Museums of national history, culture, and arts
The Night of Museums in Grodno State Museum of History and Archaeology
Among the museums and ethnographic complexes dedicated to the historical and cultural legacy of Belarus the largest and richest collections are represented in:
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The Vitebsk Art Museum
Art connoisseurs, in particular, those who appreciate pictorial arts, sculpture, music, theater and cinema, can get familiar with masterpieces by talented Belarusian artists of various centuries in the relevant museums where rare exhibits are collected. Such treasuries include:
National Center for Contemporary Arts of Belarus
One of the youngest museums in the country, it demonstrates a panorama of top trends in modern Belarusian art. It offers six collections and about 4,500 exhibits created by outstanding painters, graphic artists, sculptors, masters of decorative and applied arts as well as poster art. The collections feature works by Leonid Shchemelev, Alexander Kishchenko, Gavriil Vashchenko, Anatoly Kuznetsov, Vladimir Tovstik, Vladimir Kozhukh, Vladimir Zinkevich, Anatoly Baranovsky, Nikolai Isayonok and other artists. The museum also acts as a venue for cultural projects. It hosts conferences, plain air sessions, lectures, exhibitions and master classes. Works by artists from various countries are also showcased there.
Where: 47 Nezavisimosti Avenue, Minsk
Opening hours: 11:00-19:00 from Tuesday through Saturday, 13:00-21:00 in Wednesday, day off – Sunday, Monday
State Museum of Theater and Music Culture History of the Republic of Belarus
The museum tells the story of the development of music and theater in Belarus. The collection unites over 25,000 exhibits: ancient music instruments, musical notations, personal documents of famous artists, concert programs, rare audio and video recordings, producers’ documents, scenery designs and costume sketches. Visitors have a chance to learn about important events in the theater life of the 20th century, plays of that time, get familiar with the works of Belarusian outstanding actors, among whom are Stefania Staniouta, Larisa Aleksandrovskaya, theater and screen actors Nikolai Yeremenko and his son Nikolai Yeremenko junior, composer Yevgeny Glebov…
Where: 5 Muzykalny Lane, Minsk
Opening hours: 10.00-17.30 daily
Museum of History of Belarusian Cinematography
The museum situated in the building of the first half of the 20th century was founded in 1966 as part of the Belarusfilm Studio. Today it is the biggest treasury of the national cinematography classics, the historical chronicles of art development in Belarus. A tour around the museum will guarantee a wide familiarization with the gold reserves of the Belarusian cinematography, the best films of national filmmakers that brought their creators fame and the people’s love. A special feature of the museum is a combination of its object and screen exposition: video archives include over 2 000 films. Visitors may watch a film from the retro program and the museum funds in a cinema hall on the ground floor.
Where: 4 Sverdlova Street, Minsk
Opening hours: 10.00-19.00, day off – Monday
Museum of Old Belarusian Culture of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Opened in 1977 to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences, the museum keeps the artifacts collected during ethnographic expeditions around Belarus. These rarities were studied to develop popular encyclopedic editions: Belarusian Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Literature and Art of Belarus, History of Belarusian Art. Visitors have a chance to see nearly 30,000 monuments that make up 14 collections, including the ones brought from the areas affected by the Chernobyl accident. Bearing special value are the runic texts of the Scandinavian origin, the country’s biggest collection of the Belarusian national costume, and also Belarus’ second biggest collection of icon painting.
Where: Building 2, 1 Surganova Street, Minsk
Working hours: 09.00-17.30, day off – Saturday, Sunday
Grodno State Museum of the History of Religion
The only museum of the history of religion in the country is located in the heart of the most multicultural city of Belarus, Grodno. The museum is dedicated to the development and diffusion of ancient faiths, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Its holdings comprise over 68,000 items, including such rare artifacts as ‘snake amulets’ dating back to the 13th-18th centuries, the liturgical book Roman Missal published in 1586, the Gospel and the Liturgical Book for Nuns printed in Vilnius in the 17th century. Archaeological sites and works of applied and decorative art, such as old books, prints, musical instruments, wooden statutes of saints, and icons, attract particular attention.
Where: 16 Zamkovaya Street, Grodno
Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 daily, except Monday
Museum of Architectural Miniatures "Strana Mini"
Belarus’ only museum of miniature architectural models "Strana mini" (The Country in Miniature) is a unique cultural space where visitors can see the replicas of the most important landmarks of the country in one place. Today its exposition includes 18 interactive layouts and will be expanded. Among them are such "architectural gems" of Belarus as the Radziwill palace at Nesvizh, Holy Dormition Monastery in Zhirovichy, the Palace of the Rumiantsevs and Paskevichs in Gomel, Brest Fortress... There is also an authentic photo-zone "Belarusian Wooden House", a souvenir shop and a relaxation area, and also a conference hall and a children's creative studio that host interesting master classes, lectures and seminars.
Where: 25 Prospekt Nezavisimosti (Palace of Culture of Trade Unions), Minsk
Opening hours: 11.00-20.00 daily
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