Slutsk. Memorial complex to Soviet soldiers.

The memorial complex at the Slutsk city cemetery on 14 Partizan Street is a monument that perpetuates the memory of more than 40,000 Soviet citizens who died during the Great Patriotic War in the Slutsk region.

The complex, made of concrete and marble chips, includes three mass graves, a sculpture of a warrior with grenades, a monumental arch with bas-reliefs and a bastion. The authors are sculptor Konstantin Soroka and architect Vladimir Kuzmenko.

The liberation of Slutsk from the Nazi invaders occurred during a rapid advance by Soviet troops. The fighting was fierce, but by the evening of June 30, it ended in victory for the Red Army. The Nazis retreated towards the village of Selishche.

The following day, the residents of Slutsk were horrified to see the scale of the destruction and witnessed the funerals of the dead soldiers, which were carried out in a hurry. The graves were dug near the places of death, so the burials were scattered throughout the city. In the city square opposite the city executive committee building, tankmen and Kuban Cossacks who died during the battle for the central square of Slutsk were buried.

In the 1960s, during the expansion of the 1st military town, mass graves of victims of the Slutsk concentration camp were discovered, some of whose remains were transferred to mass graves.

The history of the memorial's creation goes back to 1945, when the city administration decided to create mass graves for the reburial of fallen soldiers and partisans. Since 1956, the improvement of the burial sites began: wooden monuments were replaced with stone ones, and earthen embankments were concreted.

In the early 1970s, a decision was made to build a memorial complex in Slutsk. Initially, it was planned to complete the work by the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus, but the complex was opened on May 9, 1975, and in 1984 it was reconstructed and supplemented with new architectural elements.

The memorial complex annually becomes the venue for ceremonial events dedicated to the Day of Liberation of Belarus and Victory Day. Residents of Slutsk and veterans who liberated the city from the fascists come here to honor the memory of the dead.