Brest Fortress is one of the key buildings. It has repeatedly played a decisive role in various battles. However, it was only during the Great Patriotic War that the true significance of the building and its importance for the Soviet Union, which was then huge, became clear.
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 Berestye was founded, which throughout its existence has 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 of building a series of fortresses along the western border of the empire. The number of settlements near which protective structures will be built includes Brest-Litovsk. 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 possessed a developed network of railways and trade routes, thanks to which it became of particular interest. In 1909, it was decided to strengthen the fortress; four years later, modernization work began.
Brest Fortress: World War I
Today's Brest Fortress memorial complex played a huge role during the First World War. At the beginning of the war, the construction was still at the stage of modernization, so the engineers as soon as possible carried out work to strengthen the fortress. The local population actively helped builders.
In August 1915, Russian troops left the Brest Fortress, whose history shocked the world. Ammunition and all available property were taken out. The builders burned everything that they could not take out, 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 aspired to the territory of modern Belarus. In 1919-1920, the Brest Fortress constantly changed hands, in 1921 an agreement was signed, according to which the final border was established between Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Belarus.
The Great Patriotic War
One of the architectural monuments that suffered first as a result of the Second World 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, almost 7 thousand people were in the fortress, 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. The invaders for several weeks had to suppress the centers of resistance in the face of some heroes - the defenders of Brest.
The Brest Fortress, 1941 in the history of which became a turning point, is now a symbol of heroism and courage, and even then, during the Great Patriotic War, it was a bastion of hope. The Nazis shelled the city for a long time, destroying warehouses and water supply systems, communications and people.
Heroism Defenders
The Nazi artillery attack 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, fought back in the form of small groups of soldiers. They staged bayonet attacks.
About what the Brest Fortress is, how many days its defenders defended themselves from the Nazis, several feature films were shot that cannot convey the whole tragedy of that situation. According to the residents of Brest of those days, it was defended until August 1941, but as a result, about 6 thousand Soviet soldiers were captured.
The Brest Fortress memorial complex managed to preserve all the evidence of that time by which it is possible to track the course of events. During the defense period, the Soviet military managed to destroy 1,121 Wehrmacht soldiers, which is about 5% of the army losses that the Nazis suffered in the first week of the war.
The suffering of Brest
During the entire occupation during the Second World War, the Brest Fortress lost about 40 thousand of its defenders. The economy of the city was completely destroyed. The liberating heroes returned to Brest only in July 1944 together with the troops of the 1st Belorussian 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 World War II, the fortress needed reconstruction, repairs were carried out over several years. In May 1965, the fortress acquired the title of hero, and six years later it was called the "Brest Fortress" memorial complex. " It entered a number of buildings that have remained in memory of future descendants.
Complex
The Brest Fortress memorial complex consists of a defense museum, as well as the Courage monument, which hosts a number of compositions depicting several episodes dedicated to the courageous struggle of the city’s defenders. Here you can also look at the necropolis, where there are still the remains of 850 people who defended the Brest Fortress.
One of the notable parts of the memorial complex is the sculptural composition “Thirst”, which is a symbol of the tragic fate of the defenders and the thirst they experienced because the Nazis blocked access to the river. In February 1992, a museum of the military glory of aviators was opened on the territory of the complex.
Trace in the culture
The city where the Brest Fortress is located - Brest - has repeatedly appeared in feature films and works of Soviet literature dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. Among them are Immortal Garrison, The Battle of Moscow, I Am a Russian Soldier, and many others. The memorial complex is open daily, except Tuesday, and there you can get acquainted with all these works. In addition, films devoted to the Great Patriotic War are often shown in local cinemas.
The Brest Fortress, the story of which excites the minds of today's generations, is reflected in the exposition of the museum, operating from 9 am to 6 pm, while entrance and excursions are paid, it is recommended to check the cost of the entrance ticket in the institution itself. The museum also has the exposition “Museum of War - Territory of the World”, which is located on the territory of the southeast barracks of the Citadel and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 19 p.m. It is recommended to specify the program and the possibility of visiting excursions in advance, for this you can contact by phone 375 (162) 20-00-32.