# Great Patriotic War Museum, Minsk > The Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum is the country's main Second World War museum: ten halls plus a glass-domed Hall of Victory at Pobediteley (Victors) Avenue 8. Adult tickets are **20 BYN**; it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–19:00, last entry 18:30, and is closed on Mondays. Allow 2–3 hours — it is big, and an English audio guide is available. Web page: https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-war-museum - City: [Minsk](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk), Belarus - YesGo score: 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 2 h - Entry: 20 BYN; students 16, pupils 10 - With kids: Fine with kids - Adult ticket: 20 BYN — same price for foreign visitors - Students: 16 BYN — college and university - School pupils: 10 BYN - Free: Under-7s, war veterans, visitors with disabilities - Every third Tuesday: Cheaper: 13 / 10.50 / 6.50 BYN — check the date on the museum's website - Audio guide: 10 BYN, leave any ID as a deposit; English, German, French, Chinese, Turkish, Russian, Belarusian - Guided tour in English: 70 BYN per group (English or French), plus entry tickets - Opening hours: 10:00–19:00, ticket desk and last entry 18:30 - Closed: Mondays; closes an hour early before public holidays - Li-2 aircraft outside: Free, Sundays 11:00–18:00, May to September, weather permitting - Address: Pobediteley Avenue 8 (Praspiekt Pieramožcaŭ), Minsk - Phone: +375 17 203-08-72 - Getting there: Metro Nyamiha, then bus 1, 69, 73 or 91 from the Palats Sportu stop - English labels: Captions in Belarusian, Russian and English - Paying: Foreign Visa and Mastercard usually work; carry some BYN cash - Coordinates: 53.91631, 27.53789 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **10 halls** — of permanent exhibition in date order, plus the Hall of Victory (source: Official museum website (warmuseum.by); English Wikipedia) - **2 July 2014** — the current building opened, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Belarus's liberation (source: Minsk tourism portal (minsktourism.by); Russian Wikipedia; Znai Svoi Krai (my-places.by)) - **October 1944** — the museum first opened in newly liberated Minsk, in one of the few buildings left standing (source: Russian Wikipedia; Tonkosti.ru; English Wikipedia (gives 25 October; Russian sources say the 22nd)) - **1942** — collecting began while the war was still going on (source: Znai Svoi Krai; Tonkosti.ru; English Wikipedia) - **Glass dome** — crowns the building over the Hall of Victory, its walls lined with the names of Heroes of the Soviet Union (source: Russian Wikipedia; Tonkosti.ru; Dark-tourism.com) - **4 floors** — of exhibition; the whole museum covers more than 15,000 m² (source: Russian Wikipedia; Znai Svoi Krai) - **Tanks and planes** — stand inside the halls, beside life-size dioramas (source: Dark-tourism.com; Znai Svoi Krai) - **One ensemble** — the museum and the Minsk Hero City obelisk were designed together (source: Russian Wikipedia; Znai Svoi Krai) - **1985** — the 45-metre Hero City obelisk was unveiled for the 40th anniversary of Victory (source: English Wikipedia: Minsk Hero City Obelisk; Sputnik8 and In Your Pocket obelisk listings) - **1966–2014** — the museum's previous home at Lenin (now Independence) Avenue 25a — that building no longer exists (source: Russian Wikipedia; Dark-tourism.com) ## Great Patriotic War Museum tickets and prices An adult ticket is **20 BYN**; college and university students pay 16 and school pupils 10. Under-7s get in free. There is no separate foreigner rate — you pay the same as locals. On every third Tuesday of the month prices drop to 13, 10.50 and 6.50 BYN, though the museum warns the date can move, so check its website first. Buy at the ticket desk or online through the link on the museum's website. Keep the ticket and receipt until you leave — staff check them at the entrance. The **audio guide** costs 10 BYN and comes in English, German, French, Chinese and Turkish as well as Russian and Belarusian; you leave any ID as a deposit. A guided overview tour in English or French is 70 BYN per group on top of entry tickets — book it by phone on +375 17 203-07-92 or through the same number on Viber and Telegram. > **Closed on Mondays — last entry 18:30** The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–19:00, but the ticket desk and entrance close at 18:30, and on the day before a public holiday everything shuts an hour early. Arrive by 16:30 at the latest: ten halls in under two hours means rushing past most of it. > **Paying in Belarus** Prices are in Belarusian rubles (BYN). Foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard cards usually work in Minsk, but terminals sometimes decline them because of sanctions — this is unofficial — so take some BYN from an ATM before you set off. ## How to get to the Great Patriotic War Museum 1. From the Town Hall on Freedom Square, walk 5–7 minutes downhill along Nyamiha street to **Nyamiha** metro station. 2. By the station, find the **Palats Sportu** (Palace of Sports) bus stop on Pobediteley Avenue. 3. Take bus **1, 69, 73 or 91** a few stops to “Muzei istorii Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny” — the museum stop. 4. Or walk: about 25 minutes from Nyamiha along Pobediteley Avenue, past the Palace of Sports and the Svislach river. 5. Look for the tall stele topped by a star — the museum building is right behind it. ## Is the Great Patriotic War Museum worth it? Yes, if you want to understand Belarus. The war killed a huge share of the country's people and still shapes how it sees itself, and this museum is where that story is told most fully. The building alone — a steel “salute” under a glass dome — is worth the trip up Pobediteley Avenue. Go in knowing it is the Soviet and Belarusian view of the war: the focus is on occupation, partisans and the Red Army, with little on the Western Allies. Some halls are hard going. If you only have one day and museums aren't your thing, see the obelisk from outside and walk on to the [Island of Tears](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/island-of-tears). ## How long do you need? Plan on **2–3 hours**. There are ten halls over four floors, packed with letters, orders, hand-made partisan newspapers and weapons, and the big tanks and aircraft are inside. In an hour you see the hardware and miss the story. Weekday mornings are calmest; at weekends school and tour groups fill the halls. With an audio guide you can move at your own pace and skip what you like. ## What the museum is Collecting began in **1942**, and the museum opened in October 1944 in a Minsk that had just been liberated, while the fighting further west was still going on. From the 1960s it stood on what is now Independence Avenue; in 2014 it moved to this purpose-built home. The new building opened on **2 July 2014**, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Belarus's liberation, with the presidents of Belarus and Russia at the ceremony. Architecturally it forms one ensemble with the 1985 Minsk Hero City obelisk in front of it, so you see them together as you cross the square. ## What to see inside - **The Road of War** — a gallery that links the halls covering the four years of the war. - The hall on the first months of the war and the Battle of Moscow in 1941–1942. - **The occupation hall** — the hardest room, on the camps, ghettos and burned villages of Belarus. - **The partisan hall** — the most distinctly Belarusian part of the museum, on forest brigades and the underground in the cities. - The liberation of Belarus and the defeat of Germany and Japan. - Aircraft hanging from the ceiling and life-size dioramas beside the armour. - **The Hall of Victory** under the glass dome — the finale, with the names of Heroes of the Soviet Union on the walls. - The **Li-2** transport plane outside — free to see on Sundays from May to September. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] It is not Monday - [ ] I'll be at the desk before 18:30 with 2–3 hours to spare - [ ] Card that works abroad, plus some BYN cash - [ ] ID to leave for the English audio guide - [ ] Student card, if I have one - [ ] Only bottled water — no coffee cups or flasks ## War Museum vs Khatyn vs Victory Square | | War Museum | Khatyn | Victory Square | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Big museum: ten halls and the Hall of Victory | Memorial on the site of a burned village | Obelisk, Eternal Flame and underground hall | | Where | Pobediteley Avenue, central | ≈ 60 km from Minsk | Independence Avenue, central | | Entry | 20 BYN | Memorial free, museum paid | Free | | Closed | Monday | Monday | Never | | Time needed | 2–3 h | 1.5–2 h plus the drive | 20–30 min | The museum gives you the whole picture; [Khatyn](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/khatyn-memorial) gives you one story you won't forget. Short on time? [Victory Square](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-victory-square) sits on top of a metro station and takes half an hour. ## Historic sights in Minsk compared Every historic sight in Minsk rated by YesGo. - [Trinity Suburb](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/trinity-suburb) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; museums extra - [Minsk Town Hall and Upper Town](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-town-hall) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 10 BYN, square free - [Red Church (Church of Saints Simon and Helena)](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-red-church) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Closed inside, outside free - [Independence Square](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-independence-square) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free, open 24/7 - [Island of Tears](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/island-of-tears) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Victory Square](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-victory-square) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free, open 24 hours - [Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-war-museum) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · 20 BYN; students 16, pupils 10 - [Khatyn Memorial](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/khatyn-memorial) — YesGo score 28/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Memorial free, museum ≈ 8 BYN - [Dudutki Museum Complex](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/dudutki) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · 30 BYN, schoolchildren 15 BYN ## The War Museum and old Minsk in a day A morning at the museum, then down Pobediteley Avenue to the Island of Tears and Trinity Suburb, and an evening at the Town Hall. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and walks. 1. [Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-war-museum) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · 20 BYN; students 16, pupils 10 2. [Island of Tears](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/island-of-tears) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free 3. [Trinity Suburb](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/trinity-suburb) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; museums extra 4. [Minsk Town Hall and Upper Town](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/minsk-town-hall) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · 10 BYN, square free ## Good to know Old guidebooks and some map listings still put the museum at Independence Avenue 25a — that building has gone; since 2014 it is at Pobediteley Avenue 8. Street and stop names are transliterated from Belarusian or Russian, so you may see Pobediteley, Pieramožcaŭ or Victors Avenue — all the same road. This is not the Victory Museum in Moscow, nor the war museum in Kyiv. ## Tips - Take the English audio guide — it walks you through the halls in the right order, and the captions alone don't tell the whole story. - On every third Tuesday of the month the adult ticket is 13 BYN instead of 20 — confirm the date on the museum's website. - Visiting on a summer Sunday? Step outside to the Li-2 aircraft; it's free. - Walk back downhill along Pobediteley Avenue — in half an hour you reach the Island of Tears and [Trinity Suburb](https://yesgo.io/belarus/minsk/trinity-suburb). - Only bottled water is allowed in — leave coffee cups and flasks outside. - Video and audio recording of guided tours is not allowed under the museum's rules. ## Questions ### How much is the ticket to the Great Patriotic War Museum in Minsk? 20 BYN for adults, 16 for students and 10 for school pupils; under-7s are free. There is no separate price for foreign visitors. ### What are the opening hours? Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–19:00, with last entry and ticket sales at 18:30. It closes an hour early before public holidays. ### Is the museum open on Monday? No — Monday is the museum's closing day every week. ### Is there an English audio guide? Yes. It costs 10 BYN and you leave any ID as a deposit. It also comes in German, French, Chinese and Turkish. ### Can I book a guided tour in English? Yes, an overview tour in English or French costs 70 BYN per group plus entry tickets. Book on +375 17 203-07-92, also on Viber and Telegram. ### How do I get to the Great Patriotic War Museum? Metro to Nyamiha, then bus 1, 69, 73 or 91 from the Palats Sportu stop to the museum stop. Walking from Nyamiha takes about 25 minutes. ### How long does the museum take? 2–3 hours for the ten halls and the Hall of Victory. Under an hour you only see the tanks. ### Is the Great Patriotic War Museum worth visiting? Yes — it is the fullest account of what the war meant for Belarus, in a striking building. Expect a Soviet and Belarusian perspective and some hard-hitting halls. ### Can I pay by card? Prices are in BYN. Foreign Visa and Mastercard usually work in Minsk, but can be declined — carry some cash from an ATM as a backup. This is unofficial. ### Is it suitable for children? Older children, yes; under-7s go free. The occupation hall is harrowing, so move through it quickly with young kids. ## How we checked Prices, hours, closing day, audio guide, tours, visitor rules, address and buses from Nyamiha come from the museum's official website. Historical facts are checked against at least two sources. Where they differ we say so: the 1944 opening is 22 October in Russian sources and 25 October in English Wikipedia, so we write “October 1944”; the exhibition floor area ranges from 3,000 to 4,200 m² between sources, so we leave it out. The walking time from Nyamiha is our own map estimate. English captions and card payments are unofficial and marked as checking. ## Sources - Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War (warmuseum.by): opening hours and prices, contacts, visitor rules, halls, 30.10.2026 - English and Russian Wikipedia: Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum; Wikidata Q2073524 - English Wikipedia: Minsk Hero City Obelisk - Minsk tourism portal (minsktourism.by): museum listing - Znai Svoi Krai (my-places.by): Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, Minsk - Tonkosti.ru: Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War in Minsk - Dark-tourism.com: Great Patriotic War Museum, Minsk - ATM Fee Saver, Interfax — card payments in Belarus --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.