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Belarus, a new European state situated between the West and Russia and created
as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, has always been
an important point of cultural dialogue. For centuries Belarus was part of large
state and international alliances -- the union of principalities united around
Kiev, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Commonwealth of Poland, and finally, the
Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.
As a result of its central location, Belarus has developed a tradition of humanistic
education that was in contact with cultural centers in Italy, Germany, France
since the 16th century, and later Russia.
Cultural variety is a distinguishing feature of Belarusian life. Various cultural
traditions connected with different national and confessional sources have long
been in contact with each other within one country.
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Belarus owes its place in modern culture to Vitebsk. This city in the north-east
of the country was in the vanguard of the Belarusian contribution to modern culture
in the early 20th century. Mark Chagall, Kazimir Malevich and other masters of
modern art trace their roots to Vitebsk.
Minsk, capital of Belarus, was first mentioned in the historical chronicles
in 1067. In the Middle Ages the city was the center of a small principality. In
the 15th-18th centuries Minsk became a large industrial and trade center. After
the second division of the Commonwealth of Poland (1793) the city entered Russia
and became the administrative center of Minsk province. Today, Minsk, the capital
of a new European state, is the seat of the executive and legislative branches
of the government of Belarus. Numerous cultural and academic establishments, and
large industrial complexes are also situated there.
Belarus has always been identified by its tolerant and peaceful people. |
