A Walk of Fame for renowned countrymen was opened in Rossony
The idea to erect a memorial architectural complex near the district Museum of Combat Comradeship was born last year during a community clean-up at the memorial to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War.
The Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, who worked alongside the residents of Rossony at the time and attended the opening of the Walk of Fame, noted the symbolic coincidence of events.
– It so happened that the community clean-up took place on the 75th anniversary of the death of Pyotr Mironovich Masherov’s mother, Daria Petrovna, who is buried at the memorial complex, and on the 100th anniversary of the birth of our renowned countryman, we are opening the Walk of Fame. I see deep symbolism in this. It is important that today there are veterans of war and labor who remember the heroes immortalized here, fought and worked with them, and can tell about them. Our task is not just to remember, but to be worthy of these great people, – emphasized Vladimir Vladimirovich.
Seven granite slabs bear the engraved names of those who are written in golden letters in the annals of the Rossony region. The Walk of Fame is opened by a stele in honor of Pyotr Masherov, Hero of the Soviet Union and Socialist Labor, a prominent statesman who loved this land and did much for the prosperity of Rossony region. In a row, memorial signs are installed, immortalizing the Heroes of the Soviet Union: partisan scout Vladimir Khomchenovsky, military pilot Stepan Zhukov, artilleryman Alexander Shelepen, who distinguished himself in the battles for the capture of Berlin, Pavel Rubis, a full Cavalier of the Order of Glory, who fought bravely on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, as well as Heroes of Socialist Labor – collective farm link leader Anna Goretskaya and state farm pig breeder Tatyana Khmelkova.
These heroes, as noted by the Chairman of the Rossony District Executive Committee, Vladimir Bykov, are an example of selfless service to the Motherland and love for their native region. Shared memory, emphasized the head of the district, unites and brings people closer together.
– All residents supported the idea of creating an alley. We held three workdays, raised money for the installation of memorial plaques. I came to Rossony in 1980, managed to talk with Pavel Ivanovich Rubis. Like many front-line soldiers who survived the hardships of war, he did not like to talk about his combat exploits, it was difficult to persuade him to speak at certain events. The conviction was that the younger generation should know how everything was, not only from history textbooks, but also from eyewitnesses, – said Gennady Fedorov, Chairman of the Rossony District Council of Deputies.
Inna Povedaylo, Chairperson of the Rossony Council of Veterans, shared her impressions of meetings with Pyotr Masherov. Inna Ivanovna was only 19 years old when she headed the Rovnopolsky rural council.
– Pyotr Mironovich visited Rovnoye Pole more than once, he always went to the grave where his friends from the partisan detachment were buried. He built houses for the families of the fallen. And how people met him! They came from neighboring villages, he knew many by name. For lunch, we cooked potatoes in their jackets and mashed flaxseed. I thought, how can such food be served to such a great man, but those who knew Pyotr Mironovich claimed that this was his favorite dish, which he shared with his partisan friends, – said Inna Ivanovna.
Today, only 16 participants of the Great Patriotic War are registered in the district veterans' organization. One of the oldest is Konstantin Polevechko, who fought in the same detachment with Pyotr Masherov. During the celebration, he also shared his memories. Anna Traschenko, who was the chairman of the "Rossony" collective farm in the 1980s, also has something to tell.
– I met Anna Savelievna Goretskaya when she was no longer working on the farm, but she always took an interest in affairs, worried if something was wrong. According to people, she was a great worker. Masherov, who knew her from the partisan detachment, visited her and called her Annushka. Once, when I accompanied Pyotr Mironovich on a trip around the collective farm, we stopped at Anna Savelievna's house, she was sweeping the street, and invited him for lunch. He came in, praised her potatoes, drank milk, – shared Alla Sergeevna.
At the opening ceremony of the Alley of Glory, it was repeatedly emphasized that only public funds, earned during district and regional workdays, were used for its creation, as well as for the reconstruction of the memorial complex. Many residents, not only from Rossony district but also from the entire Vitebsk region, contributed to this noble cause. The next step is the reconstruction of the Museum of Combat Comradeship. According to Vladimir Terentyev, Rossony is destined to become a center of memory for Pyotr Masherov, other heroes of the partisan movement, and participants of the Great Patriotic War.
Historians, local lore experts, and museum staff from Minsk, Vitebsk, Polotsk, who took part in the first large-scale scientific and practical conference "Rossony Region: History, Culture, People," made their contribution to this. Vyacheslav Danilovich, Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, presented books. The museum library was also replenished with the volume "Pyotr Masherov. Epoch and Fate," published by Belarusians of Russia.
Following the commemorative events, the first working meeting of the headquarters for the reconstruction of the Museum of Combat Comradeship was held.