Slepianskaya Waterway System

The cascade near the Voskhod (Vostok) One neighborhood, features concrete diving piers. Signs remind parkgoers not to dive or swim in the stream Sergey Kadinsky (Atlas Obscura User)

On the eastern side of the Belarusian capital city, the Slepianka or Slepnya River once flowed undisturbed on a meandering course through the countryside. With the arrival of urbanization, the city administration tamed this stream by rerouting its flow through a 13 mile (22 kilometers) concrete channel that runs through nine parks.

The waterway is complete with 13 cascades that are each unique in their Brutalist design. Construction on the project began in 1981 and was completed in 1985.

The most interactive of these cascades is located near the Agat Hotel in the Zialyony Luh (Green Lawn) neighborhood, where visitors can walk behind the cascade, underneath the flow of water.

The Slepianskaya Waterway System flows into the Svislach River at Chyzhov Reservoir on the city’s southern side.

Know Before You Go

Far from the center of the city, this is where one can find residents of Minsk walking their dogs, biking, ice skating, and interacting with the waterway. It flows mostly past sizable micro-districts of Soviet-built apartment complexes, but also the unusually-shaped National Library.