Belarus, the last European dictatorship

My first destination on the trip was the city of Brest. The city of Brest is considered one of the biggest cities in Belarus and is located right next to the border with Poland. The biggest attraction of the city is the fortress, which is considered a symbol of the first battles during World War II, where the soldiers of the Soviet Union and Germany fought. In 1945, after the Second World War, the town fortress was named the fortress of the heroes. Inside the fort, there are many monuments in memory of fallen soldiers, visitors of the military museum can learn about battles on the Belarusian soil or take a photo of Soviet military vehicles. The market is also worth a visit, where people sell a variety of crops produced at home. While walking through the market, I noticed the curious looks of people, since the colour of the skin and a different face stood out from the majority of market visitors. Sometimes they asked me where I came from, and when I mentioned Slovenia, no one knew where it was or pretended they didn't know. Sometimes it's better to say that you are coming from Yugoslavia. In the city of Brest, I did not feel the daily rush to work and home, which we know at home. People are completely peaceful and do not feel the dictatorship with which the country has gained the title of the last European dictatorship. 

The state got many sanctions from the European Union for violating human rights, the writing freedom of journalists and its policies. It is the last country in Europe next to Russia, which still has a death sentence for crimes. Most of us know Belarus after its President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been the country's president since 1994. Belarus is considered a very clean country, and you will be surprised at its cleanliness and people's attitude towards nature. For me, it was the cleanest country I have visited so far, believe it or not. Belarus has good railway connections across all major and smaller cities, the lines are intertwined like a spider’s web. I spent most of my time travelling with trains, as it was the fastest way to overcome a number of kilometres. Belarus is almost ten times larger than Slovenia. Trains are very punctual, staff even bring you fresh sheets, they serve you with tea and other beverages when you're travelling in a sleeper.

I arrived at the main train station in the early morning hours with a night train to the city of Gomel. The city is not far from the Russian and Ukrainian borders. In 1986, after the explosion in Chernobyl, the Belarusians in this part of the country were exposed to radiation from their neighbours, and living next to the border is still prohibited. Gomel is the second largest city in the country and is a cultural and university city. A lot of long avenues and renovated buildings of the previous socialist regime are intertwining the city. In the first half of the 1990s, Gomel, like Belarus as a whole, was hit by a severe economic crisis, a white plague and a rapid decline in production. A gradual recovery began in 1996. They formed new capital facilities such as suburban bus station, an ice hall, Central Stadium... The city's attractions have been restored, new trolleybus lines have been opened.

The capital city is Minsk. The two-million city has a touch of Western European cities and is not a typical socialist city. The city will impress you with nice streets, buildings, parks, presidential palace, markets, churches, museums and many events. The city has well-organized traffic with trolleybuses, vans and subway, which currently has two lines, while the third one is under construction. During the Second World War, the city was almost completely destroyed by the bombing of German military planes, so that after the war, the local population had to rebuild and restore the city. During my three-day visit to the capital, the city hosted the world basketball championship for girls up to 17 years of age. The city is famous as a sports city. The most popular sport next to football is hockey. In 2014, the city organized the world hockey championship in Minsk Arena. President Lukashenko himself is a passionate hockey player. In the evening, it is pleasant to take a walk in the old part of the capital, not far from the city hall with a cathedral and a lake. There are walking and cycling trails around the lake, sports fields... One of the major attractions is the National Library, which stores more than 8 million copies of bibliographic, graphic, textual, audio and linguistic data archives. The total weight of books in the library is about 20 tons. The magnificent building of the National Library in Minsk is like a diamond, the building is 72 meters high and has 22 floors. The upper part looks like a diamond, and the lower part consists of 3 floors for administrative and technical staff, students, doctors of science and all who are interested in books. I took a lift to the roof of the building, from where I had a great view of the capital. Not far from the centre is the Victory Square, on which there is an obelisk, dedicated to fallen soldiers.

Belarus has a cruel history and no matter where you travel across the country, you will not be able to escape the monuments of fallen soldiers and civilian population. There is not a city in Belarus that does not have a monument of Lenin. Lenin was part of their history, and they are not ashamed of it. They do not demolish monuments, as they did after our country gained its independence. Khatyn is a village close to the capital, which reminds people of the horrors and genocide of German soldiers during the Second World War. When a person is walking and watching monuments, numbers of killed civilians, and confronts with the reality of what people have survived, you really get goose bumps. In the Soviet Union, Khatyn became a symbol of the massive massacres of the civilian population carried out by the Germans and their accomplices. Hundreds of similar towns in Belarus have similar fate as Khatyn during World War II . Belarus is a land of endless plains. It has more than 10,000 lakes and has a rich flora and fauna.

In the west of the country you can see the oldest primeval forest in Europe, the Białowieża Forest. The Białowieża Forest is a large area of primeval forest at the border between Poland and Belarus in north-eastern Europe, part of which is protected as a cross-border national park. It covers more than 100,000 hectares. There are many trees growing in it, and it is a home of many different animals. Its symbol is European bison, the largest European land animal, about 900 specimens live in the forest area, almost one third of all wild population. In 1979, the site was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Białowieża Forest also takes good care of its visitors. When entering the national park the driver of a small bus drove far into the interior of the village, home of Belarusian Father Frost. Ded Moroz or Father Frost lives in a wooden house, surrounded by wooden figures from fairy tales. The village guide told us that we have to call him out of the house, otherwise we will not be able to see him. And indeed, after a few calls, the man with a white beard, a stick and clubs came from his shelter. He addressed us and asked where we came from. In the group I was the only Slovene, and besides me were guests from Russia and Ukraine. A pleasant experience that will certainly be more appealing to the younger population. Belarus is slowly opening up to the world, seeking to acquire as many tourists as possible with the abolition of visas, by abolishing sanctions and long-standing presidential status, it will eventually lose the reputation of the last European dictatorship. For me, it is a country that I will remember by hospitable people, unspoiled nature and beautiful girls.

In the capital of Minsk, you can sleep in many hostels. At the moment, 18 different accommodations are available at Hostelling International. Members of Hostelling International will be able to apply a 10% discount.