Press releases

MINSK, 24 August (BelTA) – The city of Bobruisk that will be Belarus’ Capital of Culture in 2017 may also become the CIS Capital of Culture, Belarusian Culture Minister Boris Svetlov said on 24 August as he attended a Belarusbank staff meeting on the construction of cultural space in Belarus, BelTA has learned.

The minister noted that 2016 declared the Year of Culture in Belarus so far has been full of spectacular events. Its results will be summed up in December, when the title of the Belarusian Capital of Culture will pass on from Molodechno to Bobruisk. The decision to award the title to Bobruisk was announced in May 2016. “If everything goes as planned, relevant bodies may make a decision to bestow the title of the Capital of Culture of the Commonwealth of Independent States on Bobruisk,” Boris Svetlov said.

Among the most important upcoming cultural events, the minister named the Day of Belarusian Written Language to be marked in Rogachev on 4 September and also the Minsk International Film Festival Listapad traditionally held in November. Boris Svetlov emphasized that the adoption of the national Culture Code in 2016 was a landmark event. The drafting of the code took several years, so the document is well-written and thoroughly edited.

The project Belarusian Capital of Culture was launched in 2010. Polotsk was the first Belarusian city to get the title, followed by Gomel, Nesvizh, Mogilev, Grodno and Brest. Molodechno is the 2016 Belarusian Capital of Culture. The title helps tap into a city's potential and draw the attention of both Belarusians and foreign tourists to its historical heritage.