Despite the Belarusian government’s strict laws, Minsk manages to host an eclectic music and arts scene that even Jethro Tull – yes! – approves of

In five words

Modernity lost in Soviet spirit.

What sound defines your city?

Every hour, this tune plays from the town hall, located on Freedom Square in the centre of Minsk. The song is called The Song about Minsk and is composed by Igor Luchenok, a famous Belarusian composer.

Everyone’s tuning into ...

By law, 75% of the music played on Belarusian radio must be Belarusian. This has resulted in a steep drop-off in audience for many stations. Radio Minsk is among the few that hasn’t lost listeners ; in fact, they’ve gained them. Their success is down to their chosen format – rock. Lovers of rock know that if you want to be kept up-to-date on all rock-related news, listen to Radio Minsk.

Best current venue

Facebook Twitter Pinterest In the heart of the city ... Bar Huligan, Minsk

On Oktyabr’skaya (October Street), known as Minsk’s “cultural mile”, you will find Bar Huligan, a venue hosting regular gigs and DJ sets, Belarusian and international alike. In the 19th century, Oktyabr’skaya was a major industrial street of Minsk. As late as the 1930s, when it was still on the outskirts of the city, the area was known to be dangerous in the evenings. Now, as Minsk has expanded, Oktyabr’skaya is in the heart of the city, and entertainment venues have sprung up in the old factories. It has been compared to Berlin and rumour has it Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, who visited after the band’s concert, is a fan.

Who’s top of the playlist?

Port Mone are an instrumental trio who have forged their own voice from a mix of influences, including jazz, minimalism and ambient music. They are still developing in this new direction and are popular among music lovers from both the east and west. They recently signed a contract with the major concert agency Charmenko, who promote world music and exclusively represent the international concerts of Goran Bregovic (Serbia), Manu Chao (Spain), St Germain (France), Salif Keita (Mali) and many other artists from around the world.

A year ago, Port Mone came into the public eye with aconcert in Crimea for Ukrainian soldiers from a military unit blocked by Russian troops.

Favourite local artist

Vladimir Tsesler’s Twelve From XX, in which prominent artists are represented as eggs. Photograph: Vladimir Tsesler

Vladimir Tsesler is a Belarusian artist and designer who achieved fame with his Project of the Century: Twelve from XX, in which 12 of the most meaningful artists of the 20th century were presented as eggs. He also gained international recognition as a poster artist, and his poster Woodstock 30 Years can be found at the Museum of Advertising in the Louvre, Paris.



The look on the street

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Minsk fashion is influenced by other European cultural capitals. Photograph: citydog.by

As Minsk is one of the most comfortable cities in Belarus, many young people prefer to remain here to work after graduation. The city is the cultural capital of the country, and wants to feel like part of Europe. Street fashion therefore tends to be very similar to other European capitals. The website citydog.by is an excellent resource for tracking the trends.

Best cultural Instagram account

Kasya Syramalot is an art director for the avant-garde digital magazine and independent online publisher 34mag.net. Kasya regularly updates her account with beautiful sights of the city. Her pictures look so minimalistic and extraordinary that sometimes the places she photographs are unrecognisable.

What’s the big talking point?

One of the most interesting subjects currently being debated is Belarus’ accession to the Bologna Process and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). For educational establishments, students and professors situated in Minsk, the urgent question is: if educational reforms are to take place, will the government give the universities the right of autonomy?

What does Minsk do better than anyone else?

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Squeaky ... Minsk’s parliament building, constructed in 1938 on Independence Square. Photograph: Alamy

Minsk is said to be the world’s cleanest city, a fact that is mentioned in most tourist reviews. Street cleaners work so hard and so scrupulously that surgeons can carry out their operations on the avenue roads (or so the story goes …). This super-cleanliness is a cult of the government and the public authorities.

Comedy gold

Cabaret band Serebryanaya Svadba’s tongue-in-cheek songs and slapstick comedy are in keeping with the best traditions of cabaret popular in Belarus and Europe. The group performs at major European festivals and have given big concerts in France and Germany. For a Belarusian group, that is a rare achievement.

Moment in history

The 2014 Ice Hockey World Championships were hosted in Minsk. The tournament became the greatest sporting and cultural event in the history of independent Belarus. Thanks to the influx of tourists (the event set a new attendance record) and supporting cultural perfomances, Minsk felt itself to be at the centre of Europe for once, rather than in the background.





Best street art

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A mural by Zhenia Cowek. Photograph: Zhenia Cowek/Flickr

Actually, the law forbids street art in Belarus. The government does not consider it to be creative or have artistic merit. They view it simply as the destruction of public property. Interesting street art is therefore quite rare, but the work of Zhenia Cowek on Oktabr’skaya street is proof that street art perhaps does have some merit after all.



From Me

Eugene Karpov is the winner of the 2013 and 2014 Belarus in Focus international journalism awards.

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