The renovated Victory Square opened in Vitebsk

May 8, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The most anticipated facility of the past year, Victory Square, was solemnly opened in Vitebsk today. The red ribbon symbolizing this significant event was cut by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets, the Chairman of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee Viktor Nikolaikin, the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of the public association of veterans Gennady Gerasimovich, and Hero of the Soviet Union Leonid Filipenko, BELTA correspondent reports. The opening of Victory Square on the eve of the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War is deeply symbolic, noted Alexander Kosinets, addressing the veterans, residents, and guests of the holiday. "This is a tribute of respect and memory to the feat of the liberator heroes, as well as a reminder to us, their descendants, of the heroic past of our country," he emphasized. Victory Square in Vitebsk is the largest in Belarus and one of the largest in Europe, with an area of over 72 thousand square meters. It has a rectangular shape, bordered on three sides by residential and public buildings, and the fourth side faces the Western Dvina River. The cultural and business part of the complex includes catering facilities and updated brand stores of Vitebsk manufacturers. Two light and music fountains and two light-dynamic fountains, as well as LED screens, have been installed here. The architectural dominant of the square is the memorial complex in honor of the liberator soldiers, partisans, and underground fighters of the Vitebsk region, created in 1974 and restored for the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory. The asphalt pavement near the main monument has been replaced with tiles, the stairs have been repaired, and the pools of the two fountains and 10 pylons have been covered with granite. In addition, three 56-meter trapezoidal pylons-obelisks and a star-shaped podium, in the center of which the Eternal Flame burns, have been restored. They were cleaned, and small cracks were sealed with special solutions. Repair work was also carried out on the territory of school No. 2, located near the memorial part of the complex, and in the underground passages leading to the square. An important element of the square is the surrounding Victory Park. Currently, trees have been planted here, and a Glory Alley of military equipment and weapons from the war years has been created. "In the future, an observation wheel and a parachute tower will be installed in the park, a pier will appear near the landscaped embankment, and a motor ship will ply the river. This will be a wonderful place for patriotic education of youth, leisure, and a cultural and business center of Vitebsk," emphasized the chairman of the regional executive committee. -0-