| Duration: | 2 Day(s) - 1 Night(s) |
| Tour Category: | Military History |
There is a tour dedicated to the military history of Belarus where you will turn the most tragic pages of the country during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 when it lost every third of its inhabitant. You will see restored fortification constructions, symbolic memorial complexes, and monuments devoted to events of the most tragic and bloody war on the Belarusian lands. You visit two memorial complexes: Khatyn and The Mound of Glory.
And in addition, you will see the capital of Belarus – the city of Minsk and one of the oldest places of Belarus – ancient Zaslavl
Day 1: Memorial complex Khatyn
Moving in Logoisk (60 km) to see the Memorial complex Khatyn
Khatyn Memorial is a tribute to almost three million Belarusians who died during the Great Patriotic War (World War 2). Until 1943, Khatyn was a usual Belarusian village to the northeast of Minsk. But on March 22, 1943, after a skirmish nearby in which a German officer was killed, the occupying German forces encircled the village. All the inhabitants were rounded up and taken to a barn, which was then set on fire. Some 149 people, including 75 children, died.
Only one adult, 56-year-old Joseph Kaminsky, survived the attack. He found his injured son but was unable to save him. At the center of the complex stands an astonishing 6m bronze statue called “The Unconquered Man” – a tribute to Joseph Kaminsky and his son and the Eternal Flame.
Moving to Smolevichi (55 km) to see The Mound of Glory
The memorial complex “The Mound of Glory” symbolizes the heroism of the Belarusians who defeated fascism in their own land during the Great Patriotic War. The inauguration of the Mound of Glory was held on the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus in 1969. The height - is 35 meters. At the top, in the center of a viewing platform, there are 4 obelisks in the form of bayonets, representing 4 fronts that liberated Belarus in the summer of 1944, a stone ring with images of the guerrillas and various types of troops. 2 stairs, at 241 steps each, lead to the viewing platform.
On the slope, there is a memorial plate with an inscription: The land from the hero-cities and other places of fierce fighting, from towns and villages that have ever distinguished themselves by arms and labor feats for the sake of freedom and independence of the Soviet Motherland, lay – handful to handful -in the Mound of Glory».
Return to Minsk
Minsk city tour
During the tour, you will see the face of the city, what makes the Belarusian capital “identical” to other European towns – it's wide avenues and cozy streets, a variety of architectural ensembles and parks, modern sports centers, and many many others. For its long history of existence, the city was repeatedly destroyed and burned, but every time it was reborn and rebuilt. Nowadays Minsk is a modern European metropolis with a multimillion population. It is rapidly developing and becoming more beautiful, combining the grandeur of the heritage of antiquity and the innovative thought of the present.
Check-in
Day 2: Zaslavl
To learn the identity of the Belarusian culture and traditions better from the place where they arose. And one such place - is ancient Zaslavl. You will visit the two most ancient settlements and will touch the walls of centuries-old temples, you will see examples of fortification numbering one thousand years. And after Zaslavl you will go to see the 20th-century fortifications – a grandiose system of strengthening the II World War times – the Stalin's Line.
Moving to Zaslavl (25 km)
Zaslavl is one of the most ancient Belarusian towns first mentioned in chronicles in 1127. Though the place was founded much earlier. In Zaslavl you will see some marvelous historical monuments survived that were brought together in 1986 to make part of the History and Culture Museum-Reserve Zaslavl.
You will see: The settlement in Zamechek, The settlement Val, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky church in Zaslavl, The ethnographic complex ”Mill” (visual inspection), the Historical and cultural complex ”Stalin Line”, the Church of Nativity 0f The Blessed Virgin Mary in Zaslavl (visual inspection), Historic center of Zaslavl
Moving to Loshany (8 km) to see the Stalin’s Line
The Historical and Cultural Complex Stalin Line was founded to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Soviet People’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War and was opened to the public on 30 January 2005 in memory of the defenders of Minsk. These unique structures were a part of the defense system created at the beginning of the 1930s along the western border of the Soviet Union. In this open-air military museum, there are authentic pillboxes from the times of the war.
It also features all kinds of trenches and antitank ditches, shooting positions, bunkers for soldiers, and trenches for guns. The museum owns Belarus’ biggest exposition of military equipment, aviation, and weapons of different years, starting from the times of the Great Patriotic War, a unique collection of gun turrets from the First World War.
Stalin’s Line is an interactive museum: Here you can see the reenactment of historical battles, fire a real weapon from the times of the Great Patriotic War (Mauser, Mosin rifle, or Maksim machine-gun), drive a modern armored vehicle and legendary tanks, and taste soldier's porridge.
Return to Minsk. Transfer the railway's station in Minsk or to the National Airport
