistry; Geography; Economics;
International relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such ...
; Journalism; History; Humanitarian Sciences; Law; Mechanics and Mathematics; Philology; Philosophy and
Social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...
; Physics; Radiophysics and Electronics). It also included 5 R&D institutes, 24 Research Centres, 114 R&D laboratories. The University employs over 2,400 lecturers and 1,000 research fellows; 1,900 of these hold PhD or Dr. Sc. degrees. There are 16,000 undergraduate students at the university, as well as over 700 PhD students. In 2018
Olga Chupris Olga Chupris (''бел. Чупрыс Вольга Іванаўна'') is a Belarusian lawyer, deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Belarus (since 2019). She is also a Doctor of Law, and a professor. Chupris is the first female vice ...
was the first female Vice-Rector appointed to the institution (Academic Work and Educational Innovations). *
Belarusian State University of Agricultural Technology The Belarusian State Agrarian Technical University (BSATU) is a university in Minsk, Belarus. Belarusian State Agrarian Technical University (the original name is Belarusian Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture) was fo ...
. Specialised in
agricultural technology Agricultural technology or agrotechnology (abbreviated agtech, agritech, AgriTech, or agrotech) is the use of technology in agriculture, horticulture, and aquaculture with the aim of improving yield, efficiency, and profitability. Agricultural tec ...
and agricultural machinery. * Belarusian National Technical University. Specialised in technical disciplines. *
Belarusian State Medical University Belarusian State Medical University (educational establishment “Belarusian State Medical University” – BSMU ( be, Беларускі дзяржаўны медыцынскі універсітэт — БДМУ)(russian: Белорусски� ...
. Specialised in Medicine and Dentistry. Since 1921 – Medicine Department of the Belarusian State University. In 1930 becomes separate as ''Belarusian Medical Institute''. In 2000 upgraded to university level. Has six departments. *
Belarusian State Economic University Belarus State Economic University ( be, Беларускі дзяржаўны эканамічны ўніверсітэт) is a university in Minsk, Belarus. It specializes in Finance and Economics. It was founded in 1933 as Belarusian Institute fo ...
. Specialised in Finance and Economics. Founded in 1933 as ''Belarusian Institute for National Economy''. Upgraded to university level in 1992. *
Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University Maksim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University also known as BSPU ( be, Беларускі дзяржаўны педагагічны ўніверсітэт імя Максіма Танка) is a university in Minsk, Belarus. It specialises i ...
. Specialised in
teacher training Teacher education or teacher training refers to programs, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, approaches, methodologies and skills they require to perform their t ...
for secondary schools. *
Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics The Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, also known as BSUIR ( be, Беларускі дзяржаўны ўніверсітэт інфарматыкі і радыёэлектронікі), is a public Higher Education ...
. Specialised in IT and radioelectronic technologies. Established in 1964 as ''Minsk Institute for Radioelectronics''. *
Belarusian State University of Physical Training Belarusian State University of Physical Culture is a university in Minsk, Belarus. University is an institution in the field of physical education, sports and tourism in the Republic of Belarus offering preparatory, high and post-graduate levels ...
. Specialised in sports, coaches and PT teachers training. *
Belarusian State Technological University Belarusian State Technological University (russian: Белорусский государственный технологический университет; be, Беларускі Дзяржаўны Тэхналагічны Універсі� ...
. Specialised in chemical and
pharmaceutical technology Pharmaceutics is the discipline of pharmacy that deals with the process of turning a new chemical entity (NCE) or old drugs into a medication to be used safely and effectively by patients. It is also called the science of dosage form design. The ...
, in printing and forestry. Founded in 1930 as ''Forestry Institute'' in
Homel Gomel (russian: Гомель, ) or Homiel ( be, Гомель, ) is the administrative centre of Gomel Region and the second-largest city in Belarus with 526,872 inhabitants (2015 census). Etymology There are at least six narratives of the or ...
. In 1941 evacuated to Sverdlovsk, now
Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...
. Returned to Gomel in 1944, but in 1946 relocated to Minsk as ''Belarusian Institute of Technology''. Upgraded to university level in 1993. Has nine departments. * Minsk State Linguistic University. Specialised in
foreign language A foreign language is a language that is not an official language of, nor typically spoken in, a given country, and that native speakers from that country must usually acquire through conscious learning - be this through language lessons at school ...
s. Founded in 1948 as ''Minsk Institute for Foreign Languages''. In 2006 had 8 departments. Major focus on English, French, German and Spanish. *
Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts (Belarusian: Беларускі дзяржаўны універсітэт культуры і мастацтваў Russian: Белорусский государственный университе ...
. Specializes in
cultural studies Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines the political dynamics of contemporary culture (including popular culture) and its historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers generally investigate how cultural practices re ...
, visual and Performing Arts. Founded in 1975 as ''Minsk Institute of Culture''. Reorganized in 1993. *
International Sakharov Environmental Institute International Sakharov Environmental Institute is an institute in Minsk, Belarus, part of the Belarusian State University. The institute offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. In February 2011 1,273 full-time students were enrolle ...
. Specialised in environmental sciences. Established in 1992 with the support from the United Nations. Focus on study and research of radio-ecological consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power station disaster in 1986, which heavily affected Belarus. *
Minsk Institute of Management Minsk Innovation University ( be, Мінскі інавацыйны ўніверсітэт) was established in 1991. The university is situated in Minsk, Belarus. The founder of the institute is Nikolay Susha, a permanent rector of the university ...
. The largest private higher educational institution in Belarus. Established in 1991. Specializes in Economics, Management, Marketing, Finance,
Psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...
and Information technology.
File:MSLU Minsk 2006.JPG, Minsk State Linguistic University. File:Ул.Бобруйская - panoramio.jpg,
Faculty of International Relations, Belarusian State University The Faculty of International Relations of the Belarusian State University ( be, Факультэт міжнародных адносін) was founded in 1995. The faculty trains specialists in the following areas: international relations, internat ...
. File:Belarus-Minsk-BSU-Rector's Office-2.jpg,
Belarus State University Belarusian State University (BSU) ( be, links=no, Белару́скі дзяржа́ўны ўніверсітэ́т, ; russian: links=no, Белору́сский госуда́рственный университе́т) is a university in Mins ...
rector's office.


Honors

A
minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...
3012 Minsk 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
discovered by Soviet astronomer
Nikolai Chernykh Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh (russian: Никола́й Степа́нович Черны́х) (6 October 1931 – 25 May 2004Казакова, Р.К. Памяти Николая Степановича Черных'. Труды Государст ...
in 1979 is named after the city.


Notable residents

* Andrei Pavlovich Ablameyko (born 1970) Belarusian Greek Catholic priest * Anton Adamovič (1909 -1998), literary critic, novelist, publicist and historian *
Angelica Agurbash Angelica Anatolyevna Yalinskaya (russian: Анжелика Анатольевна Ялиньская, translit=Anzhelika Anatol'yevna Yalin'skaya; be, Анжаліка Анатольеўна Ялінская, translit=Anzhalika Anatoĺjeŭna Ja ...
(born 1970), Belarusian singer, Eurovision participant *
Viktar Babaryka Viktar Dzmitryevich Babaryka ( be, Віктар Дзмітрыевіч Бабарыка or Viktor Dmitryevich Babariko; born 9 November 1963) is a Belarusian banker, philanthropist, public and opposition political figure who intended to become a ...
(born 1963), Belarusian public and opposition political figure, political prisoner * Maksim Bahdanovič (1891 – 1917), poet, considered one of the founders of modern Belarusian literature * Raman Bandarenka (1989–2020), designer killed during the protests against the
2020 Belarusian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August. Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to have won a sixth term in off ...
*
Masha Bruskina Maria "Masha" Bruskina ( be, Марыя Барысаўна Брускіна ''Marïya Barïsawna Bruskina''; russian: Мария Борисовна Брускина ''Mariya Borisovna Bruskina''; 1924 – 26 October 1941 in Minsk) was a Be ...
(1924–1941) World War II partisan * Veronika Cherkasova (1959 – 2004), Belarusian journalist * Illia Chrenaǔ (nom de guerre "Litvin") (1994 – 2022), Belarusian volunteer killed in action defending Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion *
Olga Chupris Olga Chupris (''бел. Чупрыс Вольга Іванаўна'') is a Belarusian lawyer, deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Belarus (since 2019). She is also a Doctor of Law, and a professor. Chupris is the first female vice ...
(born 1969) first female Vice Rector of the Belarusian State University * Avraham Even-Shoshan (1906–1984), Israeli linguist and lexicographer *
Sophie Fedorovitch Sophie Fedorovitch ( be, Сафія Федаровіч; 3 December 1893 – 25 January 1953) was a Russian-born theatrical designer who worked with ballet choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton from his first choreographed ballet in 1926 until her a ...
(1893–1953) ballet, opera and theatre designer, birthplace * Ella German (born 1937), girlfriend of
Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...
* Moisei Ginzburg (1892–1946) constructivist architect * Marina Gordon (1917–2013) soprano, birthplace *
Gennady Grushevoy Gennady Grushevoy (also known as Hienadź Hrušavy; ; 24 July 1950 – 28 January 2014) was a Belarusian academic, politician, human rights and environmental activist and the founder of one of the first Chernobyl relief foundations. He was awarde ...
(1950-2014) academic, politician, human rights and environmental activist, winner of the 1999 Rafto Prize * Alés Harun (1887 – 1920), poet, writer and journalist * Anatol Hrytskievich (1929 – 2015), Belarusian historian * Irma Jaunzem (1897–1975), mezzo-soprano singer and folk song specialist *
Hienadź Karpienka Dr. Hienadź Karpienka ( be, Генадзь Карпенка, ; russian: Геннадий Карпенко, Gennady Karpenko, September 17, 1949 – April 6, 1999) was a Belarusian scientist and an important politician in opposition to president A ...
(1949 – 1999), Belarusian scientist and politician *
Uładzimir Katkoŭski Uładzimir Katkoŭski ( be, Уладзімір Каткоўскі, June 19, 1976, Minsk – May 25, 2007) was a Belarusian blogger, web designer and website creator. Biography Katkoŭski took a degree in computer science at the American Universit ...
(1976 – 2007), one of the founders of the Belarusian Wikipedia *
Boris Khaykin Boris Emmanuilovich Khaikin (russian: Борис Эммануилович Хайкин; be, Барыс Эмануілавіч Хайкін; – 10 May 1978) was a Soviet and Russian conductor who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 197 ...
(1904–1978) conductor *
Jauhien Kulik Jauhien Kulik (October 31, 1937 - January 12, 2002) was a Belarusian artist and graphic designer. He is the designer of the 1991-1995 Coat of Arms of Belarus, which was a version of the medieval symbol Pahonia. Jauhien Kulik was born in Minsk. In ...
(1937 - 2002), Belarusian artist and graphic designer who designed the 1991-1995 Coat of Arms of Belarus, which was a version of the medieval symbol Pahonia * Pavel Latushka (b.1973), Belarusian politician and opposition leader *
Maryna Linchuk Maryna Linchuk ( be, Марына Лінчук; born 4 September 1987) is a Belarusian model. Modeling career Linchuk was scouted at age of 16 while still at high school. In 2006 Linchuk signed with an agency in New York. Along with Mat Gord ...
(born 1987) a fashion model *
Ivan Lubennikov Ivan Leonidovich Lubennikov (russian: , 14 May 1951 – 3 October 2021) was a Russian painter, who lived and worked in Moscow. Early life and education Lubennikov spent his childhood in Siberia whose memory, especially hunting and fishing, spr ...
(born 1951) Russian painter, birthplace *
Janka Lučyna Jan Niesłuchowski (1851, Minsk – 1897, Minsk), better known by his pen name Janka Lučyna ( be, Янка Лучына, Yanka Luchyna), was a Belarusian poet who wrote in Belarusian, Polish, and Russian. A son of a minor government official ...
(Jan Niesłuchowski (1851 – 1897), poet *
Leanid Marakou Leanid Marakou ( be, Леанід Маракоў; russian: Леонид Моряков; April 15, 1958 in Minsk – December 17, 2016) was a Belarusian journalist, writer. Biography Marakou ( Belarusian: Леанід Маракоў, Russian: ...
(1958 – 2016), Belarusian journalist, writer * Valery Marakoǔ (1909 – 1937), Belarusian poet and translator, victim of Stalin’s purges * Yan Matusevich (1946 – 1998) Belarusian Catholic priest, and dean of the
Belarusian Greek Catholic Church The Belarusian Greek Catholic Church ( be, Беларуская грэка-каталіцкая царква, ''Bielaruskaja hreka-katalickaja carkva'' BHKC; la, Ecclesiae Graecae Catholico Belarusica) sometimes called in reference to its B ...
*
Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industr ...
(1884–1957) American film producer, one of the founders of
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
*
Bronislava Nijinska Bronislava Nijinska (; pl, Bronisława Niżyńska ; russian: Бронисла́ва Фоми́нична Нижи́нская, Bronisláva Fomínična Nižínskaja; be, Браніслава Ніжынская, Branislava Nižynskaja; – Febr ...
(1890–1972) ballerina and choreographer of the Ballets Russes, birthplace *
Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...
(1939–1963) assassin of US President John F Kennedy, resided in Minsk from January 1960 to June 1962 *
Alexander Rybak Alexander Igorevich Rybak (russian: Александр Игоревич Рыбак) or Alyaxandr Iharavich Rybak ( be, Аляксандр Ігаравіч Рыбак; born 13 May 1986) is a Belarusian-Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pian ...
(born 1986), winner of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2009 The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Moscow, Russia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Believe" by Dima Bilan. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (E ...
for Norway, birthplace * Źmicier Sidarovič (1965 – 2014), Belarusian musician * Vitali Silitski (1972 – 2011), political scientist, analyst, the first director of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies * Aliaksiej Skoblia (nom de guerre Aliaksiej "Tur") (1990 – 2022), Belarusian fighter-volunteer of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Battalion posthumously awarded the title “Hero of Ukraine” *
Vanda Skuratovich Vanda Skuratovich ( be, Ванда Скуратовіч, 1925, Raubichy – 12 January 2010, Minsk) was a Belarusian Roman Catholic activist. Life During the Second World War she served as a partisan in Piotr Masherau's unit. She repor ...
(1925–2010) Roman Catholic activist *
Stanislav Shushkevich Stanislav Stanislavovich Shushkevich ( be, Станісла́ў Станісла́вавіч Шушке́віч, translit=Stanisłáŭ Stanisłávavič Šuškiévič,; russian: Станисла́в Станисла́вович Шушке́вич; ...
(1934 -2022), Belarusian politician and scientist, the first head of state of independent Belarus *
Stefaniya Stanyuta Stefanija Michajłaŭna Staniuta ( be , Стэфанія Міхайлаўна Станюта; 30 April 1905 – 6 November 2000) was a Belarusians, Belarus–Soviet people, Soviet theater and movie actress. She was awarded as the 1988 People's ...
(1905 – 2000), Belarusian theater and movie actress *
Alexander Taraikovsky Alexander Taraikovsky ( be, Аляксандр Тарайкоўскі; 26 March 1986 – 10 August 2020) was a demonstrator who died in Minsk, Belarus, during the 2020 Belarusian protests in which the police used tear gas, rubber bullets, an ...
(1986 – 2020) entrepreneur killed during the protests against the
2020 Belarusian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August. Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko was announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to have won a sixth term in off ...
*
Barys Tasman Barys Tasman ( be, Барыс Тасман) (13 November 1954 – 25 June 2022), was a Belarusian journalist, sports reporter and sports analyst. Tasman was born in a Jewish family in Minsk. He graduated from the Belarusian State University ...
(b. 1954), journalist, sports writer * George Tsisetski (b. 1985), film director, screenwriter, dramatist and visual artist *
Lavon Volski Leanid Arturavič Zejdel-Volski ( be, Леанід Арту́равіч Зэйдэль-Во́льскі; born on 14 September 1965 in Minsk), better known as Lavon Volski ( be, Ляво́н Во́льскі, ), is a Belarusian musician, writer, p ...
(b. 1965), Belarusian musician * Rachel Wischnitzer (1885–1989) architect and art historian *
Jazep Jucho Jazep Jucho (19 March 1921 - 29 July 2004; also known as Iosif Jucho, ) was a prominent Belarusian lawyer, historian and writer and a leading Belarusian authority on the laws of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Early years and career Jucho was ...
(1921-2004), lawyer, historian and writer and a leading Belarusian authority on the laws of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania *
Simcha Zorin Shalom (Simcha) Zorin (1902–1974) was a Jewish Soviet partisan commander in Minsk.http://www.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%206397.pdf Many Jewish partisans in Byelorussia had their own units that operated as part of the gene ...
(1902–1974) World War II partisan


Sport

*
Andrei Arlovski Andrei Arlovski (born 4 February 1979) is a Belarusian-American professional mixed martial artist, actor and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and ho ...
, grew up and lived in Minsk before moving to the US to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship *
Victoria Azarenka Victória Fyódarauna Azárenka ( be, Вікторыя Фёдараўна Азаранка; Russian: Виктория Фёдоровна Азаренко; born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Azarenka is a former w ...
, former World No. 1 tennis player and 2012 and 2013 Australian Open winner, born in Minsk moving to
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
at 16 *
Yuri Bessmertny Yuri Gorbachev ( be, Юрый Гарбачоў, born August 27, 1987), better known as Yuri Bessmertny ( be, Юрый Бяссмертны), is a Belarusian Muay Thai kickboxer who competes in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions. A ...
, kickboxer * Svetlana Boginskaya, gold medal-winning gymnast at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, birthplace *
Isaac Boleslavsky Isaac Yefremovich Boleslavsky ( uk, Ісаак Єфремович Болеславський, russian: Исаак Ефремович Болеславский; 9 June 1919 – 15 February 1977) was a Soviet chess player and writer. Early caree ...
, chess grandmaster *
Darya Domracheva Darya Uladzimirauna Domracheva ( be, Дар’я Уладзіміраўна Домрачэва; born 3 August 1986) is a retired Belarusian biathlete and coach who competed in the Biathlon World Cup from 2006 to 2018. She won a gold medal in the ...
, gold (4 times) and bronze medal-winning biathlete at the 2010 and
2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympi ...
*
Boris Gelfand Boris Gelfand ( he, בוריס אברמוביץ' גלפנד; be, Барыс Абрамавіч Гельфанд, Barys Abramavich Hel'fand; russian: Борис Абрамович Гельфанд, Boris Abramovich Gel'fand; born 24 June 1968) ...
(born 1968), Israeli chess Grandmaster * Max Geller (born 1971), Israeli Olympic wrestler * Alexei Ignashov, kickboxer, multiple Muay Thai and K-1 world champion * Oleg Karavayev, wrestler and Olympic champion * Viktar Kuprejčyk (1949 – 2017), Belarusian chess grandmaster * Isaak Mazel (1911-1945), chess master *
Max Mirnyi Maksim "Max" Mikalaevich Mirnyi ( be, Максім Мікалаевіч Мірны, ; russian: Максим Николаевич Мирный, ; born 6 July 1977) is a Belarusian former professional tennis player. Mirnyi became a doubles spec ...
, tennis player *Artsiom Parakhouski (born 1987), basketball player *Yulia Raskina, individual rhythmic gymnast, won the All-Around Silver at the 2000 Sydney Olympics * Roman Rubinshteyn (born 1996), Belarusian-Israeli basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League * Yegor Sharangovich (born 1998), ice hockey player *Yuri Shulman (born 1975), Belarusian-American chess grandmaster *Mark Slavin (1954-1972), Israeli Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler and victim of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics *Anna Smashnova (born 1976), Belarusian-born Israeli tennis player *Roman Sorkin (born 1996), Belarusian-born Israeli basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League *Diana Vaisman (born 1998), Belarusian-born Israeli sprinter


Twin towns – sister cities

Minsk is Sister city, twinned with: * Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2007) * Ankara, Turkey (2007) * Bangalore, India (1986) * Beijing, China (2016) * Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (1997) * Bonn, Germany (1993) * Changchun, China (1992) * Chişinău, Moldova (2000) * Detroit, United States (1979) * Dushanbe, Tajikistan (1998) * Eindhoven, Netherlands (1994) * Gaziantep, Turkey (2018) * Hanoi, Vietnam (2004) * Havana, Cuba (2005) * Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2008) * Islamabad, Pakistan (2015) * Kaluga, Russia (2015) * Murmansk, Russia (2014) * Nizhny Novgorod, Russia (2017) * Nottingham, England, UK (1986) * Novosibirsk, Russia (2012) * Rostov-on-Don, Russia (2018) * Sendai, Japan (1973) * Shanghai, China (2019) * Shenzhen, China (2014) * Tbilisi, Georgia (2015) * Tehran, Iran (2006) * Ufa, Russia (2017) * Ulyanovsk, Russia (2015)


Significant depictions in popular culture

* In the Don Bluth animated film, An American Tail the protagonist Fievel Mousekewitz (voiced by Phillip Glasser) is told of a mythical being known as the "Giant Mouse of Minsk" in all his bedtime stories by his father (voiced by Nehemiah Persoff); in said stories, the powerful mouse was a giant who drove out both cats and Communist invaders. These stories would inspire him to take up the mantle as he rallies the other mice in New York to construct a huge mechanical mouse as a secret weapon to drive off the mafia cats who rule the city. * Minsk is one of the starting towns of
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
in the turn-based strategy game Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms#Teutonic campaign, Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms. * In the American sitcom Friends, recurring-character David "the Science Guy" (played by Hank Azaria) has a romance with Phoebe Buffay, one of the main characters, in the first season of the series, but breaks her heart when he decides to leave for Minsk on a three-year research trip. In the show, Minsk is incorrectly referred to as being located in Russia, despite taking place after the dissolution of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. * In the science fiction franchise Star Trek, the Klingon character Worf is raised by human parents from Minsk, and Worf#Backstory, spends some of his early life there. He regards it as one of his favorite places on Earth, and suggests that Chief Miles O'Brien (Star Trek), Miles O'Brien move his family there. * In Seinfeld there are repeated references to a film and later play titled "Rochelle, Rochelle" the subtitle is "A young girl's strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk."


See also

* List of Squares in Minsk, List of squares in Minsk


References


Bibliography

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Further reading

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External links


34mag
city guide] a city guide for Minsk
Minsk city
on the official website of Belarus
Why Minsk Is Not Like Other Capitals.

Lost In Translation In Minsk – The "Real Belarus" Travel Tips.

The Minsk Herald online magazine in English
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{{Authority control Minsk, Capitals in Europe Cities in Belarus Magdeburg rights Minsky Uyezd Minsk Voivodeship Polochans Populated places established in the 11th century Populated places in Minsk Region Subdivisions of Belarus 1069 establishments in Europe