蜜芽传媒

My Minsk starts here. Here I had been living during my entrance exams and was enjoying this magic view from the window while looking through it and dreaming to become a student. To be honest, I don鈥檛 know whether I wanted more to become a student or to stay here.

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听 This beautiful isle is called 鈥業sle of Tears鈥� and there is a memorial chapel, dedicated to the belarusian soldiers who were killed in the Afgan-Soviet War, on it. It was erected in 1995-1996 and is stylized to look like an ancient Russian Chapel. Its four open arches create the form of a tower. The cross crowning the spherical dome has a ruby stone which symbolizes blood of Jesus and perished. And the inscription above the entrance says: 鈥極, Lord, We Are Thy Children鈥�.

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And there is a very cosy nook nearby. Trinity Borough started to develop at the turn of the thirteenth century. They say, it was inhabited mostly by artisans and merchants before it became popular among officials and clergymen. Nowadays you鈥檒l find souvenir shops, travel agency, beauty center, cafes and so on here in these little colored houses...

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Another place in Minsk I like very much is Grand theater of Opera and Ballet as well as its square (or little park). The theater was built in 1936-1937 and, though it has been reconditioned recently, it is still the incarnation of classic Soviet luxury with its enormous chandeliers, its marble and its 鈥榞olden鈥� patterns on the walls... Strangely enough, but at the same time the atmosphere is very warm inside and one don鈥檛 feel this pomposity.

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Actually, opera premiered in 1933 with 鈥楥armen鈥�, but the building of the theatre was opened in 1939 with the premiere of the opera by Belarusian composer Eugene Tsikotsky 鈥淢ihas Podgorny鈥�. Now the repertoire is based mainly on the Italian bel canto (Nabucco, Aida, Tosca, La Boheme and others) and Russian classical operas (Prince Igor, Boris Godunov, Eugene Onegin, etc). To be honest, I heard real opera for the first time at my 22 and was pleasantly surprised to like it.

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As for ballet, 鈥淭he Swan Lake鈥� was among first ones at this stage and still is being showed. Nowadays you can also see 鈥渢he Sleeping beauty鈥�, 鈥淩omeo and Juliette鈥�, 鈥淓smeralda鈥�, 鈥淕iselle鈥� and many other nice classical performances. But the ballet 鈥淧assions (Ragneda)鈥� is 鈥榯he most belarusian鈥� one to my mind. It tells about the destiny of Polotsk (an ancient Belarusian town) princess Ragneda and events of ancient Slavic history. I love ballet since childhood and even dreamed to become a ballet dancer, but was either too fat or too lazy (or both). Anyway, it wasn鈥檛 meant to be and now I鈥檓 among the audience. The tickets price usually varies from $5 to $20, and I think it is cheaper than in many other countries, so when any foreign troupe comes here it can cost twice or three times more. There are more than 15 theatres (including modern plastic one and experimental one) in Minsk, but the Grand theater of Opera and Ballet is my favourite.
Another thing I can enjoy in Minsk is cinema. But let me hasten to add that I don鈥檛 mean popcorn-evening in a fashionable place.

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Though we have a modern:) 5-screen multiplex opened couple of years ago, I prefer old cinemas with nice program. And I like the possibility to see b&w films on a big screen most of all about cinema here. Some of such places offer programs of Cannes films, or retrospectives by any director, or weeks of any country鈥檚 films or just art-house program... So we have anything special to watch every week there, while mainstream products are shown at fashionable 3D cinemas or at multiplex most of the time. As to cinema tickets, they cost around $3 (or even less); paradoxically, but often the better is a film the better is price. So if you are a cinema fan you鈥檒l like it here :)
I also love walking along the streets, avenues and parks. And while attractions are not very exciting, the walking part of the parks is really beautiful in Minsk. Gorky Park is in the centre of the city and is one of the most popular places. It got this name in 1936 (it was quite common to give the names in honor of the Soviet writer at that time) and became 鈥榗hildren鈥檚鈥�, though it was found at the beginning of the XIX cent by a governor and was 鈥楪overnor鈥檚鈥� first. Now it spreads for 28 hectares and besides beautiful nature, there are attractions, caf茅s, some other entertainments and a lot of daring squirrels too:)

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I鈥檓 not a child of the capital, so my Minsk can be different from a common idea of a big city. I found it calm, strict and sad when I came here. It is old, it was mentioned in 1067 for the first time, but it can鈥檛 boast of the age or many ancient sights... It is just old. It suffered a lot from Wars and it suffered a lot from politics (that even has had a role in its naming: Minsk or Mensk). It used to be a city of a secondary importance (and perhaps was too obedient and too correct) and seems, it still keeps this obedience and is not ready for being a capital. Because it is too strict... And that鈥檚 why it is sad.

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And that鈥檚 why it looks absurdly when they try to dress it up or to make it ultra-modern. It is beautiful if one don鈥檛 try to refashion it, but play up to its mood. Just stick to its rules. I watched 鈥楨at. Pray. Love鈥� recently and they were trying to give special words to cities, I thought it would be 鈥榬ules鈥� about Minsk, though I don鈥檛 know which rules. It just seems that everything is going on regularly and according to the rules here. Everywhere you turn, there is a chance to see right lines or forms.

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Perhaps, it is the biggest illusion :) and Minsk is just pretending to be an old-fashioned or it is just pretending to be a modern city... I don鈥檛 know.

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