Minsk Region

Neogothic Church of Saint Alex in Ivyanets

Minsk Voblasć (Belarusian: Мінская вобласць) is a region in the central part of Belarus.

Cities and towns

• 1 Minsk — the centre of the region and the capital of the country. A city of fascinating Stalinist and late-Soviet architecture that also preserves a few monuments from the 17th-18th century.
• 2 Barysaǔ — the second largest city of the region with numerous buildings from the 19th century.
• 3 Budslaǔ — a popular Catholic pilgrimage destination, home of the National Sanctuary of the Mother of God of Budslau.
• 4 Ivyanets — a small town with a magnificent Catholic church from the 18th century, a neo-gothic church, and a wooden synagogue.
• 5 Myadzyel — a gateway to the lakes of Narachansky National Park.
• 6 Molodechno — an industrial city that used to be the centre of a separate oblast until their number was reduced from 12 to 6 in 1960.
• 7 Nesvizh — a historical town with a castle and a huge park from the 18th century.
• 8 Slutsk — once home to weavers of expensive silk sashes, the town now boasts a museum dedicated to this 18th-century craft.
• 9 Valozhyn — a town that is home to several nice monuments in the classical style from the early 19th century.
• 10 Vileyka — a town with some fine churches and interesting old cemeteries.
• 11 Zaslaǔje — an ancient picturesque town that preserves two original churches (late 16th and late 18th centuries) and the remains of old fortifications.
• 12 Žodzina — a town with several big and famous factories.

Other destinations

• 1 Khatyń (Хатынь) — memorial complex on the spot of the village savagely burnt during World War II
• 2 Narachansky National Park — a natural woodland reserve with lots of lakes in the northern part of the region
• 3 Snoŭ (Сноў) — a country estate from the early 19th century