Sadly, we are all mortal, and anyone will need a place for burial. In the vicinity of Minsk, there are about 20 cemeteries. Some are already closed, others continue to operate. There are those where only burial is allowed. These include one of the largest “cities of the dead” - the Northern Cemetery (Minsk).
A bit of history
The history of this graveyard is quite short. It began in 1972, when the first burials were carried out on that territory, which now bears the name "Severnoe-1". In 1999, a new resting place was opened - Severnoe-2, and in 2004 - Severnoe-3. All three parts form a single complex located outside the city limits near the village of Yakubovichi. The territory occupied by the North cemetery (Minsk) is huge. Its area is 130 hectares, and more than 100 thousand people have found their last refuge here.
It was here that the first and so far only crematorium in the Republic of Belarus found its place. It was opened in August 1986 and is still operating. Over its more than thirty-year history, more than 80 thousand dead were cremated in it.
Whose graves are there?
Not only ordinary residents are sent on their last journey to the Severnoe cemetery (Minsk). There are also graves of famous people, because death does not spare anyone. If you walk along the paths of the graveyard, you can find the burial of O. Belousov - a famous screenwriter and father of Belarusian animation. The Hero of the Soviet Union Pimen Kolesnikov, the colonel and navigator who completed 104 sorties, and the hero of World War II, Colonel F.P. Krasyuchenko.
Here are the graves of football player and coach Yuri Kurnevich, artists - Nathan Voronov and Alexander Zakharovich Gutkovich.
There are burials of famous people and the new history of the republic: the oppositionist Ivan Nikitchenko rests in peace under a granite monument. There are also abandoned graves. Unfortunately, not all the deceased have close relatives who care for the graveyard.
Crematorium
North cemetery (Minsk) is not only graves. This is the crematorium, which was previously mentioned. The bodies of relatives from all over the republic and even from abroad are brought here. A beautiful red brick building is open every day except January 1, carrying out 18-30 cremations per day.
All information about the work and the cost of services can be found on the phone posted on the official website. Location: Northern Cemetery (Minsk). Address: village of Yakubovichi, Minsk region.
Rows of concrete walls rise near the crematorium. This is a columbarium in which thousands of urns with the ashes of the deceased found their place.
As with any major churchyard, there is a temple here. It was built right next to the crematorium building and symbolizes the victory of eternal life over death. This is the Temple of the Resurrection of the righteous Lazarus of the Four Day. It is decorated with snow-white exterior walls and frescoes inside with an illustration of the Second Coming of the son of our Lord and scenes of the Last Judgment. Service is held weekly on Saturdays and Sundays.
How to get there
The Slavs decided to honor the graves of relatives. Even special days are highlighted when it is customary to go to the cemetery. The main holiday is Radunitsa. It is celebrated on Tuesday after Easter week. At this time, residents rush to the Northern Cemetery (Minsk). How to get to those who first decided to visit the burial place?
If you drive your own car equipped with a navigator, you can specify the coordinates: 53 ° 98'50 '' s. w. and 27 ° 55'35 '' in. e. Then the device will pave the route.
It is much more difficult for pedestrians to get there, but the Minsk authorities allowed public transport along the route. You can get to the Northern cemetery by bus No. 68 or 109. The first one goes from the Karastoyanovoi dispatch station, and the second - from the Zeleny Lug microdistrict (Karbysheva DS). They walk every twenty minutes, so problems with visiting the graves should not arise. In Radunitsa and Dzyady, the number of buses is increasing.