Antonaŭski is one of the parks comprised in the Sliapianskaja Water System, the longest man-made park complex both in Minsk and in the world. I bet you didn’t know that the latter is one of the four architectural objects in Belarus included in the Encyclopedia of World Architecture (no worries, locals don’t know about it either!). This 24.5-km park complex with 14 decorative lakes and 13 unique cascades (finalized in 1980s) is one of the most significant achievements of Soviet landscape architecture.

Antonaŭski is one of the oldest (1928) parks in Minsk and one of the easiest ways to enter Traktarahorad (check out my article!). It’s a dreamy place for long walks, city birdwatching and family photo sessions. The hill at the dead-end of the park is the only reminder about the country residence built by the Archbishop Antony Zubko in mid-19th c. The red metro line passes right under it today.

It is not in the city centre and you are more likely to encounter locals walking their dogs than tourists along the way. If you also fancy taking it slow, there is no better way than timing your stroll on a sunny morning to witness the baby ducklings learning to swim in spring, old men playing checkers and backgammon in summer, the kaleidoscope of colours the park offers in autumn or the winter extravaganza.