Brest is a city in southwestern Belarus on the border with Poland. The city is first known from the Nestor Chronicle, where in 1019 it was said to have been occupied by the then Kingdom of Kiev. During the following centuries, there were several battles for the city between the princes of the Kingdom of Kiev and Polish regents, before the Mongols destroyed it in 1241. Brest was not rebuilt until 1275, after which it grew and became the first city in present-day Belarus to receive Magdeburg rights. It happened in 1390, and in 1419 the city became the seat of the governor of the region of Trakai. The 16th century started with the burning of Brest by the Crimean Tatars in 1500, after which the city had to be rebuilt again. Throughout the century, Brest also became a meeting place for both the court and bishops.

In the 17th century, Brest was taken by Swedish troops in 1657 and by Russian troops in 1660. The Swedes came again in 1706, and in 1794 Russia under the leadership of Aleksander Suvorov overcame the Polish-Lithuanian army, and Brest became part of Russia the following year. From 1833, Russia built the colossal Brest Fortress, which spread over the site of large parts of the then center. Germany captured the city during World War I, and after the war Brest ended up becoming Polish until 1939 and World War II, when German troops reoccupied the city before the Red Army liberated it in 1944. Since the end of the war, Brest has been part of Belarus.

Today, there are approximately 350,000 inhabitants in Brest, and there are many sights in the city. The largest and best known of them is Brest Fortress, located around the mouth of the river Mukhavets in Western Bug. The fortress entered the history books when Germany attacked on June 22, 1941, and around 200 soldiers defended themselves and held the position against the superior force for eight days. The fortress was awarded the status of Hero Fortress in the Soviet Union for the defense in 1941, and in the 1960s an obelisk was built and an impressive monument to the courage of 1941 was erected in the central area of ​​the fortress. In the fortress you can also see St. Nicholas Garrison Church and visit several museums.

You can take a pleasant walk in the center of Brest as well, where ul. Sovetskaya is the city’s main street. In the street there is a mixture of older buildings and constructions from the later Soviet era, and one of the highlights is the beautiful St. Nicholas Church, which is one of several churches worth seeing in the city. Close to ul. Sovetskaya you can visit the city’s central market, where there is a good atmosphere around the many market stalls. From ul. Sovetskaja you can continue along ul. Pushkinskaya to Lenin Square, Brest’s place for a statue of Soviet leader Lenin. By Lenin Square is Brest’s Catholic Church, and a short walk north from here you can visit the city history museum. Another interesting museum is the city’s railway museum, where you can walk around a lot of historic locomotives.