Mazyr, Belarus

Capital City

With a population of just over 100,000, Mazyr is a gritty industrial hub in southern Belarus, known for its oil refineries and machine manufacturing. The tax burden is heavy, and the city still bears the scars of the Chernobyl disaster, with radioactive fallout persisting as an unpleasant reality. Bureaucracy is a persistent headache, and the Belarusian capital Minsk is a long 130-mile drive away. On the plus side, Mazyr has a functional tram system and a few historic Baroque churches, though the once-thriving Jewish community was decimated during World War II. This is a city for the hardened expat, not the faint of heart.