Memorial complex "Brest Fortress". Fortress Defense Museum

The Brest Fortress is one of the key buildings. It repeatedly played a decisive role in various battles. However, it was only during the Great Patriotic War that the true significance of the structure and its importance for the Soviet Union, which at that time was enormous, became clear.

The Brest Fortress: History Until 1914

The first mention of the future location of the Brest Fortress can be found in The Tale of Bygone Years. In those days, a settlement called Berestie was founded, which throughout its existence repeatedly changed its name and owner. In 1795, Berestye, renamed Brest-Litovsk, became part of the Russian Empire.

It was then that the idea arose to build a number of fortresses along the western border of the empire. In the number of settlements, near which the defensive structures will be built, Brest-Litovsk also entered. The construction of the fortress began in 1833 and lasted for nine years. In the spring of 1842 the fortress became operational.

Brest-Litovsk turned into a real strategic hub, which had a well-developed network of railroads and trade routes, so it became of special interest. In 1909, it was decided to strengthen the fortress, after four years, work began on modernization.

Brest Fortress: World War I

Today's memorial complex "Brest Fortress" played a huge role during the First World War. At the beginning of the war the construction was still at the modernization stage, so the engineers in the shortest time carried out work to strengthen the fortress. The local population actively helped builders.

In August 1915, Russian troops left the Brest Fortress, whose history shook the world. Ammunition and all available property were transported. All that could not be removed, the builders of the fort were burned, the bridges were blown up. A few days later the troops of Austria and Germany occupied the city.

After the end of the First World War, Poland and the USSR claimed the territory of modern Belorussia. In 1919-1920 the Brest Fortress was constantly passing from hand to hand, in 1921 an agreement was signed, according to which the final boundary was established between Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Belarus.

The Great Patriotic War

One of the monuments of architecture that suffered first as a result of the Great Patriotic War is the Brest Fortress. June 22, 1941 it was she who suffered from the invasion of the Nazi invaders. At the time of the attack on the USSR in the fortress there were almost 7,000 people, among them were Soviet military and civilians.

The Wehrmacht command planned to take it in a few hours, but the Soviet military was categorical and defended the territory for a week. Invaders still for several weeks had to suppress the centers of resistance in the face of some heroes - the defenders of Brest.

The Brest Fortress, 1941, whose history has become a turning point, is now a symbol of heroism and courage, and even then, during the Great Patriotic War, it was a bulwark of hope. Fascists shelled the city for a long time, destroying warehouses and water pipes, communications and people.

Heroism of Defenders

The artillery attack of the fascists was sudden, and the defenders failed to coordinate in time to resist, so several fortifications were organized at once. The Brest Fortress, 1941 for which was decisive, repulsed in the face of small groups of soldiers. They made bayonet attacks.

About what the Brest Fortress is, how many days its defenders defended themselves against the Nazis, several feature films were shot that can not convey the whole tragedy of that situation. According to the residents of Brest those days, it was defended until August 1941, but in the end about 6 thousand Soviet soldiers were captured.

The memorial complex "Brest Fortress" managed to preserve all the evidence of the time, on which it is possible to track the course of events. During the period of defense, the Soviet military succeeded in destroying 1121 Wehrmacht soldiers, which is approximately 5% of the losses of the army that the Nazis suffered during the first week of the war.

The Suffering of Brest

During the entire occupation in the Great Patriotic War, the Brest Fortress lost about 40,000 of its defenders. The economy of the city was completely destroyed. Heroes-liberators returned to Brest only in July 1944 together with the troops of the First Byelorussian Front. Unfortunately, many defenders of the fortress fell on the battlefield, but the memory of them is still alive in the hearts of local residents.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the fortress needed reconstruction, repairs were carried out for several years. In May 1965, the fortress became a hero, and six years later it became known as the "Brest Fortress Memorial Complex". It included a number of buildings that remained in memory of future descendants.

Complex

The Brest Fortress memorial complex consists of the Defense Museum and the "Courage" monument, which houses a number of compositions depicting several episodes dedicated to the courageous struggle of city defenders. Here you can also look at the necropolis, where there are still remains of 850 people who defended the Brest Fortress.

One of the noteworthy parts of the memorial complex is the sculpture "Thirst", which is a symbol of the tragic fate of the defenders and the thirst they experienced because the fascists blocked access to the river. In February 1992, the Museum of Military Glory of Aviators was opened on the territory of the complex.

A trace in culture

The city where the Brest Fortress is located - Brest - has repeatedly appeared in feature films and Soviet literature dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. Among them - "Immortal garrison", "Battle for Moscow", "I am a Russian soldier" and many others. The memorial complex is open every day, except Tuesday, and you can see all these works there. In addition, in local cinemas, films devoted to the Great Patriotic War are often shown.

The Brest Fortress, the story of which stirs the minds of today's generations, is reflected in the museum's exposition, which operates from 9 am to 6 pm, with entrance and excursions paid, the cost of an entrance ticket is recommended in the institution itself. Also in the museum there is an exposition "The Museum of War - the Territory of the World", which is located on the territory of the south-eastern barracks of the Citadel and runs daily from 10 am to 7 pm. It is recommended to specify in advance the program and the possibility of visiting the excursions, for this you can call 375 (162) 20-00-32.