Each nation has its own history of victories during the struggle for independence of the Motherland. We honor the memory of the losses suffered by our people remember with gratitude the contribution of each soldier and the commoner, because they are not seeing the obstacles on your way and not fearing for their lives, blindly believed in the victory and that the fire of hope always glimmering in the hearts of those who love their native Land.
In its history the Belarusian land repeatedly became a massive scene of hostilities. She groaned with mass bloodshed, destruction and numerous victims. However, the biggest loss of the Belarusian people has brought Great Patriotic war, the trail of which remained in almost every settlement of the state.
About Katyn and the tragic end of her historical journey the whole world knows. Here on the streets of this village, time stopped on March 22, 1943. Those residents who managed to escape from the attacking forces of the German army, left the village and dispersed around the country. The fallen victims of the massacre forever remain here in their native land, keeping their peace.
In 1969-m to year, in memory of the death of the inhabitants of this village and other settlements on the territory of Belarus was created a memorial complex open-ended nature, called "Khatyn". In the world similar examples of art are almost there, and if we talk about the atmosphere and feelings of people during his visit is a unique sacred place where the creators managed to convey sorrow and loss, the greatness and the tragic heroism of the people.
Istoria destruction Hatyni
Almost from the first weeks of the occupation of German troops and units conducted so-called punitive operations against the guerrillas and the civilian population of Belarus. Large-scale punitive action, which used various types of equipment and aircraft, have become its 43rd year. The Nazis ruthlessly seized villages, pillaged the people, was sent to prison and destroyed.
The tragedy of the village, Logoisk district, Minsk occurred on 22 March of the same year. Then, a few kilometers from the location of the village, close to Trump, the partisans of the brigade, Vasily Voronyanskogo fired columns of the German squad, which included a pair of trucks and one passenger car. During the attack, was shot dead by a German officer and commander of the first company of the 118th police battalion Hauptmann Hans welke and his escort. The commander of the guerrilla platoon was also ordered to shoot twenty-six women, chopping the nearby forest, for suspicion of aiding the Nazis. Pardoned prisoners were sent to Pleshchenitsy.
The Germans were furious with the news about the murder welke, who was personally acquainted with Hitler. In search of a guerrilla group, the Germans searched the woods in the area until after lunch, came across the village of Khatyn. The operation was entrusted to the battalion "Dirlewanger" and "the 118th schutzmannschaft".
The villagers and hearing did not hear of a dead officer, however, the sentence was imposed before the Germans entered the village, and excuses didn't work. Alternately all the inhabitants, old men, children and women, were dragged out of their homes and driven to the collective farm barn. The soldiers spared no one, neither babies nor pregnant nor sick, nor weak, beating and mocking the frightened people.
Residents gathered in the barn, the German battalion had locked the entrance, the soldiers doused him with gasoline and set on fire. In an attempt to save their children from a terrible fate, the adults were banging on the door and when they managed to escape from the clutches of flames, the Germans shot everyone who was still alive. Soon, the village was looted and burned, leaving only ashes and bodies of anything of innocent people.
During carrying out punitive operations were burned alive 149-t of the villagers, half of whom are children. From the barn managed to escape and stay alive for seven-year-old Victor Zhelobkovich, which covered his mother during shelling, and also Anton Baranovsky, was wounded in the leg. Both children were assumed dead and when the Nazis left the burned village, they were able to get to the next village, where he was educated in one of the orphanages.
Survived also by Maria Fedorovich and Yulia Klimovich. They crawled to the forest, where soon they were noticed by the residents of the village Korosten. Unfortunately, the invaders burned the village where the girls could not avoid the tragic fate. Sasha Zhelobkovich, Vladimir and Sonia Yaskevich managed to escape from the Nazis before the beginning of the punitive operation.
The only surviving adults then became Joseph Kaminsky, a local blacksmith, who at the time was 56-years old. It also felt dead, and when he woke up Sam, his fate gave life, but soon had to suffer heavy loss in his life. Among the burnt bodies of friends and family he found his son, Adam, who soon died in his arms.
The basis for the creation of the memorial is the tragic story of Iosif Iosifovich. Sculpture where a man is holding her dead child, called "the Unconquered man".
Anton Baranovsky, who at the time punitive action was only twelve. He shared the whole truth about the tragedy on March 22, and even knew the names of the officers involved in the operation. Anton was present at the opening of the monument but less than six months later died.
Khatyn became a confirmation of the deliberate genocide of the Belarusian people. During the occupation, this policy was applied to many people of hundreds of settlements of Belarus, has killed thousands of innocent people, not sedilis even helpless children.
In memory of the terrible massacre of the villagers of Khatyn and other villages in 1969 was built the memorial complex as a symbol of mass killings of the Nazi forces against the civilian population of the occupied territories. This memory will live forever in our hearts, and sorrow from her time, not to appease.