National Library of Belarus, Minsk

Observation deck tickets and opening hours

The lift to the observation deck costs 15 BYN per person, or 10 BYN for students and school pupils, and the ticket gives you 60 minutes at the top. The ticket desk is open every day from 12:00 to 22:30, the last lift goes up at 22:30 and the deck closes at 23:00. You do not need a library card.

Tickets are sold at the desk at the back of the building. It closes for 15 minutes at 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 and 20:00 — if you are aiming for sunset, arrive a little early rather than right on one of those breaks.

Paying: prices are in Belarusian roubles (BYN). Foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard cards work in Belarus, but not reliably, and American Express is unlikely to work — bring some BYN cash from an ATM in the city centre.

Is the National Library of Belarus worth visiting?

Yes — it is the best way to see Minsk from above, and the building itself is one of the most unusual in the former Soviet Union. Budget about an hour. If you only care about the old town and churches, you can skip it; but for a first evening in Minsk, a sunset on the roof followed by the light show is hard to beat.

It is about 12 minutes by metro from the centre, so it fits easily into an afternoon or evening. Daytime visits are fine for the views; the building looks its best after dark.

The light show: when the library glows at night

The whole glass skin of the building doubles as a giant screen. According to the Media Architecture Biennale, 4,646 colour-changing LED fixtures were installed around it. After sunset the façade cycles through patterns, flags and images until late evening.

The best plan: go up about half an hour before sunset, watch the city change colour, then come down and look back at the building. The full silhouette is best seen from Independence Avenue near Uschod station or from the Svislach river bank behind the library.

What to see at the library

• The rooftop deck — Independence Avenue running towards the centre, the Svislach and miles of city.
• The indoor deck on floor 22 — glass-walled, warm and handy in rain or winter.
• The panoramic lift with a glass wall, which makes the ride up part of the show.
• The Book Museum — the history of Belarusian printing and rare editions from the collection; easiest to see on a guided tour.
• Four galleries (Atrium, Labyrinth, Rakurs, Panorama) with changing exhibitions — the gallery complex costs 3 BYN.
• The Francysk Skaryna statue — the 16th-century printer and humanist, book in hand, by the main entrance.
• The LED façade after dark.

Why is it shaped like a diamond?

The building was designed by architects Mikhail Vinogradov and Viktor Kramarenko; construction started in 2002 and the new library opened on 16 June 2006. The main volume is a rhombicuboctahedron — a solid with 26 faces — set on a curved three-storey base, which is why locals call it the Belarusian diamond.

The faceted tower holds the book stacks, with about 10 million items, and the building weighs some 115,000 tonnes before a single book goes in. The library itself dates from 1922.

The library vs other Minsk evening sights

Only the library gives you the whole city from above. With one evening, start here at sunset and take the metro back to the centre.

How to do it right

• Go up half an hour before sunset, then watch the LED façade from the avenue.
• Students and school pupils pay 10 BYN — bring your ID.
• The rooftop is exposed and windy even in summer; take a jacket.
• The café is on floor 22, on the same level as the indoor deck — good for a coffee with a view.
• Guided tours cost more after 18:00, so book a tour by day and save the deck for the evening.
• Four metro stops take you to Victory Square for the rest of the evening.

Questions