Brest Fortress Museum and Memorial

There are thousands of monuments commemorating the Great Patriotic War in the former Soviet Union. The largest of them is the Museum of Defense of the Brest Fortress, located in the city of Brest in Belarus.

The military history of the Brest Fortress

The defense of the Brest Fortress began on June 22, 1941, the day the Great Patriotic War began. At 4 a.m., at dawn, German troops began shelling the central square, barracks, bridges and entrance roads.

The vast majority of the military personnel and their families slept peacefully in their beds. Therefore, in the first hours there was panic and confusion. The fortress was surrounded at 9 o’clock.

3.5 thousand Red Army soldiers defended for 32 days until July 20, 1941 against 17 thousand enemy soldiers. As a result, some of the Soviet men were taken prisoner and the rest were killed. The defense and courage of the soldiers became an example of heroism and forever remained in the memory of history. At the site of the fortress in 1971 opened the museum “Brest Fortress-Hero.

Interesting objects on the territory of the complex

Most of it is located in the restored part of the fortress on the central island, the Citadel.

There are several historical sites on the territory in memory of the tragic history of the Brest Fortress.

1. Memorial “Brest Fortress-Hero” is the main symbol to commemorate the defense. The sculpture is 30 meters high and depicts a soldier with a Soviet banner.
2. War Museum. On the 2nd floor of the former barracks there are 8 exhibition halls. Each one is dedicated to and tells successively about the stages of the defense of the Brest Fortress. Letters, articles of clothing and everyday life, military ammunition, uniforms and weapons of soldiers of both troops are presented to the attention of visitors.
3. “5 Fort” is located 3 km from the complex and is part of the museum. During the period of defense, several dozen fighters were in Fort 5 and tried to break through to help people in the citadel. They were forced to retreat eastward with the fighting.
4. The sculpture “Thirst”, 30 meters high, is located at the entrance to the memorial complex “Brest Fortress-Hero. Pictured is a soldier trying to get to water to give water to the children and women in the encirclement. The extraction was associated with great risk to life – the approaches to the river were shelled by the Germans and illuminated by searchlights.
5. The bayonet obelisk 100 meters in height symbolizes the bravery and courage of the defending soldiers. Thanks to them several thousand lives were saved, and the importance of delaying the German troops cannot be overestimated.

Description of the memorial complex “Brest Fortress-Hero” can not leave anyone indifferent. To walk around the complex completely by yourself need to spend a few days in its territory. Three to four hours is enough to see the main places. Before visiting it is worth finding out how the “Brest Fortress” works.

Museum “Brest Fortress” – address, opening hours of the memorial

Mode of operation “Brest Fortress:

• Open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., box office closes 30 minutes before closing time;
• without a lunch break;
• Monday is a day off.

The museum is not closed for the winter and runs all year round. For information about working hours on public holidays, please call +375 (162) 20 00 12.

Free admission is available on the last Friday of each month.

Expositions “Museum of War – The Territory of Peace” and “Brest Fortress Chronicle” work with a shift of 1 hour from 10:00 to 19:00.

The address is

Located in Brest, Belarus. Museum “Brest Fortress” is located at an address suitable for the navigator: 60, Brest Fortress Defense Heroes Street.

Cost

The price list for a visit depends on the category of individuals and the tour. You can also visit each exhibit separately.

In addition, on the territory of the museum is allowed to make copies of historical documents for a fee of 0.8/25 rubles per 1 A4 sheet.