Why it looks like this

Minsk was destroyed almost completely in the Second World War. Rather than restore the old town, Soviet planners designed a showcase: Independence Avenue (Praspyekt Nezalezhnastsi), a triumphal corridor of Stalinist architecture running from the station district out through ceremonial squares — one of the most complete ensembles of its kind anywhere.

Around the avenue the city was laid out on socialist principles: superblocks, huge parks along the Svislach River, and ring after ring of standardized housing districts. Only a small 'Trinity Suburb' was rebuilt to remember the pre-war city.