Book Shops
You’ll find guidebooks, dictionaries and Harry Potter mania in the city centre book shops. There’s a good selection of guides available covering most major towns and nature reserves nowadays. While they are usually in Russian, many now have English language sections. Here’s my top three book shops.
Vyanok (Вянок)
Kommunalnaya Naberezhnaya 4 (Коммунальная Набережная 4)
10:00-19:00. Closed Sundays.
Looking for a Tolstoy or Dostoevsky in Russian? This beautiful second-hand bookshop in the old town overlooks the river and is a must for any book collector. Over the years I’ve bought all sorts of things here, such as original Soviet propaganda postcards, old magazines and musty soviet-era copies of Russian classics, for just a few roubles.
Knigarnya (Книгарня)
Prospekt Nezavisimosti 19 (Проспект Независимости 19)
10:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 11:00-19:00 Sat, 11:00-18:00 Sun
The central bookshop on Prospekt Nezavisimosti is the best place in town for local guide-books. They also do a nice line in retro Soviet propaganda posters and postcards.
Svetoch (Светоч)
Prospect Podetiteley 11 (Проспект Победителей 11)
10:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 11:00-19:00 Sat, 11:00-18:00 Sun
The biggest bookshop in Minsk covers two floors. There are local guides, picture books and postcards on display near the entrance. There is also an excellent selection of dictionaries and a stationary department
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