The patriotic event 'Eternal Memory' took place at the memorial complex 'Urochishe Peski' in the Polotsk district

"Urochishche Peski" is a mass grave of victims of fascism, located on the left bank of the Polota River near the Spaso-Evfrosinievsky Convent. According to archival data, the remains of 40 to 150 thousand people are buried here – prisoners of war, underground fighters, partisans, and civilians who were tortured and shot in 1941-1944.

During the Great Patriotic War, the German transit camp DULAG-125 was located near the urochishche. Prisoners of war sent there were subjected to brutal torture: they were not fed, beaten with sticks and whips, forced to work 15-18 hours a day, and those who could not endure were shot.

Every day, up to 200 people died in the camp from hunger, torture, and diseases. The bodies of the people were taken to the shooting range, buried in trenches, and covered with sand. Those shot and hanged from the civilian camp "Gromy", participants of the Polotsk underground, captured partisans, and civilians accused of collaborating with partisans were also buried there. In addition, Italian servicemen who turned their weapons against their former allies, the Germans, in 1942 may also be buried in this place.

On a field of more than 3 hectares, the earth is literally strewn with human bones, saturated with tears and blood. A memorial complex is being erected here in memory of the terrible tragedy. The construction of the complex began in 2010 with the initiative of the Polotsk district organization of the Belarusian Peace Foundation, supported by local authorities. The main part of the funding was covered by the district budget. Sponsorship and voluntary donations from concerned citizens from different regions of Belarus continue to be received to this day for the targeted account of the Vitebsk regional branch of the Belarusian Peace Foundation.

Currently, the project implementation is in its final stage, with a readiness level exceeding 80%. A fence has been erected around the entire perimeter of the burial site, the territory has been landscaped, electrical communications have been laid, lighting poles and main architectural elements have been installed.

In accordance with the concept of the design project authors, a memorial chapel with a bell has appeared on the complex's territory. A wall of lamentation with the names of fallen heroes has been built, displaying the symbolism of major religious denominations, as people of different nationalities and faiths are buried in "Peski". The alley leading to the wall symbolizes the sorrowful path to the Polotsk Golgotha.

On July 2, on the initiative of the district organization of the Belarusian Peace Foundation, thousands of residents of the region gathered at this mournful place to bow low to the fallen, to say that Polotsk region remembers them, and that civil society is united in its aspiration to defend peace on earth.

The theatrical and musical composition, prepared by the artists of the Honored Amateur Collective of the Republic of Belarus, the "Pilgrim" theater, under the direction of Vera Kiseleva, helped recreate the atmosphere of the war years, featuring heart-chilling recollections of concentration camp prisoners.

The patriotic event united representatives of the veterans' organization, professional and youth unions, members of public associations "Belaya Rus", the Belarusian Women's Union, the Belarusian Red Cross, the Belarusian Society "Knowledge", the Belarusian Union of Officers, historical reenactment clubs, and all concerned citizens. A vigil of remembrance was held throughout the burial field, divided into 144 plots. Public organizations will continue to maintain the mass graves on a permanent basis.

– It is gratifying, – noted the chairperson of the district trade union organization of public institution employees Tatyana Kordan, – that the construction of the memorial complex is moving towards completion through joint efforts. After all, it is not for nothing that people say that the war will truly end only when the last fallen soldier is buried. We consider it our duty to provide assistance in the improvement of this sacred place for all Polotsk residents.

LARISA MALASHENYA, "Vitebskiye Vesti".