5 Days Visa-Free in Belarus- Chapter 4: The Ruins

I got off the train in Brest, it felt like a different world to me.

Not only was the city more laid-back than Minsk, it was also sunnier. Upon seeing the Stalinist style train station, I had the feeling that it was trying to tell me something. When I passed by the customs office, I got the message:

You are at the crossroad between the Western World and the Eastern World.

Brest train station

Not only was Brest a crossroad, it was also a border town. If you carelessly lost your hydrogen-filled birthday balloon in downtown Brest, chances are it would be found in a different country called Poland, and in a different political entity called the European Union.

"Голубой вагон"

However, Belarusians needed to apply a visa to cross the border, whereas the balloon could just fly over and nobody cared.

In 1941, the same border changed the history of the world.

When Nazi Germans crossed into Belarus, it symbolized the beginning of Hitler's Operation Barbarossa. Being a frontier city, Brest was where the first shot of the Great Patriotic War was fired. The fortress sitting by the Tiraspol River - the natural divide between Poland and Belarus bore great witness to not only this historic event, but also the cruelty of war. 

The entrance to Brest Fortress. The medal on the left is the Order of the Hero of Soviet Union

Ruin of a building inside the complex

Ruins of a building

Inside the fortress

Today, people could still find the bullet holes around the Brest Fortress complex. Just like Leningrad and Minsk, the government of the Soviet Union bestowed Hero of the Soviet Union to the fortress in commemoration of the conflicts that inspired the Russian people to fight against invaders which took place there on June 22, 1941. All of the buildings inside the complex were preserved to the state of 1945, with exceptions of improved infrastructures, better gardening, and new monuments. 

The gate facing the Polish border

Marks of history

In the center of the complex, there stood a spire that one could even see from Poland. Underneath the spire, which symbolized the bayonets Soviet soldiers used in the Pre-WWII era, were several plaques dedicated to other Hero Cities of the Soviet Union. Beside the Spire was the famous "Courage" Monument - a giant bust staring down at the ruins of the fortress, reminding people that the past should not be forgotten. 

"Courage" Monument

"Courage" overlooking the ruins inside the Brest Fortress

Around the complex, there were signs describing in details on how Brest fortress fell to the Nazis day by day from June 22nd to July 20th in 1941. Bronze statues were built to give visitors a better idea of the struggles soldiers at Brest fortress had to face. 

The Eternal Flame inside the complex

Statue of a soldier

Marching youth and the statue

Oil painting: The Liberation of Berlin

Before I left, I visited the Russian Orthodox church beside the "Courage" Monument. From the outside the church was completely renovated, however when I went inside, I was shocked by what I saw: the interior was pretty much in the original state dated back when Nazi German planes roared over the sky! Indeed, many of the scars were hidden deep inside people's hearts, and it was very hard for other people to merely judge and find out from the outside. While not all sadness and miserable experiences were written on people's face,the fact was that they did exist albeit the fancy covers people might had on them - yet these fancy covers were usually the basis for us to judge other people. It was the same with places like Belarus, where the trees, the brooks, and the blue sky depicted a very peaceful and harmonious picture. However, if you search scrupulously through the green grass, you would find evidence that the peace and harmony around you did not exist at all not even that long ago.

The Orthodox Church inside the complex

Inside the church

Inside the church

Inside the church

Inside the church

Inside the church

Vintage artilleries inside the complex

The only restaurant in the complex

Beside one of the memorials, a young fellow - perhaps 9 or 10 years of age and dressed in full World War II era military uniform was reading the story of the ruin that was right in front of him. Before he left, he saluted to the portraits of Brest Fortress defenders like a real Soviet soldier in many World War II films. Not far away, his father was simply watching his son and waiting for his son to return to him. 

Back of the "Courage" Monument

As I exited the fortress, the song "Sacred War" was playing through the speakers inside the star-shaped gate. Indeed, the Great Patriotic War forged who Belorussians are today, and played a vital role in forging the identity of modern-day Belorussians.

I headed back to the city center of Brest. Formerly known as Brest-Litovsk, it was where the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed and named after. In order to secure domestic control of Russian territories following the October Revolution, the Soviet government under Lenin signed the treaty with the Triple Alliance, which ensured Russia's withdrawal from World War One. By eliminating the possibility of foreign interference, the treaty helped the Bolsheviks to fight the war with the White Army in the Russian Civil War, which ended in Soviet victory and the establishment of the U.S.S.R. 

Municipal government building

Statue of Lenin in the city center

In the city center, colorful flowers bloomed along the promenades where local residents took their strolls. It was hard to imagine that a small city like Brest played such a pivotal role in changing the history of world - not once, but twice. I began to wonder what would the probability be for such thing to happen. Was it by random chance? Or was everything determined to be the way it was?

I took another look at the beautiful flowers along the promenades. The colors in front of me were actually consisted of one gardening pot after another. The combination of many flower pots created the beautiful colors that made the greyish former Soviet city interesting.

A Soviet style movie theater

Brest residents

The historic city center was completely destroyed during World War II

Yet the flower pots were placed in a certain scheme by people. The scheme was designed by people. It was people who planned it all out - both the color schemes of the promenade, and Brest's historical role in two world changing moments. 

I certain hope that in the future, people should create more beautiful things like the promenade, and absolutely zero earth-shattering wars. Not only are we capable of creating both, we also have a choice over what will happen next.

(Click here to read the next chapter)