Victory Square, Minsk, Belarus

Victory Square is a memorial square that is situated on Minsk’s main central boulevard Праспект Незалежнасці (Independence Avenue), near where it crosses the River Svislach. The central monument is a 38-metre granite obelisk topped with a replica of the Order of Victory. The text on the buildings at the northern end of the square reads “Подвиг народа бессьукеун,” which means “The people’s deeds are immortal.”

From Wikipedia Commons by Cmapm

The base of the obelisk features four bronze bas-relief sculptures, entitled “May 9, 1945,” “The Soviet Army during the Great Patriotic War,” “Belarussian Partisans” and “Honouring the Heroes Who Gave Their Lives.” An eternal flame in front of the monument was lit on July 3, 1961, the 17th anniversary Minsk’s liberation. In the 1980s, granite blocks holding containers of soil from each of the Hero Cities of the Soviet Union were mounted.

“May 9, 1945” Relief

“Belarussian Partisans” Relief

Pedestrian underpasses link the central island to the sides of the square and the Площадь Победы metro station, and the space under the monument contains a memorial hall, with a glass wreath in the centre and the names of 566 Belarussian Heroes of the Soviet Union inscribed on the walls.

From Wikipedia Commons by Giancarlo Rosso

Also in/around Minsk:

• Khatyn National Memorial Complex
• Hero City Obelisk
• Stalin Line Museum