The National Museum of Culture and History of Belarus

The leading Museum of the historic profile of the Republic of Belarus is the biggest collection of the monuments of material and spiritual culture of the Belarusian people from the ancient times to our days. Chronological frames of the museum fund are from 40, 000 B.C. to present time. Several collections of the museum are of special value:

• The biggest archeological collection in Belarus. Collection of materials on the history of primeval society includes hunting, fishing, and agricultural instruments, domestic and ritual articles, ancient works of art and adornment.
• Manuscripts and block letter books.
• Collection "Belarusian folk costume" features both everyday and festal, ceremonial Belarusian clothes; there for

are costumes of different age and social groups of population.
• Collection of numismatics.
• Exposition "The ancient Belarus".
• Exposition "Old heraldry of Belarus". Practically all the exhibits of the exposition are presented to the public the first time. The authors of the exhibition tried to personify the heraldry and tell about the carriers of heraldic traditions.

The museum was established in 1957 as a museum of local lore, history and economy. In 1991 it was reorganized to the National museum. In 1967, the museum was opened for visitors. At present, approximately 100,000 visitors attend the museum annually.

National Arts Museum of the Republic Belarus

The National Arts Museum is the biggest museum in the Republic of Belarus. The basis of the collection was created in the first decades of the 20th century. During World War II the museum was plundered by the Nazi. The fate of the collection remains one of the greatest mysteries of the twentieth century. During the post-war period, due to the enthusiasm and dedicated work of the museum's workers, it was reconstructed. In 1957, the Art Gallery was renamed and moved to the new building. In 1999, the museum received its national status.

Nowadays there are more than 25,600 exhibits. And the biggest collections of the museum are:

• Collection of Modern Belarusian art (painting, sculpture, drawing, works of applied art)
• National Belarusian Art (17-20th century)
• Ancient Belarusian Art (paintings, icons, ceramics, porcelain, arts and crafts of Belarus)
• Manuscripts and old printed books (16-19th century)
• West European Art (16-20th century)
• Russian Art (18-20th century)

The Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War

The Belarusian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War is the largest depository of historical documents and relics of 1941-1945. On June 2, 1942 the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus had created the Commission responsible of collecting materials evidence of the courage and heroism of the Belarusian people in the Great Patriotic War. The Commission members managed to collect together unique homemade weapons, documents, photographs, uniforms, newspapers and magazines published underground, trophies as well as personal things of solders. Wide collection of unique drawings and paintings includes rare works by professional artists and amateurs, ordinary soldiers, who tried to reflect the horrors of war in their drafts. The first collected materials were exhibited in Moscow in the Sate Historical Museum in November 1942. Then the exhibition called "Belarus Alive Belarus Fighting" was brought back to Minsk. For some decades, this museum was the first and only museum on the territory of the former USSR that dealt with the Great Patriotic War.

Since 1966, the museum is located in a tailor-made building in the center of Minsk.

Today its holding counts in total more than 137,000 exhibits and some auxiliary material. The museum's collection increases one thousand specimens annually.