Minsk observatory (the only public one in Belarus) is by far my favourite place to spend a sleepless night out. Isn’t it a perfect alternative to Zybickaya and Kastryčnickaja streets crowded with hopeless bar-hoppers after all? 🙂

The ancient German telescope dating back to the early 19th century lets visitors explore Saturn’s rings, lunar craters, other peculiar planets, binary stars, star clusters, and galaxies. It’s not NASA’s Hubble telescope (not even close!), but some things are better the old-fashioned way. The observatory caretaker’s great taste in music definitely adds to the space journey.

Observation is only possible on cloudless days, from late March to November. And remember that full moon nights are the worst ones to watch the Earth’s satellite (it’s just one of the most popular novice traps). On the plus side, admission to the observatory is always free of charge.

Beware this romantic experience might be the best memory you can bring back home from your trip to Minsk!