The Azgur Memorial Museum is a real gem of an attraction specializing in 20th Century political... read more
The Azgur Memorial Museum is a real gem of an attraction specializing in 20th Century political... read more
Found this place by accident - we were looking to escape the heat and found a very short paragraph... read more
Had some trouble finding our way here but it was worth the walk. Tucked away in a residential area this small museum, as well as active art studio, is packed with pieces made by the Belarusian sculptor Zair Azgur. I had never heard of him, but his work is extensive. A bizarre and strong impression being in a room packed - literally from floor to ceiling - with hundreds of statues of totalitarian figures such as Lenin, Stalin and Mao as well as composers and other Belarusian leaders.
A friendly guide showed us around, as some people were preparing for a free spirit (my interpretation since they were covering Stalin&co in plastics) art event taking place there later that evening.
Compared to the propaganda museum “The great patriotic war” this place felt real.
This absolutely stunning museum is stuffed full of sculptures produced by Zair Azgur. In fact entering the room where most of them are stored will take your breath away: artists, poets, composers, dramatists, actors and Communist politicians were all immortalised by Azgur and it's slighly unnerving to contemplate the various towering stern-faced Lenins. There's a good few Josef Stalins too (and you definitely won't see a statue of him anywhere in modern day Minsk) along with Nikita Khrushchev, Mao Tse Tung, Ho Chi Minh and a host of others. I was given my own personal tour of the statues by one of the guides. Her English was very limited but that did not detract in the least from a fascinating experience and I felt honoured that she made such an effort to make sure I was fully informed. The museum is not easy to find though - Azgur Street is in the housing estate opposite the upper side of Gorky Park: cross the road from the Park Gate and take the unprepossessing cut in to what looks like the car park of a block of flats. Keep your nerve, follow the path past the supermarket and up and round another carpark and you'll see it. The 3 rouble entrance fee is completely worth it. Absolutely stunning.