Stalin Line

The Historical and Cultural Complex “Stalin line” is 26 km from the Minsk and 6 km from Zaslavl town. The "Stalin line” was founded on 60th anniversary of soviet people Victory in the Great Patriotic war (WWII) and it was opened on the 30th of June 2005 in memory of soldiers who defended Minsk in 1941. The main museum exposition is related to first days of the Great Patriotic war. “Stalin line” is the chain of defensive installations along the former USSR frontier from Karelian Isthmus to the shores of Black sea. It consisted of twenty three fortified regions including more than four thousand permanent weapon emplacements (pillboxes). All are made from high quality fortification concrete. Four fortified regions – Polotsk, Minsk, Slutsk, Mozyr – were at territory of Belarus in total nine hundred sixty-six pillboxes. Fortified regions formed a united defense line. The entire line of the fortified regions had been built since 1928 till the autumn 1939. Minsk’s fortified region No 63, which was 140 kilometers long included 327 pillboxes. On 26-28th of June 1941 at the lines of the Minsk`s fortified region there was fierce fighting with the attacking units of the German army. The Military-museum exposition was created and planed, so that from first steps a visitor could feel spirit of that time. The basis of the exposition is original pillboxes. All entrenchments and communication trenches with rifle-pits for machine-guns and with blindages and recesses for ammunition were reconstructed according to the year 1940 designs. There is a park of military equipment of different years in the museum. It is the most complete exposition of military equipment in the Republic of Belarus, which was adopted by the USSR army in different years, beginning from WWII. The museum territory is organized for reenactments of WWII and modern fights which are planed like special events and happen approximately 10-14 times a year.