Independence Palace

Minsk


This enormous addition to Minsk's totalitarian architecture is the country's new presidential palace in all but name. Architecturally uninspiring, the glass-fronted eyesore has hundreds of rooms spread over 50,000 sq metres and is a symbol of Alexander Lukashenko's permanence in Belarusian politics.

It is now where Luka hosts visiting international leaders, as he did in 2014 when he helped broker a (short-lived) peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Completed in 2013, the palace has been compared to similar structures in Turkmenistan and North Korea. It is not open to the public.