VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
The earliest references to the city of Minsk, with the ancient name of Miensk, date to 1067, the year when battle on the river Nemiga occurred. The city served as a southern outpost for the medieval Principality of Polatsk later to become the centre of Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Minsk was named capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1919.
The city is located on the banks of the Svislach River, which flows into the Berezina River. Minsk has a total area is 229 square kilometres and a population of about 1.7 million people, with Belarusians accounting for over 70% of the city's residents. Apart from Belarusians, Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Jews, and other smaller ethnic groups live in the capital.
Minsk is divided into nine administrative districts. Since January 15, 1938, the city has been the administrative centre of the Minsk Region. The city is governed by Minsk City Council, with Mikhail Pavlov as the city mayor.
The city was completely destroyed during World War II and rebuilt during the post-war period. One of the city's most vivid sites is the so-called Upper Town, located along the banks of the Svislach River and running up to Independence Square, with the Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary.
Among architectural and historic sites are the city's suburbs of Troitsky and Rakovsky, the fortified church of Sts. Peter and Paul, and the house where the first congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party met.
Minsk has an extensive transport infrastructure, which includes three circular roads. The city's underground metro system has two lines, with a total of 25 stations. Minsk's new railway terminal was opened on May 1, 2001. The city has a central bus station and two airports.
Minsk is the major industrial centre of Belarus. The city's key industries are mechanical engineering, metalworking, instrument making, electronic engineering, light and food industry. Minsk is a production site for tractors, motorcycles, bicycles, refrigerators and other household appliances. The city's biggest industrial manufacturers are the Minsk Tractor Plant, Minsk Automobile Plant, Minsk Instrument Making Plant, Research and Production Association Integral, Minsk Production Association Gorizont, Atlant company and other enterprises.
A total of 21institutions of higher education are located in Minsk, including Belarusian State University.
The city has a total of 92 foreign diplomatic missions accredited to Belarus, including 63 which also have offices in Moscow, Vilnius, Kiev and Warsaw. Operating in Minsk are 7 consulates and 11 representative offices of international companies, as well as the office of the CIS Executive Committee. The Russian Embassy to Belarus was opened on September 22, 1992, while the Consulate General of Russia in the city of Brest started operating on November 30, 1994.
