Memorial complex "Khatyn" in the Minsk region of Belarus today is one of the most important monuments of the Second World War.
Brief historical background
The memorial in Khatyn is a tribute to the three million Belarusians who died during the Great Patriotic War. The ensemble is located 54 kilometers northeast 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 a skirmish between 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 it on fire. On that day, about 160 people were burned alive, including 75 children. On this terrible day, 6 people were saved. Among them was 56-year-old Joseph Kaminsky. He was able to find his wounded son, but he did not succeed in wresting him from the hands of death. He had a bullet wound to the stomach, as well as numerous burns.
The history of the village where the Khatyn memorial complex is now located is notis unique. During the Great Patriotic War, the inhabitants of 628 villages and villages in 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, the Soviet authorities erected the Khatyn memorial complex. It was built in memory of all those who died in the lands of Belarus. Soil was brought from 185 unrestored villages to build the monument. This is how the symbolic cemetery was created.
Thus, Khatyn became the 186th village - the site of this terrible cemetery. That is why this place has become one of the most important memorial complexes in the post-Soviet space.
What is the memorial complex "Khatyn" today?
The opening of the memorial took place on July 5, 1969. It exactly repeats the layout of the former village.
In the center of the complex stands a six-meter bronze statue called "The Recalcitrant Man" - a tribute to Joseph Kaminsky and his son. Looking at it, visitors to the complex feel the bitterness and pain of loss. In place of the barn, where the Khatyns burned, a black metal roof was installed, which was on the granary. Next to it is a common grave with a symbolic wreath of memory, 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. On the site of the destroyed house, architects erected a crown of a log house, inside it there is an obelisk resembling a chimney in shape, which has a bell on top. The silence of the Khatyn field is broken not only by the singing of birds, but also by the hourly reminderbells about the terrible events of March 22, 1943.
The symbolic village is followed by the Cemetery of Burnt Villages. It was there that urns with earth from 185 unrestored villages were delivered. Not far from them, the "Wall of Sorrow" was erected. It is made of reinforced concrete block with peculiar niches. They placed commemorative plates with the names of the largest death camps and places where people died en masse.
The Khatyn memorial complex, the photo of which you see below, ends with the Memory Square. Three birches grow in the center, which symbolize life. In place of the fourth birch, an eternal flame burns. Nearby stands the "Tree of Life", on which is a list of 433 villages. Once they were burned by the invaders. However, after the war they were rebuilt.
The monument was reconstructed in 2004.
Khatyn Memorial Complex: how to get there?
To visit this historical place, nothing complicated needs to be done. It is enough to contact the tour desk and purchase a ticket. The advantage of this trip will be that you will not be bored all the way, because the guide will talk about the events and battles on the lands of Belarus.
There is another way - a trip by private car. In this case, you should go to the M3 highway (Minsk-Vitebsk). After driving along it, at the 54th kilometer you will meet a sign with the name of the Khatyn complex. Follow it, after 5 km you will reach the place of memory and sorrow.
At the memorial complex "Khatyn" the address familiar to us,missing. You should navigate as if you are looking for a locality.
Working hours
It's worth remembering right away that the day off is Monday. For those who wish to visit the photo-documentary exhibition, please note that it opens at 10:30 and ends at 16:00.
Excursion service for visitors starts at the same time, but ends an hour earlier, that is, at 15:00.
Entry ticket for schoolchildren and students costs 5 Belarusian rubles. Tickets for other categories 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 world peace.
Learn history with your children, because they study it in order not to make past mistakes!
