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Brest (Belarus)

Introduction

Brest Fortress

Brest is located right on the border between Belarus and Poland (nearest Polish town is Terespol), in the southwest of Belarus. It has a population of roughly 300,000 people. It is located on the Western Bug river about 200 kilometres from Warsaw and 330 kilometres from Minsk. The city has a rather turbulent history having been a part of Poland, Germany (occupied during World War II) and the U.S.S.R. before it became part of Belarus in 1991. Hitler chose Brest as the starting point for his invasion of the Soviet Union. The defence of the fortress of Brest became an act of heroism against the German aggression, when the fortress could be held for 9 days against the mighty German Wehrmacht.

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Sights and Activities

Brest Fortress

The main sight to see in Brest is the Fortress of Brest. A majestic Soviet style war memorial (Bresckaia Krepasc) was built within the fortress after the second World War to commemorate the defenders of the Fortress during the 1941 battle.

Other Sights and Activities

Archeological museum of the old city Berestye - located within the Brest Fortress
The Museum of Recovered Values where objects of great cultural value (mostly icons) prevented from smuggling are exhibited
The Museum of Railway Vehicles - on the way to Brest Fortress
The Museum of the city history
The Museum of the Fortress Defense - on the right from the central alley

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Weather

Brest has a continental climate with generally warm sunny summers and cold winters with regular snowfall. Daytime temperatures in summer (June to September) are around 25 °C, in winter (December to February) around -3 °C degrees Celsius. Average nighttemperatures are around 15 °C in summer and -10 °C in winter but it can drop below -25 °C sometimes. Precipitation is fairly even during the year, although July and August are somewhat wetter. Winters have snowfall.

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Getting There

By Plane

Belavia, the national airline of Belarus, has connections to/from Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave in between Poland and Lithuania.

By Train

Polish Railways offers regular connections to/from Warsaw and other Polish places, including the town on the other side of the border, Terespol. There are additional commuter trains between Brest and Terespol.
Belarus Railways offers connections to/from Minsk and other cities in Belarus.
Russian Railways offers many connections to cities like Moscow, Murmansk, Sochi, St. Petersburg and even Irkutsk, and Astana in Kazakhstan. Most of these trains go about twice a week, some more.

By Car

There are car connections across the border with Poland. You can ask for a ride with some of the drivers crossing the border, or just take a car on both sides and walk across.

By Bus

Buses connect Brest with cities in Poland and Belarus.

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Getting Around

By Car

Navigation is easy - Moskovskaya Street and Prospect Masherova make the central highway that culminates in Brest Fortress.

By Foot

Might be quite a walk, perhaps a daily walk dedicated mostly to the vast ruins of the Brest Fortress. The old town of Brest is a block of streets that lie to the east from the fortress, the central one being Sovetskaya pedestrian street.

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Eat

A reasonably priced cafe is located in Brestsky Sports Complex, ground floor. A cafe within the Brest Fortress is a stylish Soviet place, but the menu is overpriced. A posh place to dine is Jules Verne restaurant, 29 Gogolya Street - just up the street from the Brest Stadium.

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Sleep

Property	Address	Type	Popularity
Click Apartments	Naberezhanya F. Skoryny 36-92	Apartment	-
In-Zarechnaya-Street Farmestad	8 Zarechnaya Street, Urochische Dershovo, Peski -1 Village, Kobrin District, Brest District	Guesthouse	-

Budget

TPID	Property	Address	Type	Latitude	Longitude
25781	Brest - East	Molodogvardeiskaya 3/1	Apartment
25782	Click Apartments	Naberezhanya F. Skoryny 36-92	Apartment	52.0845695000000	23.7175941000000
25783	In-Zarechnaya-Street Farmestad	8 Zarechnaya Street, Urochische Dershovo, Peski -1 Village, Kobrin District, Brest District	Guesthouse	52.2029778000000	24.2437362000000

One of the budget bookable places is the 5 Rings/Pyat Kolets Hotel located inside the Brestsky Sports Complex in Gogolya Street. The hotel reception speaks English and is probably the most efficient one in Belarus budget hotels.

Mid-Range

A classical mid-range hotel option in Brest would be Vesta Hotel, 3 stars and a substantial buffet breakfast, located 100 metres away from the Museum of the Recovered Values or Pyat Kolets Hotel.