Long Read

minsk is cold and full of concrete but i can't stop thinking about it

@Parker Sloan2/5/2026blog
minsk is cold and full of concrete but i can't stop thinking about it

okay look. i just checked and it's -7°C here right now, feels like -14°C with the wind. hope you like that kind of thing because minsk doesn’t care what you think. this city’s built like someone threw soviet legos into a bowl of pine trees and fog. here’s where it’s hiding:

yeah those coordinates? that’s where your scarf will get stolen by the wind.

white and brown concrete building under white clouds and blue sky during daytime

someone told me victory square looks crazy after rain, like the puddles mirror those brutalist buildings until a bus splashes it all to hell. the parks? fine, i guess. chelyuskinites is just woods pretending to be civilized. but the air smells like frozen dirt and exhaust, which is weirdly comforting. if you get bored, logoisk and borisov are just a short drive away. though why you’d leave a city where the metro stations look like fallout shelters with chandeliers is beyond me.

aerial view of city buildings during daytime

two million people live here and half of them are probably muttering about the weather. someone told me the nyamiha river’s underground now, which feels symbolic. it’s a city that got erased in wwii and rebuilt like a concrete hedgehog. also the sidewalks are 80% ice in winter but bulrush surrounding shops sell these hot mushroom pastries that make you forget your toes are numb.

brown and white concrete building under blue sky during daytime

bring layers. bring vodka. don’t trust the april sunshine because it’s absolutely lying to you.


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About the author: Parker Sloan

Passionate about the future, but rooted in the present.

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