Brest Fortress history briefly for children. Memorial Brest Fortress. The Story of the Hero-Fortress

Schematic map of the Brest Fortress, ca. 1834

The starting point of the history of the Brest Fortress is considered to be the construction of the village of Berestye, the founders of which are the tribe of Nadbuzh Slavs. Main historical source ancient Rus'– The Tale of Bygone Years mentions the date associated with this event – ​​1019. The settlement can be called the Russian “apple of discord: in different times it became the cause of military clashes between both Russian princes (including those governing such large principalities as Kiev, Galicia, Volyn), and the Turov and Lithuanian rulers; even the kings of Poland took part in the feuds. The lands on which the town stood changed rulers many times, each of whom gave the place its own name: Brest, Brest-Litovsk, the original one - Berestye and Brest-nad-Bug. During the third division of the once great state of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the right to own this area passed to Russian Empire– the event dates back to 1795 (previously the divisions of the territory were carried out in 1772 and 1793).

In the 19th century, the development of a project for the construction of a fortress on this land began, which was finally approved in 1830. Among the “military architects” are such well-known names as N. M. Maletsky, A. I. Feldman, who has the rank of colonel, and K. I. Opperman. The future great citadel was named Brest-Litovsk.

The plan provided for the construction of a structure in the same place where the city of Brest-Litovsk was previously located. All buildings remaining from ancient times were eliminated. Only church buildings remained in their places - temples and monasteries, but the ions lost their former significance and were “reclassified” as service premises, which the garrison used at its own discretion. To replace the old settlement, a new urban settlement was erected, which bore the same name as the military facility. The distance to the fortress walls was very small - no more than 2 km.

Ivan Ivanovich Den (1786-1859) - Russian military engineer, general, participant in the Napoleonic Wars, member of the State Council. Brother of Major General F.I. Dehn.

He supervised the construction of the fortification structure by I.I. Den, who at that time held the rank of major general and served in the engineering troops, and at the same time headed the headquarters of the Western Engineering District. But I.F. himself had to supervise the construction. Paskevich, nobleman and prince of high military rank- Field Marshal General.

Start earthworks dates back to 1833. And already 3 years later, in 1836, the laying of walls for the future fortress began. The first stone was placed in its rightful place on June 1, and along with it a chest of coins and a memory board were embedded in the base of the structure. The fortress became an active object of the empire in 1842; April 26 is considered a memorable date. The new object was assigned class I.

The fortress consisted of 4 main objects; 3 fairly extensive fortifications (with south side- Volynskoye, from the east and north - Kobrinskoye, and the west was called Terespolskoye) and, in fact, the central Citadel. The outer line of defense was represented by a bastion front, which consisted of:

A ten-meter-high fence, which was a huge rampart with a length of about 6.4 km, inside of which there were brick casemates covered with a large amount of earth;

An external bypass ditch filled with water.

The fortress occupied an area of ​​400 hectares (42 km).

The citadel had the appearance of a natural island, along the perimeter of which there was a closed defensive structure, two floors high and a total length of 1.8 km. At the same time, this building served as a barracks. The outer walls reached 2 meters in thickness, the inner ones were slightly thinner - about 1.5 m. The barracks premises consisted of 500 separate casemates, which could serve as a storage facility for ammunition and food and simultaneously accommodate 12 thousand soldiers.

Other structures also had connections with the Citadel - communication was carried out using bridges and gates:

Terespolskikh;

Kholmsky;

Brest;

Brigidsky.

All exits from the fortification were also equipped with gates that served for defense during an enemy attack:

Nikolaevskie (South);

Grafsky Proezd (North-Western);

Alexandrovskie (Northern);

Mikhailovskie (Eastern).

It was possible to leave the fortress through Varshavsky Proezd.

Since all church buildings no longer served as religious sites, the architect D.I. Grimm being academics Russian Academy arts, was commissioned to draw up a design for the temple. It was erected in the 60-70s of the 19th century. Orthodox church became known as St. Nicholas Church.

With the advent of the 20th century, the leadership decided to strengthen this defensive structure. The development of the project began in 1909. The Committee finally approved its provisions, including an increase in the fortress’s circumference by 45 km. General Staff I was able only 3 years later - in 1912. The following year the order began to be carried out. People such as B. R. Doboshinsky, I. O. Belinsky, D. M. Karbyshev (all three are military engineers), as well as N. A. Buinitsky (lieutenant general) are directly associated with the strengthening of the Brest-Litovsk fortification.

Progress did not stand still: waxes became more mobile, equipped with new modern means weapons. Gradually, the importance of fortresses like Brest-Litovsk decreased; they ceased to be considered advanced military defense facilities. Afterwards it became the place where units of the Red Army were usually quartered.

1941, June-July: defense of the fortress

The year 1939 was marked by many events, including the movement of the USSR border. Now it passed along the Western Bug River. Naturally, it was subject to protection: this mission was entrusted to the 17th Red Banner Border Detachment.

On the night before the German attack, there were about 7-8 thousand soldiers within the fortress. The rest were in other places: the time of the exercises passed, some detachments were sent to summer camps, but the bulk (sapper battalions, divisions allocated by artillery regiments, battalions from each regiment and engineering regiment) was on a mission to create a new fortified area - Brest. In addition to the garrison, there were also civilians in the fortress - at that time, approximately 300 families of commanders and commanders of the fortress called this place their home. Not all troops located in the Brest-Litovsk citadel were supposed to conduct defense: for these purposes, an artillery division and one rifle battalion were provided. The RP-4 border protection plan provided for the remaining soldiers to leave the fortress and be sent to the north, south and east of Brest, where the combat deployment lines were located. But each plan has its own shortcomings, which are discovered too late: this one, for example, did not take into account the possibility of a surprise attack, during which not only the fire of enemy soldiers, but also the narrow gates became additional obstacles to retreat.

The seizure of many states by Germany, which was in the power of the Nazis, created a direct threat to the USSR. The Germans secretly worked on Plan Barbarossa, also known as Directive 21. It indicated the directions along which the three main armies were to carry out attacks on Soviet state. Each group had its own code name: “South”, “North”, “Center”.

Brest was located on the territory through which the Center Army was to attack. In the early summer of 1941, Germany began to take active action and sent troops to the borders of the USSR. Focus and build military units was certified on June 21. Brest was to be attacked by V. Shrot, who had the rank of lieutenant general. Under his command was part of the Second Panzer Group, represented by the XII Army Corps. The commander’s goal was the following: the fortress must be surrounded, the enemy soldiers located between the tank wedges must be destroyed, and the flanks located inside between the tank corps must be covered.

The enemy, represented by the XII Army Corps, positioned himself as follows:

Left flank – 31 infantry division;

Right flank - 34th Infantry Division;

Central zone - 45th infantry division.

The assault was led by an army unit central zone. He was given clear instructions. The first offensive echelon included groups of soldiers of the 135th and 130th infantry regiments, whose goal was to directly encircle and blockade Brest. Further actions included the complete destruction of Red Army units, the capture of the city, the capture of the bridges (pedestrian and railway) located in the west, north and south of the fortress leading across the Mukhavets and Bug rivers. Further movement was to be carried out in east direction. Echelon number 2 was formed from a reconnaissance detachment, the reserve 133rd regiment, as well as the second battalions of the 135th and 130th regiments.

The first artillery strike was carried out with the full deployment of guns, among which there were 3 heavy and 9 light regiments. The affected area was the offensive territory of the 45th Infantry Division. Heavy rocket-type mortars were also used, available to the 4th chemical regiment, as well as 2 artillery installations"Karl", belonging to the self-propelled class, with a caliber of 600 mm. The shells of the latter weighed 2.2 tons at a distance of 4500 m, and 1.7 tons at a distance of 6700 m. Before the start of hostilities, 9,210 mm mortars were given to the 45th infantry division, and the 34th and 31st infantry divisions had 2 mortar divisions.

Far from the border, military units were awakened by a loud sound, which was an alarm signal, and in Brest, instead, the fascists themselves reported the war.

At that time, R. Gschöpf, who was a pastor, was in the ranks of the 45th division. In his memoirs one can read the following:

“When the clock was exactly 3 hours 15 minutes, we felt the approach of a hurricane, which quickly swept over us. We have never encountered such a force either before the start of the war or during the fighting. The shaft consisting of their fire was simply enormous in size, it made the earth tremble. Smoke and earth, taking the form of ugly black fountains, rose above the Citadel, reminiscent of giant mushrooms. Among this noise it was difficult to understand whether the opponents were returning fire, but we thought that the fortress had long since turned into ruins. When the last artillery salvo thundered, the infantry rushed to the crossing of the Bug. They hoped to take the defenders by surprise and capture Brest in one quick and effective attack. But they were disappointed... By the look of the Russians, it was clear that just recently they were peacefully sleeping. But they navigated the situation extremely quickly; behind our soldiers who had broken through, defensive groups were already forming, planning to desperately defend the fortress.”

So, the bloodiest war in the history of Russia - the Great Patriotic War - began.

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Address: Republic of Belarus, Brest
Start of construction: 1833
Completion of construction: 1915
Main attractions: sculptural composition “Thirst”, main monument, bayonet-obelisk, St. Nicholas Garrison Church, Kholm Gate, monument to the heroes of the border
Coordinates: 52°04"57.5"N 23°39"21.7"E

Ancient Brest was founded in the 11th century on a cape formed by the Western Bug and Mukhavets rivers. “The Tale of Bygone Years” calls this settlement Berestye, mentioning it in connection with the struggle of Svyatopolk Vladimirovich and Yaroslav the Wise for the grand-ducal throne.

Main entrance to the fortress

Occupying a strategic position at the intersection of two trade routes, Berestye became a major shopping mall. One of the routes led along the Western Bug to Poland, the Baltic states and Western Europe; and the second, along the rivers Mukhovets, Pripyat and Dnieper, connected the city with the Black Sea region and the Middle East. The border region of Brest became the object of a struggle between powers. Over the 800 years of its history, the city was under the rule of the Principality of Turov, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland, and only in 1795, as a result of the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, was annexed to Russia.

Ceremonial Square, main monument, bayonet obelisk

During the war with Napoleon, Russian troops recaptured Brest captured by the French and dealt a heavy blow to the enemy cavalry units. Having celebrated the victory, the tsarist government decided to build a powerful citadel in Brest.

Like Bobruisk, medieval Brest was demolished, and a modern outpost grew up on the site of the ancient settlement in 6 years - from 1836 to 1842. A fire in 1835, which destroyed 300 buildings, accelerated the clearing of the area.

Main monument

The fire victims received monetary compensation, loans with money and timber and rebuilt a new city 2 km east of the fortress. On April 26, 1842, the Brest Fortress joined the ranks of first-class citadels guarding the western borders of the Russian Empire.

Construction of the Brest Fortress in the 19th century

The main fortification of the citadel, located on an island between the Bug and Mukhavets rivers, consisted of two two-story barracks with walls about 2 meters thick.

Sculptural composition “Thirst”

500 casemates could accommodate 12,000 soldiers with the necessary weapons, ammunition and provisions. Through embrasures cut in the niches of the walls, the enemy was fired at from cannons and rifles. Four semicircular towers protruding forward protected the main citadel from fire and allowed flanking fire from throwing weapons. A system of drawbridges connected the main fortification with three artificial islands formed by Mukhavets and ditches.

Monument to the Heroes of the Border

On the islands there were bastion forts with ravelins. Outside, the Brest Fortress was surrounded by a 10-meter earthen rampart, in the thickness of which there were stone casemates. From the ring barracks the citadel could be reached through four gates; To date, three of them have survived - Kholmsky, Terespolsky and Northern.

Temples were rebuilt for the needs of the garrison. Thus, the Basilian monastery, later known as the White Palace, was used to hold officer meetings. In 1864 - 1888, engineer-general E.I. Totleben strengthened the fortress with a ring of 9 forts, each of which could accommodate a garrison of 250 people and 20 guns.

Kholm Gate

Brest Fortress in the First World War

Since 1913, intensive work has been carried out to prepare the fortress for defense with the involvement of peasants from surrounding villages and artels coming from the Kaluga and Ryazan provinces. By 1915, the construction of 14 forts, 5 defensive barracks and 21 defensive points was completed. The Brest fortifications were well prepared, but on the very eve of the war, the military reform of General Gurko broke out, during which all infantry divisions were disbanded. By the beginning of the First World War, the citadel did not have a combat-ready garrison (it consisted only of militia), so supreme command decided to evacuate.

Ruins of the White Palace

While retreating, the Russian army partially burned the most modern forts. And three years later, the Brest Fortress became famous throughout Europe - it was here, within the walls of the White Palace, that the Brest Peace Treaty was concluded.

Brest Hero Fortress - a symbol of patriotism and courage

On June 22, 1941, at 4 a.m., Germany suddenly and without a declaration of war attacked Soviet Russia. At 4:15, the Nazi invaders opened artillery fire on the border Brest Fortress, while the Red Army soldiers were still sleeping.

Terespol Gate

Barracks and warehouses began to collapse, the water supply system failed, and communications were interrupted. Taken by surprise, the garrison was divided into separate pockets and found itself cut off from the main forces of the Red Army. The Germans surrounded the fortress with a dense ring and bombarded it with heavy shells. 3,500 Russian soldiers, in conditions of an acute shortage of ammunition, provisions and water, held back the enemy’s onslaught for more than a month. On May 8, 1965, the citadel in Brest was awarded the title of hero fortress for its heroic defense.

View of the barracks from the Terespol Gate

In 1971, in memory of the feat of the Red Army soldiers, a memorial complex was erected " Brest Hero Fortress" In the center of the complex there is a huge sculpture “Courage” depicting a warrior’s head and a banner. The memorial also includes the Ceremonial Square, tombstones over the graves of heroes, the ruins of the citadel, the Thirst sculpture and the obelisk bayonet. “Thirst”, made in the form of a soldier crawling towards the water, recalls how many soldiers died trying to get the precious drops. The enemy knew about the lack of water and fired at the approaches to the river.

Interesting facts about the Brest Fortress will tell little-known nuances about the construction and its capture during the war. It is located near the city of Brest. It began to be built in 1833. The construction of the fortress was completed in 1842. The area of ​​the fortress is 4 square kilometers, and its length is almost 7 kilometers.

1. Construction of the second ring of the fortress has begun. The year 1913 was to become significant in the history of the fortress. We began to build a second fortification ring. In the district, according to the plan, it was supposed to be 45 kilometers. But, unfortunately, this idea was never realized. The First World War began.

   

2. Preparations for defense - the first destruction with the outbreak of war. Intensive preparations began for the defense and defense of the fortress. In 1915, it was partially blown up by Russian troops. In 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed. Until the end of this year it belonged to a German. Then power passed to the Poles, and in 1920 it was recaptured by the Red Army. As a result, at the conclusion of the Peace of Riga, it was given to the Poles.

   

3. General Guderian's armored corps began to capture the fortress. As a result of the battle, the Poles were forced to retreat. They went to Tiraspol.

   

4. Fire was opened on the Brest Fortress on June 22, 1941. For those who defended it, this was a surprise. The warehouse was shot up, there was no water, and communication was interrupted. The garrison suffered colossal damage. Next came the assault. The Germans' goal was to capture the Citadel. They managed to get there.

   

5. The last defenders of the Brest Fortress did not give up. During the war, the Germans tried to capture it twice. In 1939, the fortress was stormed by Soviet soldiers. The fortress was defended by the Poles. The defenders of the Brest Fortress held firm until the last.

   

6. The first news about the capture and defense of the fortress became known and available in 1942. Before this, only rumors were known. And in 1951, one famous artist painted the painting “Defenders of the Brest Fortress.” The writer Smirnov also shed light on the events of that time and told the truth about the defense of the fortress.

   

7. Assignment of the title – Fortress Hero in 1965. On May 8, the Brest Fortress received the title of hero fortress and was awarded the Order of Lenin. And also the Gold Star medal.

   

8. A monument to courage left in memory for posterity. One of the main monuments is the Monument of Courage. On its reverse side you can see reliefs depicting real events protection and defense of the fortress.

   

9. The fallen heroes still rest in the Brest Fortress. One of the monuments is a three-tier necropolis. It contains the remains of the defenders, there are 850 of them.

   

10. The symbol of the most tragic part of the defense is “Thirst”. The memorial complex also has a sculpture called “Thirst”, it symbolizes the lack of water among the defenders. Due to the fact that the Germans blocked access to water.

    

11. 1971 was a significant year in the history of the fortress. It was this year that the status of the memorial complex was officially given. On its territory, monuments were made in honor of the defenders and a museum was opened, in which the entire history of the defense of the Brest Fortress was opened.

    

12. Unity of war veterans and defenders of the Brest Fortress on Victory Day. This is significant for many, especially for participants in military operations. On this day, veterans of the war and defense of the Brest Fortress gather together. They go to the Monument of Courage. Near the eternal flame they remember dead defenders fortresses

    

13. The Tiraspol gates took the first blow from the invaders. Border guards and their families lived in the buildings near the gate. There was also a water supply system that supplied water throughout the entire area of ​​the fortress. When the shelling began, many border guards, their wives and children died. And the fortress was left without water.

    

14. The memory of brave border guards and defenders was established in 2011. Opposite the Tiraspol Gate they made a monument that conveyed all the feelings of that time. The courage of border guards going into battle and the courage of women.

    

15. Kholm Gate - a symbol of the defense of the fortress. This building was connecting the Citadel and the bridge. The Germans entered the fortress through them; they covered themselves with children. There is also a plaque in memory of the execution leader of the Citadel’s defense, Fomin Efim.

Description

Brest Fortress

“We will die, but we will not leave the fortress”, “I am dying, but I will not give up” - who among Belarusians has not heard these words? The defense of the Brest Fortress is a page in history that every resident of our country is rightfully proud of. Children are told about this at school, written in newspapers, and shown on television. Until now, the courage of the defenders of the fortress serves as a source of inspiration for writers and poets, and makes the hearts of boys beat faster. This is a monument with capital letters. A monument not only to courage, but also to boundless love for the Motherland.

A fortress with a difficult fate

The Brest Fortress is the heart of the city, it is from here that the history of Brest began many centuries ago. It was here that the Nadbuzh Slavs in ancient times formed the settlement of Berestye, which was first mentioned in 1019 in the Tale of Bygone Years. Years passed, the city grew, became stronger, became political, economic and cultural center this region.

The third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795 led to the fact that Brest-Litovsk (it was called that way then) became part of the Russian Empire. And almost immediately the need arose to build additional fortifications in order to strengthen the defense capability of the state’s borders. The War of 1812 showed that the construction of a number of military fortresses on the western borders, including in Brest-Litovsk, was inevitable.

In 1830, military engineers - generals K.I. Opperman and N.M. Maletsky, Colonel A.I. Feldman - developed a plan for the construction of the Brest-Litovsk Fortress. According to the plan, it was to be built on the site of the old city. This led to the destruction of a large number of ancient buildings of Brest-Litovsk; only a few cultural buildings remained - monasteries and churches, which were adapted to the needs of the fortress garrison. New town was built two kilometers from the fortress fence.

In 1833, the first work began on this territory, and three years later the first stone of the future glorious fortress was laid. In addition to the first stone, a memorial plaque and a box with coins were walled into the base of the Citadel. The official opening of the Brest-Litovsk Fortress took place in 1842. It consisted of the Citadel and three fortifications that formed the main fortress fence and covered the Citadel on three sides: Volynskoye - from the south, Terespolskoye - from the west and Kobrinskoye - from the east and north. The fortress was protected by a bastion front - a fortress fence (an earthen rampart with brick casemates inside), which stretched for 6.4 km and was 10 meters high. In addition, the fortress fence was also strengthened by a bypass channel filled with water. The total area of ​​the fortifications was 400 hectares.

The Citadel itself was a natural island, along the perimeter of which a closed two-story barracks (length 1.8 km) was built. The barracks had about 500 casemates, which could accommodate up to 12 thousand soldiers. Bridges and gates connected the Citadel with other fortifications.

In the early 50s of the 19th century, construction of an Orthodox church began here. St. Nicholas Church. This project was developed by academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, architect D.I. Grimm.

In the second half of the 19th century, a decision was made to build additional defensive fortifications - forts. In addition, reconstruction of the fortress itself began. Over the course of 10-15 years, nine first-line forts were built, each of which could accommodate up to 250 soldiers and 20 guns. The length of the defensive fortifications has now reached 30 km.

The reconstruction of the Brest-Litovsk Fortress continued at the beginning of the 20th century. By the beginning of the First World War, the fortress defense line consisted of 14 forts, 21 intermediate strong points, 5 defensive barracks, 7 powder magazines and 38 artillery batteries.

In the first months of the First World War, intensive work was carried out in the fortress: five forts that had been started earlier were completed here. The defense line was now 45 km. True, the command decided to evacuate the fortress garrison; from August 12 to 13, 1915, Russian soldiers left the city. Part of the forts and barracks was blown up, ammunition and property were taken away. The fortress and the city fell into the hands of the Germans.

One of the most important events of this war for Russia took place on the territory of the fortress: the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty was concluded here. This happened on March 3, 1918 in the building of the White Palace of the fortress. According to this peace treaty, Russia lost 780 thousand square meters. km of territory with a population of 56 million people.

In the period from 1918 to 1939. both the fortress and the city were Polish territory. Brest-Litovsk, which since 1923 was called Brest-nad-Bug, became administrative center Polesie Voivodeship of Poland, and Polish military units were located in the fortress. In 1939, Brest became part of the BSSR.

Two years later, the Brest Fortress came face to face with one of the most terrible wars in the history of mankind - the Second World War. In Belarus, this war is usually called the Great Patriotic War.

On June 22, 1941, German troops attacked the Brest Fortress. There were about 8 thousand people here that night. Almost 300 families of command and control personnel also met the war in the fortress. The selfless defense became one of the most heroic and tragic pages of the war; thanks to the courage of the defenders of the Brest Fortress, this place is known throughout the world.

The fortress was stormed by soldiers of the 45th Infantry Division of Major General Fritz Schlieper, together with all the units and reinforcements there were about 20 thousand of them. At 3:15 European time (4:15 Moscow time), hurricane artillery fire was opened on the fortress, as a result of which the water supply was seriously damaged, communications were interrupted, and the garrison suffered serious losses.

The first shock passed quickly, and the defenders of the Citadel began to desperately resist. The names of Kizhevatov, Zubachev, Fomin, Gavrilov and other commanders will forever remain in the memory of all Belarusians. The Germans planned to capture the Brest Fortress in a day, but organized resistance lasted for more than a month. Major P.M. Gavrilov was one of the last to be captured - on July 23. To this day, in the Museum of Defense of the Brest Fortress you can see the inscription “I am dying, but I am not giving up. Goodbye, Motherland. 20/VII-41.” According to eyewitnesses, shooting was heard in the fortress almost until the beginning of August. To eliminate the last pockets of resistance, the German high command gave the order to flood the basements with water from the Western Bug.

The feat of the defenders of the Brest Fortress will forever go down in history as an example of courage and patriotism. About 150 participants in the legendary defense were awarded high government awards, and Major P. M. Gavrilov and Lieutenant A. M. Kizhevatov (posthumously) were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

For the exceptional services of the defenders of the Brest Fortress to the Motherland, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 8, 1965, the Brest Fortress was awarded the honorary title “Hero-Fortress” with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

To be remembered

The memorial complex “Brest Hero Fortress” was inaugurated on September 25, 1971. The complex consists of surviving buildings, preserved ruins, ramparts and works of modern monumental art. A whole team of authors worked to perpetuate the feat of the defenders of the Brest Fortress; the main artistic director was the People's Artist of the USSR, sculptor A. Kibalnikov.

The complex itself is located in the eastern part of the Citadel. There is not a single random element here: each is designed to emphasize the greatness of the soldiers’ feat. Already at the entrance, an atmosphere is created that does not allow you to be indifferent to visiting the fortress. The main entrance is made in the shape of a five-pointed star; passing through it, the visitor hears the legendary “ Holy war Alexandrov, as well as the voice of Levitan, reading out a government message about the treacherous attack of the Nazi troops. Here, at the entrance, there is a board with the text of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 8, 1965, according to which the Brest Fortress was awarded the title “Hero-Fortress”.

From the main entrance there is a direct alley to the Ceremonial Square. A little short of the square, on the left, is the sculptural composition “Thirst”: soviet soldier pulls the helmet towards the water. Left without drinking water Under hurricane fire, the defenders of the fortress tried with all their might to get it. A lot of soldiers died at that very moment, when they tried to get water from Mukhavets.

Then the alley leads to the main square of the complex - Ceremonial Square. All public celebrations take place here. Adjacent to the square is the Museum of Defense of the Brest Fortress and the ruins of the White Palace. The compositional center of the ensemble is the “Courage” monument, which is a chest-length sculpture of a warrior 33.5 meters high. This monument is made of concrete. On the reverse side there are relief compositions telling about the heroic episodes of the defense of the fortress. “Attack”, “The Last Grenade”, “Party Meeting”, “Machine Gunners”, “Feat of the Artillerymen”: all these episodes took place in real story. Under the monument there is a 3-tier necropolis where the remains of 823 people are buried. There are memorial plaques nearby, but there are only 201 names here. All the rest could not be identified. The Eternal Flame of Glory burns here. Two steps from the “Courage” monument, a hundred-meter-tall obelisk bayonet rises into the sky.

On the observation deck you can see types of artillery weapons from the middle of the 19th century, as well as from the times of the Great Patriotic War. The ruins of the barracks of the 333rd Infantry Regiment, the defensive barracks, and the building of the club of the 84th Infantry Regiment have been preserved. Towards the Northern Gate there are ruins of a medical unit and residential buildings, and the Eastern Fort.

Every visitor should visit the Museum of the Defense of the Brest Fortress at least once. It is there that you can put all the information together and understand how great the feat of the defenders of the fortress was. The museum is located in one of the restored barracks on the central island of the Citadel. This barracks was built back in 1842 and is already a landmark itself - an architectural monument of the 19th century.

The museum here was opened in 1956, it was created on the basis of a museum room in which objects found during excavations and all collected material. In 1959 the museum was accepted into International Association weapons museums and military history. In the same year, military units were withdrawn from the fortress, and entry here became free. The museum developed, its funds were actively replenished. By 1961, there were already 8,108 museum exhibits.

The museum is still active today. Its main exhibition is located on the second floor. It occupies ten halls, each of which sequentially narrates the facts of the long history of the fortress.

Deep into the centuries

On the territory of the memorial complex there is another unique object - the Berestye archaeological museum. It was opened on March 2, 1982, and over time became one of the most visited museums in the Brest region.

In 1969-1981, excavations were carried out on the territory of the city of Detinets, which is located at the confluence of the left branch of Mukhavets with the Bug. They were led by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor P.F. Lysenko. The results of the excavations shocked the whole of Belarus. Archaeologists discovered a village of the 11th-13th centuries: wooden houses and barns, pavements, palisades, as well as a large number of household items.

This find served as the basis for the creation of a wonderful museum - the Berestye Museum. The museum building with its outlines resembles ancient dwelling, inside of which there is an archaeological excavation. Here you can see 28 small wooden residential and outbuildings from the 13th century, two wooden pavements, and a preserved palisade. Around the excavation site there are 14 niche pavilions that tell about the life of ancient Berestye. More than 42 thousand exhibits are collected here. Among them there are also very rare ones: a boxwood comb with an alphabet (early 13th century), a bone figurine of a chess king, an oak plow for plowing the land, a bronze cross-encolpion, writing objects (wrote, tsera - writing tablet, book clasps), jewelry products, including a gold ring (early 14th century), all kinds of children's toys, leather goods and many other items.

"Berestye" is considered one of the most visited museums in the Brest region. There are always visitors here who are happy to leave rave reviews. Recently, a souvenir shop opened in the museum building, where you can buy memorable souvenirs.

The Brest Fortress has long become a symbol of the steadfastness of our soldiers and officers during the Great Patriotic War. In this fortress, Hitler’s troops received a real tough rebuff for the first time.

The capture of the Brest Fortress was one of the first tasks of the Nazis in accordance with the Barbarossa plan. They hoped to do this within a few hours, without expecting to encounter serious resistance there.

However, the rebuff of the Red Army units in the Brest Fortress thwarted all their plans, and the Wehrmacht troops were forced to capture this fortification for several days, losing a lot of manpower and military equipment.

Fortress in Brest on the map

The city of Berestye, on the site of which the Brest Fortress stands today, is mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years. It was a rich city, but it was located at the junction of lands, so it often changed hands between Russians, Poles and Lithuanians.

The Brest Fortress was built by order of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I on the island where the Western Bug and Mukhavets rivers merge. Here is the most direct and shortest route from Warsaw to Moscow.

The fortress was a two-story structure with powerful thick walls and five hundred casemates. More than 12,000 people could be in it at once. And the walls could withstand any weapon that existed in the 19th century.

Around the natural island where the Brest Fortress stands, several artificial islands were created with additional fortifications to protect the citadel from enemy troops.

The fortress was built in the early 40s of the 19th century

Over time, military engineers came to the conclusion that the Brest fortress needed a third line of defense to protect the citadel from a distance of almost 10 km. So an artillery battery, barracks, strongholds and forts were built here.

An extraordinary find

At the beginning of 1942, at the very scary times During the Great Patriotic War, the Nazis advanced deep into the USSR, and the Red Army tried to stop them. Near Orel, a Wehrmacht division was defeated and its archive was confiscated.

A report with attached documents was discovered in the captured archive; in it, a German officer reported on the capture of the Brest Fortress. This is how the first information appeared about what actually happened in Brest in June 1941.

By the time the Nazis attacked the USSR, this fortress was, in fact, a military town where Soviet border guards lived with their families. The premises there were used as barracks.

Military exercises were planned for June 22, so various army units arrived at the Brest fortress. And Brest was stormed by an elite infantry division of the Wehrmacht, which had already crossed half of Europe.

The Germans had a plan for the Brest Fortress. Because once they had already taken it from the Poles, and with the use of aerial bombing, all the strong and weak spots. Therefore, we started traditionally - with artillery shelling, and then an assault followed.

The German attack aircraft quickly reached the citadel through the Terespol fortification, occupied the dining room, the club, and some casemates. Our soldiers and officers took up defensive positions, and the first detachments of attack aircraft were surrounded.

The next day, the second Nazi offensive began. But our military managed to organize a defense and were sure that they only needed to hold their positions and wait for reinforcements. To connect with outside world they couldn't anymore.

The Germans' attempt to immediately capture the Brest Fortress failed; they withdrew their troops and resumed shelling as darkness fell. It is important that the Wehrmacht retreated for the first time since the start of World War II.