ГРОДНО 2002

Visit to Minsk

There were some other IAESTE and IAAS exchange students in Belaurs. Alexander, Elena, Viktor, Pavel, Vladimir and Juri organised a weekend-trip for us to Minsk and Grodno.

The bus journey to Minsk takes 4-5 hours, so there is a lot of time to look out of the window!

A Belorussian village.

There are some stops in towns where people get in or out of the bus. It is a good opportunity to go out to move for some minutes and to supply different wants :-).

And finally the first buildings of Minsk appeared.

This is the bus station in the center of Minsk, near the railway station.

The new railway station of Minsk.

Minsk is a big city with 1.5 mio people living there. It was almost completely destroyed after World War II, and then rebuild in a very interesting structure: Long, nearly straight "prospekti" from the centre to the outskirts find their continuation in the highways to Moscow, Warsaw, Vilnius and Kiev. This is the main "prospekt", Skarini, heading in direction of Moscow.

This obelisk on the right is devoted to the heroes of Minsk. The monument was build 1985 and is 45 m high.

Our group of exchange students and our belarussian guides on Oktjabrskaja square in the centre of Minsk. In the background, the Great Patriotic War museum and the theatre can be seen.
Except of a group of Germans in the train from Gomel to Minsk, they were the only people from western europe that I have met during my time in Belarus!

A wonderful flat was organized for us by the people responsible for the exchange. It was our base to explore Minsk.
In the evening we planned to go to a disco, but ...

Uladzimir, the great musician and composer with his bajan (accordeon). He was our entertainer and made us familiar with traditional folk music.
I think the meldodies are still playing in all our minds.

Next day we visited the big market hall near Jakub Kolas square.

In a park next to Leningradskaja street. Many other such funny statues are standing there.

Very early in the morning, we arrived in Grodno. Pavel organised some beds for us in a student hostel. So we went first there to sleep for a little. And then Pavel showed us the centre of Grodno.

Our group together with Ivan in front of the Agrarian University of Grodno. Ivan is a professor there.

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	The bus journey to Minsk takes 4-5 hours, so there is a lot of time to look out of the window!
	A Belorussian village.
	There are some stops in towns where people get in or out of the bus. It is a good opportunity to go out to move for some minutes and to supply different wants :-).
	And finally the first buildings of Minsk appeared.
	This is the bus station in the center of Minsk, near the railway station.
	The new railway station of Minsk.
	Minsk is a big city with 1.5 mio people living there. It was almost completely destroyed after World War II, and then rebuild in a very interesting structure: Long, nearly straight "prospekti" from the centre to the outskirts find their continuation in the highways to Moscow, Warsaw, Vilnius and Kiev. This is the main "prospekt", Skarini, heading in direction of Moscow.
	This obelisk on the right is devoted to the heroes of Minsk. The monument was build 1985 and is 45 m high.
	Our group of exchange students and our belarussian guides on Oktjabrskaja square in the centre of Minsk. In the background, the Great Patriotic War museum and the theatre can be seen. Except of a group of Germans in the train from Gomel to Minsk, they were the only people from western europe that I have met during my time in Belarus!
	A wonderful flat was organized for us by the people responsible for the exchange. It was our base to explore Minsk. In the evening we planned to go to a disco, but ...
	Uladzimir, the great musician and composer with his bajan (accordeon). He was our entertainer and made us familiar with traditional folk music. I think the meldodies are still playing in all our minds.
	Next day we visited the big market hall near Jakub Kolas square.
	In a park next to Leningradskaja street. Many other such funny statues are standing there.
	Very early in the morning, we arrived in Grodno. Pavel organised some beds for us in a student hostel. So we went first there to sleep for a little. And then Pavel showed us the centre of Grodno.
	Our group together with Ivan in front of the Agrarian University of Grodno. Ivan is a professor there.