National Library of Belarus Minsk

Beautiful or ugly?

Iryna from Minsk

"The "National Library of Belarus" in Minsk is a very controversial building - some say it's the ugliest, others the most interesting, but I love its vibes!"

One of the most controversial buildings of Minsk is the National Library of Belarus. A few ratings have listed it as the ugliest building, some others as one of the most beautiful and interesting. But you will never know until you see it on your own! It was built in 2006 and has the shape of a rhombicuboctahedron (can you pronounce from the first time?).

When it’s dark outside I like to visit the rooftop of the building – almost 74 meters high – to see the beautiful lights of the night city and check the exhibition there. To go up there, you need to buy a ticket and use the panoramic elevator where you can also enjoy an amazing view.

At night it also becomes a huge billboard. You can see bright advertisements in a radius of a few kilometers away from the library.

During daytime and opening hours, it’s cool to see the library inside with its glass floors, robotics, bringing books and lots of students and freelancers, working in there. It has an absolutely special vibe!

Art & culture

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Minsk Spotter Iryna

About me I'm a 100% T-shaped person: I can't stick to one thing for a long-long time, I need to explore a few different things in parallel, and preferably right now. Currently, I'm working as a data scientist in an IT company and I really enjoy it! The world is full of data that needs to be explored. So I'm traveling as much as I can, taking pictures and sharing my experience on social media. Why Minsk I've been living here my whole life (except for a year of study in Budapest!). Also, it's a calm and green enough city with a long "life story". I like exploring t...

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Praspiekt Niezaliežnasci 116

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Dec 4, 2025

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