Opened barely three months after Minsk was liberated by the Red Army, the city’s must-see Great Patriotic War Museum has come a long way over the last six decades and is currently based inside a building where it’s been since 1966. Presenting the full horrors of World War II from the perspective of the Soviet Union, you won’t find much mention of the Allied efforts, but you will get insight into the suffering of the Belarusians and the immense sacrifices made by the Red Army to liberate their territory from the ‘facist-German’ [sic] occupiers. After passing a magnificent statue of Lenin, you can visit some original tanks and planes in the back yard of the museum. All texts are in Russian, and it’s highly recommended to telephone or drop by in advance to arrange a guided tour in English to get the full benefit of the experience.
