Остров мужества и скорби
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14 reviews
March 13
"The Island of Tears" or "The Island of Courage and Sorrow." The city of Minsk. Belarus.
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The memorial is located in the historical place of the city (Upper Town). It is dedicated to the Belarusian soldiers who fell in 1979-1989 in Afghanistan.
The memorial complex was officially opened in early August 1996, although its construction began in 1988, when the war in Afghanistan was still raging. About thirty thousand Belarusians took part in that terrible long war, almost 800 of them died, 12 went missing, and almost 720 people were crippled.
The memorial, which is located on an artificially created island of the Svisloch River, can be reached via an arch-shaped bridge, at night the bridge is illuminated by red lights. There is a large stone with an icon of the Mother of God embedded in a niche and an Orthodox church.
A boulder near the bridge with a bronze image of the Mother of God is accompanied by a plaque with the text: "To the sons who died in Afghanistan, this memorial temple was built on behalf of Belarusian mothers who do not want evil to rule either on their own or on someone else's land." This stone was laid here in 1988 at the beginning of construction.
In the center of the memorial complex's composition is a chapel in memory of the internationalist soldiers, on the walls of which the names of 771 war dead are listed. The temple is located on sixteen stilts and resembles the silhouette of the church of Euphrosyne of Polotsk during the XI century.
The ceiling and walls of the chapel depict scenes from the Bible. The walls and icons are painted using wax painting, when the drawing is applied hot, and the paints are based on beeswax. The central icon of the church is "Holy Mother of Belarus". Belarus is painted on it in the image of a woman, to whom her sons, soldiers of the Afghan, Great Patriotic and other wars, bent down. There are 4 altars with the names of the dead in the chapel, parishioners can put candles. Metal threads are stretched from the dome of the temple to the floor – a symbol of the connection between the earthly and the eternal.
When the weather is windy, the bells and strings sway and create melodies that excite the blood. Outside there are female sculptures representing mothers who are waiting for their sons from the war.
Some of the characters are depicted standing a little ahead, holding lanterns in their hands and hoping to wait for their sons, while others stand further away, they no longer wait, because they know the terrible truth. There is a cross with a ruby embedded in it above the temple. In the evening, rubin lights a lantern that shines from under the floor. The red stone is a symbol of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Another element of the memorial is the sculpture of a crying angel, which is supposed to cry because it could not save and save the Belarusians who fought from death. Ancient boulders dating back to the Ice Age with the names of places where Soviet troops fought in Afghanistan are scattered across the island.
The Island of Tears complex is completed by a symbolic memorial table. On memorable days, relatives, relatives and friends of Belarusians who died in Afghanistan gather to pay tribute to him.
The complex was built by an architectural group led by sculptor Yu . Pavlova.
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January 15
A place of memory and sorrow, a majestic monument, magnificent views of the city and the Svisloch River. The territory is well maintained, admission is free.
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February 1, 2023
The monument to the victims of the Afghan war fully justifies its name...... Touching and heartfelt. From Ostorov, there are simply incredible views of the Trinity suburb, the old town and modern Minsk. An oasis of peace and quiet
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