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Languages

Throughout its history, Minsk has been a city of many languages. Initially most of its residents spoke Ruthenian (which later developed into modern Belarusian). However, after 1569 the official language was Polish. In the 19th-century Russian became the official language and by the end of that century it had become the language of administration, schools and newspapers. The Belarusian national revival increased interest in the Belarusian language – its use has grown since the 1890s, especially among the intelligentsia. In the 1920s and early 1930s Belarusian was the major language of Minsk, including use for administration and education (both secondary and tertiary). However, since the late 1930s Russian again began gaining dominance. Postwar reconstruction efforts drew volunteers from throughout the Soviet Union, resulting in a 97% population growth between 1950-1960; during this period, Russian became Minsk's urban lingua franca.

A short period of Belarusian national revival in the early 1990s saw a rise in the numbers of Belarusian speakers. However, in 1994 the newly elected president Alexander Lukashenko slowly reversed this trend. In 1995, Russian was established as an official language, alongside Belarusian. Most residents of Minsk now use Russian exclusively in their everyday lives at home and at work, although Belarusian is understood as well. Substantial numbers of recent migrants from the rural areas use Trasyanka (a Russo-Belarusian mixed language) in their everyday lives.

The most commonly used and understood foreign language in Minsk, especially among the younger generation, is English.

As it is more broadly in Belarus, Minsk's linguistic identity is bilingual Belarusian and Russian, with the latter predominant. A 2005 survey found that just 1.5% of Minsk's adult inhabitants primarily spoke Belarusian at home, while 83.3% primarily spoke Russian. However, only 12% of survey respondents desired a reunion with Russia, while 71% averred that Belarus should remain independent; 61% felt that speaking Belarusian is not essential to national identity.

Rural Belarusian speakers comprise around 65% of the nation's Belarusian speakers. A syncretic code, trasjanka (meaning "a mixture of hay and straw"), is also spoken in the city, characterizing the speech of first-generation rural migrants. According to linguistic analysis, Russian words are the basis of certain categories of noun (including words pertinent to urban life and profession), adjectives, adverbs, and verbs in trasjanka, while much of its syntax, morphology, and phonetics are Belarusian.

Article says it better, rephrase with this in mind: "To summarize, trasjanka is a transitional phenomenon of Russian urban speech among rural migrants who are native Belarusian speakers, brought about by their wish to assimilate with a Russian-speaking majority."

Culture

Minsk is the cultural centre of Belarus. Its first theatres and libraries were established in the middle of the 19th century. Now it has 11 theatres and 16 museums. There are 20 cinemas and 139 libraries.

Urban Identity and Cultural Memory

Minsk's cultural identity remains deeply influenced by its experience as a Soviet state. The Great Patriotic War plays a prominent role in the cultural memory of Minsk (and Belarus at large), events of which are memorialized through city street and building names; other streets and squares reference Russian geography, and Soviet ideals and cultural figures.

Since 1989, the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster has been commemorated annually by a march through the city called the "Chernobyl Path." The number of participants ranges from several hundred to tens of thousands. The event traditionally incorporates religious iconography, pre-Soviet Belarusian symbols, and an undercurrent of protest. Since 1996, the state has offered its own Chernobyl commemorations in the city, with more pro-administration, patriotic iconography.

Official discourse defining the nature of urban and national identity may be observed in the form of billboards and posters throughout Minsk's public space, representing an ongoing project launched during the 2006 presidential elections. Patriotic slogans such as "For Belarus!" and "We are Belarusians!" (rendered either in Belarusian or Russian) are paired with photographic images of children and families, workers, and state authorities.

Minsk is renowned for its cleanliness, a point of pride for its citizens.

Cityscape

Minsk's near-total destruction during World War II created an opportunity for Soviet architects to rebuild it in the image of the ideal socialist city. Remaining pre-Soviet structures were largely replaced. As in other Soviet capital cities, the downtown area comprised predominantly administrative and cultural buildings, parks, and department stores, typically of monumental scale; the suburbs comprised a series of micro-districts, wherein housing units were built around services such as groceries, schools, hospitals, libraries and sports facilities, linked by pedestrian paths.

The architecture and urban design of the Soviet era remains a significant characteristic of the modern Minsk cityscape today. In addition to Soviet-era high-rise apartment blocks, Minsk's residential suburbs are occasionally interspersed with village-style wooden farmhouses—a remnant of a temporary housing strategy to meet immediate post-war needs. The Post-Soviet has seen a revival in religious architectures; sacred sites have undergone renovation, and new churches have been built. Extensive new public building and renovation projects took place during the first decade of the new millennium, many of which drew inspiration from Soviet architectural precedents, reinforcing an urban visual aesthetic rooted in the past.

Landmarks

Independence avenue stems north-east from the city center; it is 15km long, and renowned for its Stalinist Empire Style architecture. It passes through Independence Square, a central rally and parade ground, surrounded by prominent municipal cultural and political institutions, including the mayor's office, the headquarters of the Minsk Metro, two universities, and the government headquarters.

Trinity Suburb, part of Old Town Minsk, whose 19th-century stone architecture is commonly featured on souvenirs and candy.

Churches

• The Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is actually the former church of the Bernardine convent. It was built in the simplified Baroque style in 1642–87 and went through renovations in 1741–46 and 1869.
• The Cathedral of Saint Mary was built by the Jesuits as their principal church in 1700–10, restored in 1951 and 1997; it overlooks the recently restored 18th-century city hall, located on the other side of the Liberty Square.
• Two other historic churches are the cathedral of Saint Joseph, formerly affiliated with the Bernardine monastery, built in 1644–52 and repaired in 1983, and the fortified church of Sts. Peter and Paul, originally built in the 1620s and recently restored, complete with its flanking twin towers.
• The impressive Neo-Romanesque Roman Catholic Red Church (Cathedral of Sts. Simeon and Helene) was built in 1906–10 immediately after religious freedoms were proclaimed in Imperial Russia and the tsar allowed dissidents to build their churches;
• The largest church built in the Russian imperial period of the town's history is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene;
• Many Orthodox churches were built after the dissolution of the USSR in a variety of styles, although most remain true to the Neo-Russian idiom. A good example is St. Elisabeth's Convent, founded in 1999.

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  Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Russian Orthodox).
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  Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic).
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  Church of St.Joseph (formerly Uniate, currently used as an archive).
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  Church of Sts. Peter and Paul (Russian Orthodox).
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  The Red Church (Roman Catholic).
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  Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Russian Orthodox).
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  Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Roman Catholic).
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  Church of Holy Trinity (Saint Rochus) (Roman Catholic).
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  Church of All Saints (Russian Orthodox).
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  Church of St.Yevfrosinya of Polotsk (Russian Orthodox).
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  Church of St. Elizabeth Convent (Russian Orthodox)

Cemeteries

• Kalvaryja (Calvary Cemetery) is the oldest surviving cemetery in the city. Many famous Belarusians are buried here. The cemetery was closed to new burials in the 1960s.
• Military Cemetery
• Eastern Cemetery
• Čyžoŭskija Cemetery
• Northern Cemetery

Theatres

Major theatres are:

• National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus
• Belarusian State Musical Theatre (performances in Russian)
• Maxim Gorky National Drama Theatre (performances in Russian)
• Yanka Kupala National Drama Theatre (performances in Belarusian)

  

  National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus

Museums and Galleries

The city hall (rebuilt in 2003) overlooks the Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary.

Great Patriotic War Museum.

Museums include:

• Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum
• Belarusian National History and Culture Museum
• Belarusian Nature and Environment Museum
• Maksim Bahdanovič Literary Museum
• Old Belarusian History Museum
• Yanka Kupala Literary Museum
• Strana Mini, a museum where Belarussian landmarks are recreated in miniature.

Art galleries include:

• Ў gallery

Parks and Recreation areas

Minsk's green spaces include nineteen parks and 177 public gardens. Notable locations include:

• Chelyuskinites Park
• Children's Railroad
• Gorky Park (Minsk)
• Yanka Kupala Park
• The Museum of Stones, where 213 boulders are arranged in the shape of Belarus.

Cinemas

List of cinemas in Minsk:

• Silver Screen Cinemas
  • In Galileo shopping center
  • In ARENAcity shopping center
  • In Dana Mall ( Uschod Metro stop ) - Velcom 3rd Floor
• Центральный (3D) (English: Central)
• 3D cinema in shopping center «Замок» / Zamok
• Аврора / Avrora (3D)
• Автокинотеатр / Avtokinoteatr
• Беларусь / Belarus
• Берестье / Bierascie (3D)
• Дворец Республики / Palac Respubliki (3D)
• Дом Кино / Dom kino
• Киев / Kiev (3D)
• Комсомолец / Kamsamoliec
• Мир / Mir (3D)
• Москва / Maskva
• Музей кино / Muzej kino
• Октябрь / Oktyabr'
• Пионер / Pianier
• Победа / Pieramoha
• Ракета / Raketa
• Салют / Saliut (3D)

The Arts

Fine Art

The Belarusian National Arts Museum, established in 1939, is home to over 30,000 works of both Belarusian and international art.

Theatre

Minsk is home to some of the nation's most prestigious, well-attended theatres. It also hosts a number of international theatre festivals, including the Teatralny Kufar International Student Theatre Festival, International Theatre Forum TEART, and the Belarusian International Festival of Puppet Theatres.

Theatres in Belarus rely on the state for funding, which is predicated upon adherence to the state's social and political guidelines. Outside of the state system, Minsk has also developed an independent, underground theatre scene. Its plays treat forbidden topics such as drugs, mental illness, gender issues and homosexuality; performances, which typically take place in apartments, cafés, garages, and galleries, offer a modern, experimental aesthetic alternative to the state-promoted traditional theatrical style. One of the best-known independent theatres is the Belarus Free Theatre, founded in 2005 by producer Natalia Koliada and activist Nikolai Khalezin. Works produced by the Belarus Free Theatre deal with contemporary social, cultural and political issues in Minsk; during performances, both performers and audiences have been arrested by the state police.

Cultural Administration

Ministry of Culture

The Ministry of Culture of Belarus is headquartered in Minsk. Its stated goals include conducting government affairs in the cultural sphere, promoting Belarussian language and culture, coordinating domestic and international cultural events, managing cultural educational institutions, and protecting citizens' cultural freedoms, rights and legal interests.

Media

STV, one of Belarus' national television channels, is headquartered in Minsk. Russia's TASS and Prime agencies have offices in the city, and journalists from Reuters, AP and Xinhua work there as well.

Political Counterculture and Subcultures

Minsk

Tourism and Entertainment

Festivals and Holidays

• The City's Day, a late-summer open-air festival comprising street fairs and concerts.
• Victory Day, where parades, concerts and fireworks honor veterans of the Great Patriotic War.
• Independence Day
• Mlin, an exhibition marketplace for handcrafted jewelry, clothing, ceramics, toys, furniture, gifts, and souvenirs, featuring over 500 artisans from throughout Belarus, which takes place each fall, winter, and spring.

Casinos

Minsk has a number of casinos, which have proven a popular destination for Russian gamblers, earning it the nickname "the Russian Las Vegas." Following the 2014international sanctions during the Ukrainian crisis, Minsk's Russia-infused gambling revenues dropped precipitously. As a result, a number of casinos have shut their doors.