Brest Hero-Fortress

Brest is the city where I was born and lived almost all my life. It a city with a long, intriguing, sometimes scary and shocking history. There are, I think, very few of those who doesn’t know about the tragedy of my nation, the tragedy that touched every family in Belarus – the war, that was a part of WW II, called here as the Great Patriotic War.
Brest, being located at the western border of the former Soviet Union, was the first to “greet” the occupants. These soldiers were the first to rise at the call of duty. They stood upright in the enemy’s way repelling bravely its fierce attacks. Being cut from the outside world, starving and parched with thirst, they stood firm and died the death of heroes. The enemy had to pay a high price for every fort, every casemate, every stone of the Fortress.
The heroic defence lasted almost a month. Even the cinical and cruel fascists were shocked at the courage of the Fortress defenders: “Officers and men kept fighting till the last minute. The demand to surrender had no impact on them” (from a report of the Staff of the “Centre” Armies’ Group to its Command). Soldiers fought to the last.
They left the following words on the walls of casemates: “We shall die, but not abandon the fortress. Motherland, farewell!”; and the long-suffering walls of the Fortress conveyed these words to us.
Today the sky is clear over Brest. Time has healed the wounds of war. Holes of bombs and shells disappeared from the face of the earth. But the memory of the feat of Soviet soldiers will live forever. It lives in the lines of the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet on conferring an honorary title of “Here-Fortress” upon the Brest Fortress and in sublime monuments of the Memorial.
The memorial “Brest Hero-Fortress” is the place where people from all over the world, people of different nationalities, come to express their sympathy and to share the grief of those who have lost their families, relatives and to share the happiness of victory in this war. No one who comes here remains indifferent to the greatness of feat of the surrenders of Brest Hero-Fortress.
The ruins at the memorial are all what is left after the hospitals, barracks and military buldings that survived the bomb attacks of the fascists. There are also a number of monuments, such as “Thirst” and “The Saviour” alongside with the highest one called by us ‘a bayonet’.
The Fortress remains at duty. Antiwar rallies and manifestations, Pathfinders’ gatherings and stirring meetings with the Great Patriotic War veterans are held here. Young soldiers take the Oath of Allegiance at the Fortress walls. Newly-weds come to the Eternal Flame on their happiest day. Here they learn fidelity and purity of human relations, take lessons of courage and patriotism.
Here, in my blog, I offer to your attention my view of the fortress, my vision of these memorials, of this holly place for all my people.