5 Days Visa-Free in Belarus- Chapter 5: The City

Chapter 5
I found myself trapped in the middle of Minsk. The rain was pouring down like cats and dogs. The street leading to my hotel was completely shut down by the police. There were no lights emanating from the buildings along the street lights that powered the wide boulevards under the dark sky of 11:30 PM. I was completely soaked, and I couldn't even find a place to hide from the ferocious rain.

Suddenly a sharp sound of engine rang across the sky. My eyes followed the noise to the very end of the boulevard. The earth began to shake. The sound of clashing iron penetrated through my head and left me with no space to think about anything else. In the shadow of the building cast by the street lights, I saw a whole bunch of enormous machines running towards me.

It was my first time seeing moving tanks. I didn't just see one, but two, three, four, and even more........

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Right above my head, was the Scarlett Banner of the Soviet Union.

Western media tended to portray the former nation which Belarus was a part of as a pathetic empire where its citizens had no life.

The Great Patriotic War Museum

In Belarus, Soviet Union was rather an identity of the past, and people took pride in it - Like how British people took pride in the British Empire. 

Apartment blocks in Minsk

The building where the flag was flying over was the Great Patriotic War Museum. The museum contained a large collection of artifacts from the WWII era. What made WWII related museums in former Soviet states different from the ones in the West was that rather than boasting something like "Allie Victory", all the exhibits were intended to show the cruelty of war and the tragic loss of lives. Many of the artifacts emphasized on how much trauma WWII brought to ordinary Soviet citizens as the U.S.S.R lost over 20 million souls to World War Two. Approximately one in three men died from 1941 to 1945, which pretty much led to the fact that most, if not all Soviet citizens had family members sacrificed defending the motherland. 

The city of Minsk from the Great Patriotic War Museum

Order of Hero of Soviet and the sign "Minsk - Hero City"

The statue in front of the museum left me a very strong impression. A woman in traditional Eastern Slavic clothing was bidding farewell with her husband, who was dressed in military uniform. Both the wife and the husband bowed their heads down, creating a sense of sorrow before the husband departing for the front line. As for the husband's fate, nobody really knew. 

Right next to the museum was the Victory Park. It was an enormous urban park that provided large recreational spaces to residents of Minsk. Victory parks were found in many former Soviet cities, normally right beside either a museum dedicated the the Second World War or the Eternal Flame in commemoration of dead soldiers.On the other end of the Victory Park was the Independent Palace. Built in 2013, the palace served like a conference center for important domestic and international events such as the negotiation between Russia and Ukraine in 2014 after the Russian annexation of Crimea. 

Inside Victory Park

People fishing inside Victory Park

Independence Palace

The complex right next to the Independence Palace

Flag of Belarus

Zamok Shopping Center, the largest mall in Minsk

Skyline of Minsk from Independence Palace

Speaking of "independence", the nation of Belarus celebrates its "Independence Day" every year on July 3rd. This date, however, was not the day when Belarus declared independence from the Soviet Union, but rather the date when the Soviet forces liberated Minsk from the Nazis during World War Two. Along many of Minsk's wide boulevards, banners and signs were carried out as the Independence Day was less than a week to go. With the national colors of red and green being present almost everywhere, it definitely made the former Soviet city's cityscape a bit more pleasing to the eyes.

Opera House

Palace of Republic

When the day pulled down its night curtain,  I decided to take a walk for one last time on the streets of Minsk before leaving the next day.  I asked my self that question again: 

Did they remember the struggles the previous generation had suffered? Or did they simply take everything for granted?

Lenin Square

Minsk's famous Red Church

Belarusian State Circus

Inside a city park

After spending 4 days there, seeing everything I had to see, I believed that Belarusians had never taken the struggles of the previous generations for granted. Not did these struggles formed the identity of modern Belarusians, their sacrifices were appreciated and honored throughout the Belarusian society from war veterans to young children. Yet the new generation was ready to make sacrifices for those whom they care, just like how many fighters from the previous generations died defending everything and everyone they loved. 

Victory Monument and the Eternal Fire

Around 22:00, rain began to pour down from above.  I realized that the roads leading to my hotel were all shut down by a group of people who wore military cloth dated back to World War Two era. In the beginning I thought it was for a movie set. However, there was no sign that they were letting anyone going through on a completely empty street. Not was only I completely soaked, the people in military "costumes" were completely soaked as well. Then I thought it was probably something serious, as there was no point for movie people to torture themselves in such ferocious rain. All of sudden I heard a huge noise from the other end of the street. Moments later I found myself in the middle of armed vehicles, tanks, and rocket launchers - they shut down the entire neighborhood for the practice of Independence Day military parade!

As part of the 5 Day Visa-Free scheme, I had to leave Belarus the next day. The next morning I was on my way to the airport, following exactly the route which I came to this city. When I was boarding, I was stopped by the customs people at Minsk Airport. They told me that I could not board my plane to Warsaw because I "didn't have an European visa". After I told them that Canadians did not need any visa to visit EU, they made a telephone to someone - presumably in higher authority. 

National Library of Belarus

Apartment building near the National Library

 Eventually they let me boarded the plane to Poland.