Architectural and sculptural complex 'Minsk - Hero City'.

Minsk, the capital of Belarus, endured 1,100 days of German occupation during the Great Patriotic War. In the occupied city, the underground emerged spontaneously, without control from the party or the central government. The city's underground was destroyed twice. The occupiers compromised the arrested leader of the underground, Ivan Kovalev. In Moscow, the Minsk underground members were suspected of collaborating with the Gestapo and branded Nazi collaborators. The Minsk underground was rehabilitated only in 1959.

Despite the heroism of Minsk residents, the awarding of the title "Hero City" to the city dragged on for thirty years. Only on June 26, 1974, Minsk received this honorary title. According to the established rules, an obelisk with an image of the Order of Lenin, the "Gold Star" medal and the text of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR had to be erected in the city awarded this title.

The architectural and sculptural complex "Minsk - Hero City" was opened on May 8, 1985 in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Sculptor V. Zankovich, architects V. Kramarenko, V. Yevseyev, V. Romanenko participated in the creation of the monument.

In the center of the composition is a concrete obelisk 45 meters high. The top of the obelisk is crowned with a star and a laurel branch made of gilded metal. At the base of the obelisk, on a marble plaque, is engraved the text of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 26, 1974 on awarding Minsk the honorary title of "Hero City".

To the right of the obelisk, on a low pedestal, stands a bronze figure of a woman 5.5 m high - a generalized image of the Motherland, a symbol of Victory and Glory. The complex is located on an observation deck lined with light gray slabs, from which three concrete staircases lead.

In 2007, the Minsk Hero City obelisk was included in the State List of Historical and Cultural Values of the Republic of Belarus. In 2010, construction of a new building for the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War began next to the obelisk. The opening of the museum took place on July 2, 2014, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

The image of the obelisk "Minsk - Hero City" is present on the reverse of the silver and copper-nickel commemorative coins issued in 1997 by the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, dedicated to the Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus. A stylized image of the architectural and sculptural complex is also placed on the front side of the jubilee medal "75 Years of the Liberation of Belarus from the Nazi Invaders", established by Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 134 of April 2, 2019.

Since December 2018, major repairs have been carried out on the obelisk, as a result of which, by April 2019, the concrete base, granite slabs, and granite on the plaque with the text of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on awarding Minsk the honorary title of "Hero City" were updated. The letters of the text of the decree were also restored and covered with gold leaf.