Brest

The city with almost thousand years of history stands on the banks of the Western Bug and Mukhavets rivers. The city is the Western gate of our country. But as Belarus was a part of different states throughout its history Brest occupied an important position in all those states. The first mentioning of Brest in Chronicles dates back to 1019 under the name Berestye. The fate of the States was repeatedly decided in the city, it was the first one on the territory of modern Belarus to receive Magdebur's right (the right to self-government) in 1390 and in the same year in Berestye castle the Polish king Vladislav II Jagaillo and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitaut signed an agreement under which they promised each other to act as a United front against the crusaders. In 1596 the Brest Church Union was signed in Brest, which marked the beginning of the unification of the Orthodox and Catholic churches in Belarus. And in 1918 the Brest peace Treaty was signed, which marked the exit of Soviet Russia from the First World war.
Nowadays Brest is a large industrial center of Belarus with a population of about 345 thousand people and is one of the regional centers of Belarus.

The most famous sight of the city is the Brest fortress, which started to exist in 1842. It was built on the Western border of the Russian Empire, but in the 20-30s was a part of the Polish Republic. Fortress reached its zenith during the World War II. The heroic garrison of the fortress glorified it far beyond the former USSR. The feat of the defenders of the fortress became a source of inspiration and moral strength for the entire Red Army, for all the people of the former USSR. The memorial complex "Brest fortress-hero" annually attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to Brest. Since the fortress was built on the site of the ancient city, it is now the oldest sight in the city. Among other attractions there is the Catholic Church of the exaltation of the Holy cross, which is located on Lenin Square. In this temple there is one of the seven Belarusian miraculous crowned Catholic icons – mother of God Beresteyskaya, who is the patroness of the city. Nearby there is the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Simeon, where the relics of St. Athanasius are kept. Pedestrian Soviet street is another important attraction of the city. Old buildings, cozy cafes, cute sculptures and a majestic monument to the Millennium of the city are situated on the street. At the beginning of the street there is an alley of kerosene lanterns, which are lit manually by the city lamplighter every day. It is also interesting to see the building of the Brest railway station, restored after the war and resembling one of the Stalin's skyscrapers of Moscow. At the station "Brest" there is a change of wheel sets at the trains, as the railway track of Europe is 86 mm narrower than the railway track of Belarus.