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Belarus is not only landlocked in Eastern Europe; it is also sealed in the Soviet time capsule. Although already an independent nation, Belarus is still in a two-country union with Russia. Hence, it is only in Belarus where anyone could know how it’s like to live within the Iron Curtain, be wire-tapped by modern-day KGB’s, and be ruled with an iron fist by a tyrant president, which is the reason why Belarus is one of the last-remaining authoritarian states in Europe. The repressive government, however, has achieved a nearly zero crime rate all over the nation, ensuring visitors a relatively safe travel to discover the country’s patchwork culture, architectural feats, forests, and at least 11,000 lakes.

Russian flavor

The capital city, Minsk, is the opera and ballet center of Belarus. The city is a testament to the country’s Soviet ideology, with its orderly streets and Stalinist buildings. Nightclubs, boutiques, and cafés, however, have found a place within this “strictly communist” city. Among the modern constructions here is the UFO-looking National Library of Belarus, home to the country’s biggest collection of books and the third biggest repository of Russian books.

Ancient forests

At the border with Poland is Brest, home to Resurrection Church, a bomb-shaped church built in the memory of WWII victims. The church can hold up to 5,000 worshippers. Another landmark in Brest is the World Heritage-listed Belovezhskaya Pushca National Park, the biggest and one of the last remaining vast primeval forests in Europe. It is a fairytale-like primitive forest that shelters mammals such elks, wild horses, bisons, wild boars, and about 800 wisent, Europe’s heaviest land animals.

World Heritage Sites

Belarus has three other World Heritage Sites: the Mir Castle Complex with a 15th century Gothic-Renaissance design; the 16th century Niasvizh Castle; and the 19th century Struve Geodetic Arc, a series of over 500 giant geodetic devices set up by a German-born scientist to determine the exact size and shape of the Earth.

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