Your Journey Starts Here
The Brest Fortress is one of the must-see places in Belarus and the largest tourist attraction in the city of Brest. After the war, the fortress was not fully restored. A memorial complex was created on its territory to perpetuate the feat of the defenders in 1969–71. The architectural and sculptural ensemble of the memorial includes the main monument "Courage", the bayonet-obelisk, the sculptural composition "Thirst", the Ceremonial Square, 3 rows of memorial plates with the burials of the dead, ruins and surviving structures of the fortress, a museum.
The defense of the Brest Fortress (lasted from June 22 - June 30, 1941) was one of the very first major battles between Soviet and German troops during the Great Patriotic War. Brest was the first Soviet border garrison to cover the central highway leading to Minsk, so immediately after the start of the wars, the Brest Fortress was the first point that the Germans attacked. For a week, Soviet soldiers held back the onslaught of the outnumbered German troops, as well as the support of artillery and aviation. As a result of the assault at the very end of the siege, the Germans were able to take possession of the main fortifications, but in other areas the battles continued for several weeks, despite the catastrophic shortage of food, medicine and ammunition. The defense of the Brest Fortress was the first battle in which Soviet troops showed their full readiness to defend the Motherland to the last. The battle became a kind of symbol showing that the plan for a swift assault and capture by the Germans of the territory of the USSR could be unsuccessful.
