Brest Fortress

Brest Fortress (Belarusian: Брэсцкая крэпасць, ISO 9: Brèsckaâ krèpascʹ; Russian: Брестская крепость, ISO 9: Brestskaâ krepostʹ, Polish: Twierdza brzeska), formerly known as Brest-Litovsk Fortress (the Polish name of the city was Brześć Litewski), was the 19th century Russian fortress in Brest, Belarus. It is one of the most important Soviet World War II war monuments commemorating the Soviet resistance against the German invasion on June 22, 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). Following the war, in 1965 the title Hero-Fortress was given to the Fortress to commemorate the heroic defence of the frontier stronghold during the very first weeks of the Great Patriotic War. It was then part of the Byelorussian SSR. The title Hero-Fortress corresponds to the title Hero City, that has been awarded to the total of twelve Soviet cities.

History

Originally it was the largest 19th century fortress of Russian Empire, one of the western Russian fortresses. It is located at the confluence of the Mukhavets and Western Bug rivers with total area 4 km². Its plan was developed by Russian general K.I.Opperman in 1830. The initial phase of the construction lasted from 1836 until 1842. The fortifications were then progressively modernized and expanded throughout the 19th century, with forts added around the original fortress. The final works were carried out in 1914, the first year of World War I, resulting in a fortified area 30 km in circumference.

During World War I the fortress was captured by the Kaiser German army in August, 1915, after the Russian army abandoned it during its general withdrawal from Poland that summer. The fortress changed hands twice during the Polish-Soviet War and eventually stayed within Polish borders, a development that was formally recognised by the Treaty of Riga in 1921. In 1930 the fortress became infamous in Poland as a prison in the aftermath of the so-called "Brest elections" and the Brest trial. During the Invasion of Poland in 1939 the fortress was defended for 4 days by a small garrison of four infantry battalions and two tank companies under Gen. Konstanty Plisowski against the XIX Panzer Corps of Gen. Heinz Guderian. After four days of heavy fighting the Polish forces withdrew southwards on September 17.

The territory was assigned to the Soviet Union in 1939 in accordance with the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact.

In the summer of 1941 it was defended by Soviet soldiers against the German Wehrmacht in the first days of Operation Barbarossa, earning it the title of Hero Fortress. The fortress had become a symbol of the Soviet resistance during the Great Patriotic War along with Stalingrad and Kursk.

Fortress layout

The Brest fortress belonged is a star shaped fortification. The core of the fortress, the Citadel, was a red-brick two-storied ring-shaped barrack (rondo), 1.8 km long, with 500 rooms, that was to accommodate 12,000 soldiers. It had originally 4 gates, 4 semi-towers. Today only Kholm Gate and Terespol Gate can be seen.

The Citadel was on the island formed by the Western Bug river and the two branches of the Mukhavets river. The Citadel was surrounded by 3 bridgeheads, made up by the branches of the Mukhavets River and ditches, fortified by earthworks that were 10 m high with redbrick casemates inside. Those 3 fortifications were named after the towns:Kobrin, Terespol and Volyn. The Kobrin Fortification, the northeastern biggest bridgehead, shaped like a horseshoe, featured 4 fortification curtains, 3 detached ravelins and a lunette in the western part. The Terespol Fortification was the western bridgehead, featuring 4 detached lunettes. The Volyn Fortification was the southeastern bridgehead, featuring 2 fortification curtains with 2 detached ravelins.

The outer ring of fortifications built later surrounds the old citadel. As the post-1945 border along the Bug river runs through the fortress area, many of the fortification works are now in Poland, around the town of Terespol.

See also

  • Defense of Brest Fortress (1941)
  • Battle of Brześć Litewski (1939)

References

External links

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Anna Khotko
21 August 2014
A good place with historical value. By the way, it is very picturesque and colorful in autumn - ideal for taking photos ;)
Анна В.
17 July 2016
Не посетить нельзя. Это место с мощной энергетикой. При этом стоит всё же и музеи на территории крепости посетить. Думаю, они впечатлят. + В выходные очень много людей и разных туристических групп.
Olga Slezko
2 March 2016
Брестская крепость - это самое крутое из всего, что я видела в Беларуси! Она просто поражает своей мощностью! Сильнейшая энергетика! *Хочу вернуться сюда в хорошую погоду. Под впечатлением...
Таня
14 November 2014
У Стеллы из-под земли слышен хор-жуть! Храм внутри просто супер! Сам музей надо модернизировать! Абсолютно неинформативен и неинтересен! За территорией БК есть археологический музей-интересный!
Надежда И.
8 June 2013
Сильное с патриотической точки зрения место. Советую посетить музей на территории крепости. Наверное, очень красиво в вечернее время, подсветка создает эмоциональный настрой.
Сумасшедший Слон
крепость не плохо отреставрирована приятно погулять походить. Лучше заказать экскурсию, гораздо познователтнее и интереснее. экскурсовод есть официальные и неофициально работающие.
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