STOLIN DISTRICT, 4 November (BelTA) – A memorial to Nazi victims has re-opened after refurbishment in Stasino, Stolin District, BelTA has learned.
Over 1,500 participants of the commemorative event moved along the Road of Memory and Sorrow that led to the place of a mass grave where the memorial was unveiled. Bells were rung all the way to the monument, schoolchildren were carrying red carnations.
Taking part in the commemorative event were Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration Igor Lutsky, Brest Oblast Governor Yuri Shuleiko, local authorities, representatives of companies and organizations, the youth and the general public.
Located five kilometers from Stolin, Stasino is like the Yama Memorial for residents of Minsk, or like Babi Yar for residents of Kyiv. It is a place of relentless pain, sorrow and memory of the innocent Nazi victims. This place is known to every local, from young to old. A total of 12,500 Jews, Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians were killed here during the Great Patriotic War. A huge pit dug for an airfield before the war became a mass grave for them.
The mass executions occurred here on 11-12 September 1942 when the Nazis destroyed the entire Jewish ghetto. They did not spare even children killing more than 3,500 of them.
In the postwar years, an obelisk was erected on the grave. In the early 1990s they added a sculptural composition in the form of two grieving women and a monument in the form of an open book donated by the Kyiv Jewish community. This year, on the initiative of the Stolin District administration, the burial place was landscaped. An entrance arch in the form of three pairs of hands raised to the sky was built. Thus, the scattered monuments on the site of the mass executions formed a single artistic composition.
“It's hard for me to speak here. I grew up in these places,” Igor Lutsky said. “Even as kids we perceived this site as a sacred place although we did not understand then how important it is to preserve the historical memory. Without it there will be no future. I am glad that so many people have gathered for the re-opening of this memorial. It proves that our society is consolidated, united, that we have the same view on our future and our past. It is very important. We must not forget what happened here 80 years ago, and we will not let it happen again,” Igor Lutsky said.
“These are the places where our youth should be educated, where patriotism and the state position should be born,” Yuri Shuleiko said. He thanked everyone involved in the refurbishment of the memorial, including architects, builders, and local authorities. “This is another important site in the country where people will continue coming. I want the younger generation to understand and appreciate such concepts as freedom, independence, and peaceful life. We should be forever grateful to those who sacrificed their lives for this,” the governor said.
The participants of the meeting observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims of fascism and laid wreaths and flowers at the burial place. A gun salute wrapped up the ceremony.
