Kinateatr Kastrychnik, Movie theater on Independence Avenue, Minsk, Belarus.

Kinateatr Kastrychnik is a wide-screen cinema at Independence Avenue 73 in Minsk, built to an individual design by architect Valentin Malyshev of the Belgosproekt institute. The two-storey building is shaped as a fragment of a truncated fluted column, with a rectilinear gallery and stair cascades wrapping three sides. Inside are a vestibule, two foyers, a cafe and a single amphitheatre hall seating 1180, with a 22 by 10 metre screen.

The cinema opened in 1975, during a period when Minsk was expanding its public entertainment facilities as part of Soviet postwar city planning. It was built to serve the local population as a dedicated space for film screenings.

The cinema sits on Independence Avenue, one of the main streets in Minsk, and is part of everyday city life. It shows both international productions and films from Belarus, so visitors can get a sense of what local filmmaking looks like today.

The cinema stands at Independence Avenue 73, set back from the avenue's building line, so look for the glazed entrance with a row of white marble columns. The building has a single 1,180-seat amphitheatre hall, so there is no need to check which room your film is in. The main entrance is through the ticket lobby.

The building is shaped as a fragment of a fluted truncated column, wrapped on three sides by a straight gallery with cascading staircases. The round main auditorium volume meets a rectangular, fully glazed ground floor. White and pink marble, shell limestone and veneer line the interiors.