The Old Town
Don’t get too excited, this isn’t Prague. But nevertheless the old town in Minsk offers you the chance to see what much of the city might look like today had it not been ravaged by war.
Old Town is a rather deceptive name. The buildings that you see were built in the 1980s on an area of land by the river bank that had been left undeveloped since the war. Locals refer to the area by its historic name, Troitskoe Predmestiye, which means Trinity Suburb.
Historians will tell you that this area of town was always famous for its taverns and there are still some here today as well as a decent restaurant specialising in traditional Belarusian dishes.
In the centre of the old town you’ll find the Nature House (Дом природы) at Bogdanovicha 9 (Богдановича 9). It’s a small exhibition hall and as the name suggests it specialises in natural history. The last time I was here in June they had an exhibition of butterflies.
On the edge of the Old Town you’ll find the Island of Tears (see Mounments & Statues), an ideal place for a bit of people spotting on Saturdays when it seems that every wedding party in town stops here for 10 minutes or so.
Old Town Bars & Restaurants
Stari Gorod (Старый Город)
Bogdonovicha 19 (Богдановича 19)
12:00-24:00 daily
Traditional Belarusian food in the old town, with a nice terraced area open in summer. A decent menu and reasonable prices. Only some of the menu is in English.
Korchma (Корчма)
Starovilenskaya 2 (Старовиленская 2)
Bar 09:24:00, Café 12:24:00 daily
The best thing about this place was always the outdoor seating area in summer, perched as it is on the riverbank at the edge of the old town, with extensive views. This summer however guests find themselves encased in a rather tacky plastic tent, which rather hides this venue’s main selling point.
Na Troetskae (На Троецкое)
Bogdonovicha 19 (Богдановича 19)
10:00-23:00 daily from May-October
Partly on the river bank, part on the river, this summer bar on the edge of the old town, near the bridge, has a fairly basic menu bolstered by a wide range of pancakes to suit all tastes, whether sweet (honey, toffee etc) or savoury (cheese, mushroom, caviar etc). Not to everybody’s taste will be the toilet, an appalling, smelly, unhygienic cubicle on the pavement that should be avoided at all costs.
Banana Café (Банана Кафе)
Storozhevskaya Street 7 (Сторожевская 7)
10.00-05.00 daily
In the heart of the old town this venue offers extended opening hours and a downstairs so-called VIP area with hookahs up for grabs (note the spelling, this isn’t a hotel lobby). Upstairs the cavernous wooden hall offers the usual Slavonic and European fare and a decent selection of beers and spirits if you’re using it for a late drink. Service can be a bit slow.
Old Town Shops
Vyanok (Вянок)
Kommunalnaya Naberezhnaya 4 (Коммунальная Набережная 4)
10:00-19:00. Closed Sundays.
Looking for a Tolstoy or Dostoevsky in Russian? This beautiful second-hand bookshop in the old town overlooks the river and is a must for any book collector. Over the years I’ve bought all sorts of things here, such as original Soviet propaganda postcards, old magazines and musty soviet-era copies of Russian classics, for just a few roubles.
Slavutiya Maystri (Славутыя Майстры)
Kommunalnaya Naberezhnaya 4 (Коммунальная Набережная 4)
10:00-19:00 Mon-Sat, closed Sunday
Pleasant little shop exhibiting works by Belarusian artists and craftsmen. In the old town overlooking the river, you’ll find it next to the Vyanok bookshop.
Parks Museums Churches Monuments & Statues Old Town National Library