34 villages of Minsk region share fate of Khatyn - tragic fate of the region

The Minsk Кegion as an administrative and territorial unit of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic officially received its birth certificate on January 15, 1938. The area of its territory was adjusted several times. And only 16 years later it acquired the borders as we know them today.

The "childhood" of the central region was full of difficulties and dramatic events. The years of the Great Patriotic War was an indelible "scar" in the tragic annals of the whole country.

34 villages of the Minsk region shared the fate of Khatyn. They were burned together with the people and did not revive. These days more and more facts of genocide of the Belarusian people are being uncovered. The General Prosecutor's Office added 5 more villages to this mournful record.

Artur Zelski, director of the Khatyn Memorial:

"A total of 740 villages, or more precisely, settlements, were destroyed in the Minsk Region. The figure of 740 is absolutely reliable, but not final."

According to the director, the Khatyn Memorial is now experiencing a second birth. It is not only the creation of a new museum, it is its renewal in a global sense. "We have to do it now for future generations," he believes.

More than half a century ago, the construction of the 35-meter Barrow of Glory became a nationwide affair. And to this day it is this point on the map of the Minsk Region that thousands of people strive to visit.

One generation is succeeded by another, but the Barrow of Glory will always stand as the human thirst for freedom is eternal. This is eternal memory of the people to the fallen heroes.