Brest

in Belarus

Brest was the most likable city in Belarus that I visited. The buildings weren't so overpoweringly grand as in Minsk, but much more down to earth. There were some nice churches and some other nice bits of architecture in the center too. The streets, and especially the park, were pristine. It felt like some kind of utopia - until you talked to anyone and realized just how hard life is for many of them. The prices for things in the shops didn't seem particularly low, but people's wages certainly were. And the city is also home to one of the successes stories of Soviet Architecture (yes, they exist!)

Top Picks

• You can't come here and not go and visit Brest Fortress. Transformed into a war memorial in the 1970s, it brings home the enormity of the loss suffered by the Soviet forces in World War Two, or the Great Patriotic War as it's known in Belarus. It was the largest, and I think the most moving, war memorial I ever have visited. And it's free to wander around - just the museums have entry fees (the defense of the fortress museum was the only one I checked out, and it was well worth it).
• If, like me, you have some kind of interest in railways, then the railway museum (on the road between the center and the fortress) is most worthwhile. Bit of a curious place - nobody was there to sell tickets at the desk, so I had to wander inside and find someone to buy one off! The collection is pretty impressive though - much larger than I first expected when I saw it from the road. I may also have misunderstood the price list, but I think they guy charged me the normal adult price rather than the foreigner price too. If there ever was a time to ask for a ticket in Russian... :-)

Photos

St Simon Orthodox Cathedral	View from my hotel window	View from my hotel window
Along Masherava Prospekt	The Mukhavets River	The Mukhavets River
One of many "flags" along the roadside	St Simon Orthodox Cathedral	Sunset view from my hotel window
Sunset view from my hotel window	Sunset view of St Simon Orthodox Cathedral	Night view from my hotel window
Night view from my hotel window	View from my hotel window	Statue by St Simon Orthodox Cathedral
Statue by St Simon Orthodox Cathedral	St Simon Orthodox Cathedral	St Simon Orthodox Cathedral
The Mukhavets River	The Mukhavets River	The Mukhavets River
By the Mukhavets River	Random building in the center	Theater
Road in the center	One of the many streets divided by a park	St Peter's Polish Catholic Church
St Peter's Polish Catholic Church	Lenin Square	Lenin statue
Lenin statue	Government building	Building on Lenin Square
In the Park of Culture and Leisure	Monument in the Park of Culture and Leisure	Wooden carving in the Park of Culture and Leisure
Theater in the Park of Culture and Leisure	In the Park of Culture and Leisure	In the Park of Culture and Leisure
In the Park of Culture and Leisure	In the Park of Culture and Leisure	In the Park of Culture and Leisure
Children's rides	Random interesting looking building in the center	St Nikolaiv Church
St Nikolaiv Church	Curious building next to the center	St Nikolaiv Church
St Nikolaiv Church	Buildings on Mitskevicha Street	Tower
Along Savetskaya Street	Random city shot	The station
Crossing the border, leaving Belarus	Approaching the fortress	Approaching the fortress
The moat	The entrance	The moat
The entrance	The entrance	The entrance
The entrance, from the inside	The entrance, from the inside	The entrance, from the inside
Entrance to what was probably a bunker	Old tanks	The beautiful gardens in the grounds
Part of the moat system	Valour monument and obilisk	Valour monument and obilisk
Looking towards a building housing a museum	The vast, open space in the memorial	Ruins
Ruins	Ruins	Valour monument
Valour monument	Valour monument	Obilisk
Valour monument and obilisk	Valour monument	Valour monument and obilisk
Valour monument	Valour monument	Rememberence of cities that suffered especially in the war
Nikalavisky Church	Valour monument	Valour monument
Valour monument	Valour monument	Nikalavisky Church
Nikalavisky Church	Nikalavisky Church	Nikalavisky Church
Nikalavisky Church	Nikalavisky Church and obilisk	Nikalavisky Church
Valour monument - back	Church, valour monument and obilisk	Restored fortress buildings
Valour monument and obilisk	Old weaponary	Old weaponary
Old weaponary	Valour monument and obilisk - back	Old weaponary
Old weaponary	Kholmiskie Gate	Kholmiskie Gate
Kholmiskie Gate	Kholmiskie Gate	Plaque by the gate
Kholmiskie Gate	Kholmiskie Gate	Kholmiskie Gate
Bridge to Kholmiskie Gate	Bridge to Kholmiskie Gate	Moat
Valour monument	Valour monument	Valour monument
Ruined buildings	Ruined buildings	Valour monument
Valour monument	Valour monument	The eternal flame
Ruined buildings	Looking back towardsthe entrance	Some remaining buildings
Thirst statue	Thirst statue	Thirst statue
The moat	The entrance, from the inside	The entrance, from the inside
The entrance - as I exited	Diesel engine	Diesel engine
Diesel engine	Cab of a diesel locomotive	Cab of a diesel locomotive
Cab of a diesel locomotive	Cab of a diesel locomotive	Diesel engine
Track maintenance vehicle	Track maintenance vehicle	Diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive	USSR plate	Steam locomotive
Diesel locomotive	Possibly-derelict building	Crane
Carriage	Recovery crane	Shunter
Steam locomotive	Steam locomotive	Huge snow plow
Belarus Railways and USSR painted logo	Steam locomotive	USSR plaque
Star logo on locomotive front - as on all of them	Steam locomotive	Diesel locomotive
Possibly a shunter	Inside a steam locomotive	Inside a steam locomotive
Inside a steam locomotive	Inside a steam locomotive	Diesel locomotive
Another USSR logo	Another USSR logo	Steam locomotive
Inside a steam locomotive	Inside a steam locomotive	Inside a steam locomotive
Steam locomotive	Steam locomotive	Another USSR logo
Steam locomotive	Map of the Belarus railway network	Diesel engine
Diesel engine	Paired diesel locomotives	Diesel train controls
Diesel engine	Diesel engine	Diesel train controls
The museum entrance