Brest (Брэст), Belarus

View of Terespol Gate at Brest Fortress in Brest, Belarus
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BF_Teres_in.jpg
Author: Yogi555


Brest (Belarusian: Брэст, Ukrainian: Берестя, Russian: Брест) is a city in southwestern Belarus. It is located at the confluence of the River Bug and River Mukhavets, on the border with Poland, across from the Polish city of Terespol. The city covers 145 sq km (56 sq mi) and has a population of 311,000 people (2011 estimate).

The history of Brest goes back to its first mention in 1019, making it among the oldest cities in the country. By the 16th century it was absorbed into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The city was the venue of the diets of the Commonwealth with Sweden, between 1594 and 1596, when the two were united under King Sigismund III Vasa.

Brest came under Russian rule in 1795, when the weakened Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth was partitioned among powerful neighbors. The city remained under Russian rule until the First World War, when it fell to the Germans. At the end of the war, it was briefly part of the Belarusian Democratic Republic before being taken over by Poland. In the years leading to the Second World War, it continued to change hands a number of times.

A platform at Brest Railway Museum
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brest_Railway_Museum_in_Brest,_Belarus.jpg
Author: allinco_fan


Brest was attacked and eventually occupied by the Nazis during the Second World War. Under the Nazis, the Jewish community in Brest was decimated, with many sent to concentration camps, deported and executed. The Red Army recaptured Brest in 1944. The following year, it was formally made part of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, despite protests from Poland. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Brest became part of the independent state of Belarus.

Visiting Brest

You can reach Brest by train from Warsaw, Minsk, Kiev, Moscow and St Petersburg.

Sights & Attractions in Brest

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