Memorial complex "Khatyn": history, description, route

The Khatyn memorial complex in the Minsk region of Belarus is today one of the most important monuments of the Second World War.

A Brief Historical Reference

The Khatyn Memorial is a tribute to the three million Belarussians who perished during the Great Patriotic War. The ensemble is located 54 kilometers north-east of Minsk in the Republic of Belarus.

Until the fateful 1943, Khatyn was an ordinary Belarusian village in the north-east of Minsk. But on March 22, 1943, after the exchange of Soviet partisans and fascists, in which a German officer was killed, enemy troops surrounded the village.

Armed Germans locked all the villagers in a huge barn, and then set fire to it. On that day, about 160 people were burned alive, 75 of whom were children. On this terrible day, six people were saved. Among them was the 56-year-old Joseph Kaminsky. He was able to find his wounded son, but he was not able to wrest it from the hands of death. He had a bullet wound in the stomach, as well as numerous burns.

The history of the village, where the Khatyn memorial complex is now located, is not unique. During the Great Patriotic War, the residents of 628 villages and villages of Belarus were burned alive by the Nazis. It so happened that 186 villages from that list were never restored.

After the war, on the site of the former village, Soviet power erected the memorial complex "Khatyn". It was built in memory of all those who died in the lands of Belarus. To build a monument from 185 unreduced villages, soil was brought. This created a symbolic cemetery.

Thus, Khatyn became the 186th village - the site of this terrible cemetery. That is why this place became one of the most important memorial complexes in the post-Soviet space.

What is the Khatyn memorial complex today?

The opening of the memorial took place on July 5, 1969. He accurately repeats the layout of the former village.

In the center of the complex is a six-meter bronze statue called "The Humble Man" - this is a tribute to Joseph Kaminsky and his son. Looking at it, visitors of the complex feel the bitterness and pain of loss. In place of the barn where the Khatyns were burning, a black metal roof was installed, which was on the granary. Next to it is a common grave with a symbolic memory wreath, on which there are words addressed from the dead to the living.

According to the surviving documents, it is known that there were 26 houses in Khatyn. Architects on the site of the destroyed house erected a log frame, inside it there is an obelisk, reminiscent of the shape of a chimney, which has a bell from above. The silence of the Khatyn field is disturbed not only by the singing of birds, but also by the hourly reminder of the bell about the terrible events of March 22, 1943.

A symbolic village follows the Cemetery of burnt villages. It was there that urns were delivered to the land from 185 unreduced villages. Not far from them they erected the "Wall of Sorrow". It is made of a reinforced concrete block with peculiar niches. They placed memorable plates with the names of the largest death camps and places where people died massively.

The Khatyn Memorial Complex, the photo of which you see below, ends with the Memorial Square. In the center grow three birches, which symbolize life. The place of the fourth birch burns an eternal flame. Nearby is the "Tree of Life", on which a list of 433 villages. Once they were burned by the invaders. However, after the war they were rebuilt.

In 2004 the monument was reconstructed.

Memorial complex "Khatyn": how to get there?

To visit this historical place, nothing difficult to do is not necessary. It is enough to go to the tour desk and buy a ticket. The advantage of this trip is that you will not be bored all the way, because the guide will tell you about the events and battles on the lands of Belarus.

There is another way - a trip on your own car. In this case, you should leave on the highway M3 (Minsk-Vitebsk). After passing along it, on the 54th kilometer you will find the sign with the name of the complex "Khatyn". Follow it, after 5 km you will reach the place of memory and sorrow.

At the memorial complex "Khatyn" the address familiar to us is missing. You should be guided by the fact that you are looking for a settlement.

Operating mode

Just remember that the day off is Monday. For those who wish to attend the photo documentary exhibition, it must be noted that it opens at 10:30, and ends at 4:00 pm.

Excursion service for visitors begins at the same time, but ends an hour earlier, that is at 15:00.

The entrance ticket for schoolchildren and students costs 5 Belarusian rubles. Tickets for the rest of the population - 8 rubles.

Conclusion

Khatyn is another evidence of the terrible events of the Great Patriotic War. Modern children should know and remember these tragic events. Some political representatives in the post-Soviet space seek to justify the terrible crimes of fascist Germany. Modern society should not accept this opinion! After all, the views of Nazism and neo-Nazism will never lead to peace throughout the world.

Learn the story with your children, because they study it so as not to make past mistakes!