Polotsk local historians unearthed a new fact from the history of the monument to the soldiers of 1812 in Klyastitsy

A foundation plate has been found at the base of the former monument to the soldiers of 1812 in Klyastitsy, Rossony District. As Nikolay Khomenok, Chairman of the Klyastitsy Village Council, told "Vitebskiye Vesti," a few days ago, Polotsk local historians Andrey and Alexey Bukhovetsky approached him for permission to explore the foundation of the monument destroyed in 1939. Shortly before that, they had discovered a foundation niche.

Further excavations revealed a thin, six-pointed tin cross with silver plating. Beneath it was a granite slab covering a recess in which lay a copper plate. The plate, 44 cm long and 28.5 cm wide, clearly reads: "On May 21, 1854, in the 29th year of the prosperous reign of His Imperial Majesty Sovereign Emperor Nicholas Pavlovich, Autocrat of All Russia, this Monument was laid by His Imperial Majesty's supreme command in commemoration of the Patriotic War and the victory over the French troops, achieved on July 19, 1812, near Klyastitsy. The laying of this Monument took place in the presence of..." The text continues with a list of surnames.

Thanks to this find, which lay in the ground for 161 years, it is now precisely known when the monument, consecrated in 1857, was laid. The foundation plate, along with the cross, has been transferred to the museum of the Klyastitsy school.

Tatyana Pasternak, "Vitebskiye Vesti."