BREST
HERO FORTRESS
Information
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Regarded as the bridge between Eastern and Western Europe. [6]
Known for its fortress, which the soldiers demonstrated great heroism during WWII. [6]
The city and its fortress has been awarded ‘hero’ status by the Soviet Union. [6]
Brest City Day
The city celebrates its birthday on the 28th of July. [6]
Festivities take place days before the birthday, and concludes on the final Sunday of the month. [6]
Activities involve Parades in fancy dress (especially knights of old), street theatre, concerts, and sport events. [6]
The settlement of Brest first appeared in the story of ‘Temporal Years Chronicle’ in 1019, however it was known as ‘Beryestye’. [6]
Early in the 13th century, the city was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. [6]
In 1241, it was invaded by a Mongolian horde. [6]
In 1390, it was the first city on Belarusian territory to be granted autonomy, yet it only lasted for a short period of time. [6]
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In 1569, the city was part of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. [6]
In 1654, it was invaded by Russia, and later in the century it was mostly destroyed in series of wars involving Sweden. [6]
In 1795, it was part of the Russian Empire, and it was renamed to ‘Brest-Litovsk’. [6]
Between 1836 and 1842, Brest Fortress was built. [6]
In 1915, the city fell to the Germans. [6]
In 1918, the city was formally part of German Empire through the ‘Treaty of Brest-Litovsk’. [6]
In 1919, the city was transferred to Poland through the ‘treaty of Versailles’. [6]
Between 1919 and 1921, the city was in conflict between Poland and the Soviet Union, until the ‘treaty of Riga’ ended the war, and allocated Brest as a city of Poland. [6]
On the 14th of September 1939 (2 weeks in World War II), the German forces made it to the town of Brest, in which the poles withdrew from the town after 4 days. [6]
On the 17th of September 1919, the Soviet Union annexed Brest and began to invade the Polish inland simultaneously with Germany. [6]
On the 22nd of June 1941, this alliance was officially broken when the Germans unleashed ‘Operation Barbarossa’ on the city of Brest. [6]
The city fell within a few hours, however the troops at ‘Brest fortress’, defended for a remarkable 6 weeks. [6]
This act of Heroism gave enough time for the rest of the Soviet Union to defend themselves. [6]
The fortress finally fell and all its soldiers. [6]
One of the soldiers wrote on one of the barracks wall in large letters “I am dying but not surrendering, farewell motherland”. [6]
In July 1944, the city was liberated by the Soviet Union. [6]
Before the 1941 invasion by Germany, the Jewish population was around 26,000. [6]
After the war, only 19 Jews remained. [6]
It has been recorded that in one single day in 1941, almost 17,000 Jews were murdered. [6]
In February 1945, the city was formally part of Belarusian SSR, until it became an independent republic in 1991. [6]
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Attractions
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Positioned close to the Brest fortress Complex. [6]
The building is built around an excavation site, in which a middle age settlement once stood. [6]
The museum has 30 buildings of Beryestye, in which you’re allowed to view, with a scale model of how it would have originally looked when it was first built. [6]
The museum also contains 40,000 artefacts from the 11th to the 14th century. [6]
Began construction in 1838, and was completed in 1842. [6]
After 1941, it was brutally damaged, almost close to rubble. [6]
Most of the outer defense line was destroyed. [6]
The only remaining architecture within the fortress pre-World War II is the Byzantine Church of St Nikolai. [6]
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After the war ended, a decision was not to repair the fortress, instead it was used as a memorial. [6]
A 34 metre monument head was erected to commemorate the battle. [6]
Another sculpture was established, which is called the ‘thirst’. [6]
The monument is a soldier on the floor holding out his helmet for water. [6]
It is believed that he was one of the last standing soldiers in the fortress, in which he had gone without food or water for 40 days. [6]
The German soldiers were so moved, that they let him live. [6]
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An open railway museum which opened in 2002. [6]
The museum contains 48 historical steam trains between the 1930s and 1940s. [6]
The exhibits and venue is regularly used for shooting films. [6]
Most stunning church in the city. [6]
Built between 1904 and 1906, to honour the Russo-Japanese war. [6]
It was closed during the soviet time until Belarus became independent in 1991. [6]
The main pedestrian street, which has many bars and flashy shops. [6]
The street’s focal point is the ‘Millennium Monument’, which has plaques on its base that displays historical events in the city. [6]
GUIDE
INFORMATION
Regarded as the bridge between Eastern and Western Europe. [6]
Brest City Day
The city celebrates its birthday on the 28th of July. [6]
Festivities take place days before the birthday, and concludes on the final Sunday of the month. [6]
Activities involve Parades in fancy dress (especially knights of old), street theatre, concerts, and sport events. [6]
The settlement of Brest first appeared in the story of ‘Temporal Years Chronicle’ in 1019, however it was known as ‘Beryestye’. [6]
Early in the 13th century, the city was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. [6]
In 1241, it was invaded by a Mongolian horde. [6]
In 1390, it was the first city on Belarusian territory to be granted autonomy, yet it only lasted for a short period of time. [6]
[expand title=””]
In 1569, the city was part of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. [6]
In 1654, it was invaded by Russia, and later in the century it was mostly destroyed in series of wars involving Sweden. [6]
In 1795, it was part of the Russian Empire, and it was renamed to ‘Brest-Litovsk’. [6]
Between 1836 and 1842, Brest Fortress was built. [6]
In 1915, the city fell to the Germans. [6]
In 1918, the city was formally part of German Empire through the ‘Treaty of Brest-Litovsk’. [6]
In 1919, the city was transferred to Poland through the ‘treaty of Versailles’. [6]
Between 1919 and 1921, the city was in conflict between Poland and the Soviet Union, until the ‘treaty of Riga’ ended the war, and allocated Brest as a city of Poland. [6]
On the 14th of September 1939 (2 weeks in World War II), the German forces made it to the town of Brest, in which the poles withdrew from the town after 4 days. [6]
On the 17th of September 1919, the Soviet Union annexed Brest and began to invade the Polish inland simultaneously with Germany. [6]
On the 22nd of June 1941, this alliance was officially broken when the Germans unleashed ‘Operation Barbarossa’ on the city of Brest. [6]
The city fell within a few hours, however the troops at ‘Brest fortress’, defended for a remarkable 6 weeks. [6]
This act of Heroism gave enough time for the rest of the Soviet Union to defend themselves. [6]
The fortress finally fell and all its soldiers. [6]
One of the soldiers wrote on one of the barracks wall in large letters “I am dying but not surrendering, farewell motherland”. [6]
In July 1944, the city was liberated by the Soviet Union. [6]
Before the 1941 invasion by Germany, the Jewish population was around 26,000. [6]
After the war, only 19 Jews remained. [6]
It has been recorded that in one single day in 1941, almost 17,000 Jews were murdered. [6]
In February 1945, the city was formally part of Belarusian SSR, until it became an independent republic in 1991. [6]
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ATTRACTIONS
Positioned close to the Brest fortress Complex. [6]
The building is built around an excavation site, in which a middle age settlement once stood. [6]
The museum has 30 buildings of Beryestye, in which you’re allowed to view, with a scale model of how it would have originally looked when it was first built. [6]
The museum also contains 40,000 artefacts from the 11th to the 14th century. [6]
Began construction in 1838, and was completed in 1842. [6]
After 1941, it was brutally damaged, almost close to rubble. [6]
Most of the outer defense line was destroyed. [6]
The only remaining architecture within the fortress pre-World War II is the Byzantine Church of St Nikolai. [6]
[expand title=””]
After the war ended, a decision was not to repair the fortress, instead it was used as a memorial. [6]
A 34 metre monument head was erected to commemorate the battle. [6]
Another sculpture was established, which is called the ‘thirst’. [6]
The monument is a soldier on the floor holding out his helmet for water. [6]
It is believed that he was one of the last standing soldiers in the fortress, in which he had gone without food or water for 40 days. [6]
The German soldiers were so moved, that they let him live. [6]
[/expand]
An open railway museum which opened in 2002. [6]
The museum contains 48 historical steam trains between the 1930s and 1940s. [6]
The exhibits and venue is regularly used for shooting films. [6]
Most stunning church in the city. [6]
Built between 1904 and 1906, to honour the Russo-Japanese war. [6]
It was closed during the soviet time until Belarus became independent in 1991. [6]
The main pedestrian street, which has many bars and flashy shops. [6]
The street’s focal point is the ‘Millennium Monument’, which has plaques on its base that displays historical events in the city. [6]
Brest Experience
My experience of Brest comprised of a day trip. In my stay, I got to experience ‘Brest Fortress’, and the main street ‘Sovyetskaya Street’. The pedestrian zone lasts for approximately 600 metres, in which the street comprises of brick pavements, various flower gardens, and light posts. It definitely gives off an old fashion vibe, like something you’ll see from the 70s. Nevertheless, I found the walk through the Main Street a pleasant experience. The main attraction of the city is obviously ‘Brest Fortress’. This was the place where the Germans broke their alliance with the Soviets and invaded them during WWII. The fortress remains a special place for the Soviets, as the soldiers here defended their fort for an amazing 6 weeks, in which sparked a patriotic frenzy across the union. The fortress itself has kept its original structure, with a few new monuments. The most striking of these monuments is the ‘head’ of a soviet soldier. To get the full experience of this place, you’ll want to watch the movie/ trailer of ‘The Brest Fortress’, which you can find on YouTube. This will allow you to understand what happen here, which will give you a more in-depth perspective.
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From Brest, you can take the bus to Belovezhskaya National Park, as a day trip or for an overnight stay. I was short on time, and didn’t get to experience the park, however I think it’s definitely worth checking it out. Overall Brest is a good introduction to Belarus, you can easily take a train from Warsaw, in which you’ll arrive in a few hours. From there, you can explore more of Belarus, or head back to Poland.
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