Practically in every city of the former USSR there is Victory Square - a place of mourning and blessed memory of the soldiers who died in the harsh years of the Second World War. Every year on May 9, solemn events are held here in honor of the people who fought for the freedom of the Soviet people.
Victory Square in Minsk is located on Independence Avenue. In former times it was called Round. And only in 1954 (with the erection of the monument) it received a new symbolic name, which is used to this day. Victory Square is one of the most beautiful memorable places in Minsk, built according to a single architectural plan. The 30-meter obelisk, surrounded by a roadway on both sides and located near two picturesque squares, was erected in July 1954. Its top is decorated with the Order of Victory. The well-known Belarusian architect G. Zaborsky, believing in the firm spirit of the Soviet people, began work on the monument back in 1942. At the base of the monument, on a pedestal, lies a sword decorated with a laurel branch. On the four sides of the obelisk there are high reliefs cast in bronze - the work of eminent sculptors A. Bembel, S. Selikhanov, Z. Azgur and A. Glebov. The architects did not forget about the national flavor either – the granite stele is decorated with “belts” with Belarusian ornaments.
The bronze wreaths located around the monument symbolize the four fronts that participated in the bloody liberation of the country from the Nazi invaders. Granite for cladding was brought to Belarus from Zhytomyr and Dnepropetrovsk, mosaics for the order from Leningrad, Ukrainian craftsmen were engaged in stone carving, high reliefs, a sword and other elements of the composition were cast in St. Petersburg. At the foot of the monument on July 3, 1961, a memorial eternal flame was solemnly lit.
In connection with the construction of the subway (in 1984), Victory Square (Minsk) was re-planned.
The reconstruction project was undertaken by architects B. Shkolnikova, B. Larchenko, K. Vyazgina. It changed from round to oval. The renovated Victory Square was decorated with granite blocks, personifying Soviet hero cities. A circular gallery appeared under the monument, turning into a memorial hall in memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. In its center is a glass wreath illuminated from the inside, created by the artist V. Poznyak. On the walls there are plates with the names of 566 Soviet soldiers who participated in the liberation of the Republic of Belarus and were awarded the honorary title "Hero", as well as the main award - the Star.
Since 1984, stone pedestals have been installed on the square, inside of which there are capsules with the earth of all Soviet hero cities: Volgograd,Moscow, Odessa, Leningrad, Kyiv, Kerch, Sevastopol, Tula, Novorossiysk, Brest, Murmansk and Smolensk.
Every year, in honor of the soldiers-liberators in the Russian capital, a Victory Parade is held on Red Square. Back in 1945, this solemn event was hosted by the hero of the Second World War, the famous Marshal Georgy Zhukov. The parade was held under the command of K. Rokossovsky in the presence of Stalin, Voroshilov, Molotov, Kalinin and other famous political figures of that time. Today, the Victory Parade is a sign of memory and great gratitude to all the soldiers who defended the freedom of our country.
